Steve Winwood is my all around favorite British musician. He is a multi instrumental talent, a great singer, songwriter and producer. Steve Winwood turns 74 years old tomorrow. I saw Steve Winwood twice live, as the opening act for Tom Petty. Thanks for sharing this analysis video. Cheers, Fil! ✌️
No one like Steve Winwood A kid with a voice like that and he’s never changed! Thanks Stevie Winwood for a lifetime of music and you Fil for highlighting him. I was a teen when this song came out and we would blast it in the car!
True story. My mother lived in Houston and would listen to "black radio" coming in from Baton Rouge. One night they played "this new kid" (she thought he was 16 though) that sounded just like Ray Charles. They played SPD off and on for two days, going on and on about this "phenom". Then one day the radio station apologized to its audience. They didn't realize he was white. People called in and didn't care, they loved the kid the band and the music. Mom said she was shocked to know he was white as well. It was the 1st time a white person played on that station. Anyway, I always thought that was a funny story.
Thanks for sharing. You should read Keith Richards autobiography called: "Life". Fascinating stories of the Stones on their first tour in the deep south of the United States when they were still a Blues Band. It has a lot to do with "Honky Tonks".
@@mrnobody3161 That sounds real good. I like stories like that. I knew that they had recorded at Muscle Shoals and the music created was definitely country, blues and R&B flavored homage to their experiences touring in the south. I've done a little reading about the Chitlin Curcuit tar-paper juke joints, and it's influence on rock n roll and whites that "appropriated" music from the CC.Super interesting. But thanks for the recommend. I'm a nut for reading, a nut for autobiographies, and a nut for music, so I will absolutely check it out. Plus touring stories from bands are _always_ a good read; things happen there that occurs nowhere else. And thank you very much for your reply.
Stevie started sitting in on organ from a VERY young age (like 12 or something) for all the black American artists touring the UK when they came to Birmingham, his home city. Since the venue was a pub, he had to sit with his back to the audience so any visiting police wouldn't realise he was underage to be on licensed premises. He must have absorbed so much from these musical role models. And IIRC, he has said he modelled himself vocally on Ray Charles.
Give Steve Winwood some much deserved respect. For those out there who are maybe not so familiar with The Spencer Davis Group and the name of Steve Winwood let me just tell you that this is the same guy who is responsible for Higher Love song. A very gifted artist.
Spot on once again, Fil. This video took me back to my first band. "Gimme Gimme Some Lovin" was rising up the US charts and we learned it. I had just turned 12 year and had a Teisco Checkmate combo organ. It be another 5 years before I could afford my first Hammond. Back then we never realized just how much more talented teens like Stevie Winwood, Alex Chilton (Box Tops), Georgie Fame (Flames), etc., than we were. LOL I sang this song and "Light My Fire" barely understanding what I was singing about. :)
Seventeen years old and he could shred the organ like people who had been doing it for years AND nailed the song with all the nuances and never looked like he was trying!! The British Invasion brought the most amazing music in history and it’s still being played today.☺️ I was so glad I was born into that era.❤️
He had been doing it for years... But I take your point. I saw him on his 16th birthday and it was life-changing for a 14-year old. He was born in May 1948 so must be 18 at least, in this clip
@@keithrandall1492 He must have been already 18 years old when composing or at least performing that number 'Gimme Some Lovin', it was not in the record shops until autumn 1966...?
I was very happy that you analysed a song of Steve Winwood, (Spencer Davis Group) becauae I love to listen to these early recordings. Interesting story how Gimme some lovin'' was composed. 👍 and I hooe that mr Winwood is still singing and playing the organ or piano in 2022!
@Bobb Grimley I'm not quite sure how you mean your 'good for you". It must have been amazing to witness the origins rather than learn later. I've asked my parents what it was like to see Elvis and the Beatles' first appearances on (north America) television.
When Winwood was still in school he played the Hammond during UK tours with people like Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, Howlin Woolf, BB King, Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley. He learned the blues from some of the best. Before he could legally drink a beer.
That's always been a favorite song. Don't let the simplicity fool you. It's much harder to compose a simple song without padding and over production. Simplicity means every instrument stands out, counts, and is spotlighted! Real classic song !
But one does have to credit their co-producer/Wunderkind Jimmy Miller with the recut, overdubbed version for the U.S. market, back in the day. I think that its most likely the version we all know and love.
Fil, thank you very much for this video of my all-time favorite singer! I have been very fortunate to see Steve about a dozen times over the years and even as he's getting older, he still puts on a fantastic performance and his voice has aged like fine wine. I loved your analysis of showing how gifted he was, even as a teenager, providing your expertise, which is always a joy to watch. Thanks again for a great video.
🤯 Whoa, whaaaaaat!!???? This is my first time seeing the video and…mind blown! The two things that blew it are: 1) The age of the singer (I’d always thought he was MUCH older). And 2) HAD NO CLUE he was a very young Steve Winwood!!! Just incredible!!!
This was the first song I learnt how to play on my fender telecaster (a very long time ago). I still think its one of the best and I can tell by your facial expressions you think so to. Thanks from Canada
I stumbled onto Steve Winwood's greatest Hits Live album on Amazon Music recently and can't stop playing it. In particular Dear Mr. Fantasy and this song, and While You See a Chance. Just great. Truly one of the best rock vocalists to my ears.
Just as amazing is Steve Winwood's voice later in life. Clapton and Winwood live at Madison Square Garden 12 years ago was like hearing back in time. Steve is one of the greatest of all time. Timeless and still contemporary.
I saw Steve three times in 1965 at Pete Stringfellow’s Mojo Club. It was obvious even then that someone so talented was going places. He signed my copy of their first LP left handed with apologies having strained his right but you would never have known from his guitar playing that night.
A great video by you yet again. When I was in my late teens I was really into Jimi Hendrix and very late at night I used to put on (on the record player!) Voodoo Chile. As you know, Steve Winwood played on that recording and his organ totally sets the mood for the song. What a talent and at such a young age too. They should make a film of his life and could call it Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush.
As a teenager at the time 14, I bought this as a single. I played it and played it forever. I had no idea who Steve Winwood was and I never knew he was so young at the time. He really was a prodigy, wasn’t he?
I knew none of this. It is why you are my favorite of all time reactors. The history is just invaluable to those of us who knew we grew up with genius! We just didn't appreciate it as much as we should have. We just lived it and danced our asses off to it! You make it indelible into our psyches.
I saw this headline but not the artist. I thought that if it was not Steve Winwood then I could not continue with this channel … glad for both of us :). You do good work here.
If this was performed in 1967, Fil, Stevie would have actually been in his 19th year as he was born in 1948. However, he was a prodigy nonetheless. Of him, Wikipedia notes that he and his brother Muff joined the Spencer Davis Group when Stevie was only 14, adding that "The group's first record, a single, was released 10 days after Winwood's 16th birthday." en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Winwood And linked below is him singing "Gimme Some Lovin" in 2020. To my ears his pipes are better preserved than Macca's -- perhaps he exercises a bit more restraint; while Paul may belt out songs louder, his voice can sound ragged when he does so, or when he tries to hit the high notes. (As Clint Eastwood once said as "Dirty Harry" Callahan: "A man's got to know his limitations." 😏Why, Paul? Why?) By comparison, Stevie voice seems smoother and more under control. And not having to sing crazy vocal cord shredding McCartney favs on stage like "Oh Darling", "Helter Skelter" "Live & Let Die", etc. [ua-cam.com/video/5YoFR0SU32Y/v-deo.html] probably doesn't hurt Winwood retain a semblance of former vocal attractiveness. ua-cam.com/video/rpkqTLR3OD8/v-deo.html
Steve Winwood was born in May 1948. This was recorded in June 1966. So he was 18, not 17. Still amazing. Now he was 14 when the Spencer Davis Group was first formed.
He was often dubbed 'Little' Stevie Winwood after 'Little' Stevie Wonder. What wasn't mentioned in this clip - unless I missed it - is that Winwood started as a jazz guitarist before getting into the blues via the likes of Ray Charles (listen to the Spencer Davis Group's version of 'Georgia'). Indeed, on the early SDG hits 'Keep On Running', 'When I Come Home' and 'Somebody Help Me' Winwood is on guitar, with the riff on 'Keep On Running' being, along with 'Satisfaction' one of the first times we'd heard a fuzz tone pedal. If he wasn't on guitar, he was on piano - there was no organ in the earlier days. Indeed, 'Gimme Some Loving' was a WTF moment, with that surging Hammond and Winwood letting loose vocally. Then came 'I'm a Man'. Whilst early hits were penned by outsiders, Winwood was now writing tunes ('I'm a Man' was a co-write with producer Jimmy Miller, who brought percussion to the version of that tune done for America...and also played drums on several Stones tunes as well as adding cowbell on 'Honky Tonk Woman'). Harmonica and drums were also on Winwood's can-do list. During his time with the SDG he did a one-off session with Eric Clapton and Jack Bruce (Ginger Baker bowed out, so SDG's Pete York drummed), with Clapton's pal Ben Palmer on piano and Manfred Mann's Paul Jones on vocals. Go listen to The Powerhouse and their version of (pre-Cream) 'Crossroads'. Also listen to the SDG's killer version of John Lee Hooker's 'Dimples' and their take on 'My Babe'. Winwood excels on both. The band's three albums - 'Their First Album', 'Their Second Album' and 'Autumn 66' and string of single put this band in the history books before the Hammond was introduced. Most British pop stars were young in the 60s. The Small Faces, the Herd (Peter Frampton joined aged 16), Amen Corner...all mid teens. Mick Taylor had just turned 18 when he took Peter Green's place in the Bluesbreakers. Winwood, who joined the SDG when aged 15, was 17 when recording 'Gimme Some Loving' and 18 when it was released. Worth noting that he and Traffic drummer Jim Capaldi were to have been on Joe Cocker's 'Help From My Friends', but Jimmy Page and Procol Harum's BJ Wilson nailed the part and made the record. Here is one of the great SDG B-sides. 'Goodbye Stevie' has Winwood on rollicking piano, bluesy guitar (a white Strat) and ripping vocals. ua-cam.com/video/AZ0RBsv-0GU/v-deo.html
OMG I was looking for reaction from Al Green singing live 'How Can you Mend a Broken Heart' amazing vocals, wow breathkaken.........live on soul 1972 amazing.
When you look at great young performers, there are five that jump off the page. Of course Michael Jackson, and Steve Winwood, Stevie Wonder, Alex Chilton, and Sylvester Stewart (aka Sly Stone). When Sly was 17 he wrote "Swim" by Bobby Freeman and was working the board at Autumn Records on those great Beau Brummels singles.
I remember when this particular song was released in the U.S.. I thought the lead singer was black until I saw him. Steve Winwood is so multitalented. The Spencer Davis Group was also impressive during live performances. Rarely did I see them lip syncing
Good work highlighting Steve and SDG, Fil. An exemplary prodigy and virtuoso. Keys, guitar, vocals, songwriting, composition; all top tier from Mr. Winwood. My favorite live SDG performance is them doing Sittin' And Thinkin' where Steve lays down some incredible Otis Rush/Freddie King style with some smooth T-Bone jump-blues swing incorporated. Would be a great clip to illustrate dynamics and phrasing in blues/jazz guitar. And Davis' vocals and harp blowing are on point despite inebriation. 😎 Helluva band. ua-cam.com/video/GgRckrjgEfA/v-deo.html
So talented yes, amazing! You may already know this but Steve's second solo album decades after Spencer Davis Group, Traffic, Blind Faith and so on, recorded Arc of a Diver at his home studio he had built, wrote all the music, sang everything, played all the instruments, and produced, mixed and engineered it himself. Some of these people hogged all the talent. :D
Funny, but I don’t remember them. I looked them up and listened to some of their songs, but no memory. I do know this song though. Thanks for the analysis Fil.
For me Give me Some Lovin is a perfect song! Steve Winwood's voice is so mature for such a young age - both raw and precise - and his timing is so subtle. I love how authoritative in the genre this English band is in 1967. You are so right, Fil, about the energy in the room. All these decades later it is palpable. One of my favourites.
I would add to Steve Winwood at 17, the unbelievably talented Alex Chilton, who at just 16 years old topped the charts with his first professional recording when The Box Tops' "The Letter" became an international number one hit. Followed by "Cry Like a Baby".
I agree. Also, Rick Derringer was only 17, or 18, when Hang On Sloopy was recorded. Stevie Wonder was a teenager, when he recorded things like Fingertips, Uptight, For Once In My Life, and so on. A Canadian, Burton Cummings, was no more than 21, when hits like These Eyes, was recorded by The Guess Who. It would be something if a kid told his parents that they didn't want to take piano lessons anymore. The kid's parents would ask, why not? The kid would show them music by these child prodigies, who are now adults (senior citizens).
@@dwaynewladyka577 thanks for reminding us about these incredible talents that I’ve listened to for so many years. SW IMHO TOPS the others but they are awesome in their own right. Thanks for this Fil.
There are a lot of names to add to that list: The Jackson Five, Stevie Wonder, Steve Marriott, Davy Jones, Janis Ian, Mike Oldfield, Peter Frampton, The Wilson brothers, Cliff Richards, Keith Moon, Mick Taylor, and a few dozen others.
@@johnj2763 100% Agree! "Thirteen" might be the greatest teenage angst song of all time. I believe Jeff Tweedy/Wilco were greatly influenced by Alex Chilton.
Wow. I have never heard this version before....but I always tried to imagine a live rendition, and this is about as amazing as I could have ever hoped for. Everything they added beyond what the single version has is perfect. I mean, perfect as in so cool.....I don't know anything about how to write a song. It just sounds so damn cool.
It sounds like he had a sore throat maybe. Not bashing him in any way, it just sounds like he's straining to hit some notes and you can hear his voice cracking some, which isn't at all how he normally sounds. By this time he was a veteran of performing.
Omgosh! I've never seen them LIVE doing this song contemporaneously with it being a hit! I'm saving this one. I was 11 years old when this song came out and it was THE SONG of that year...and to this day, it's still being played regularly on oldies stations that usually leave out some of the best. But, none of the stations ever miss playing "Gimme Some Lovin'". I met Stevie (as he was called back in the day) in a hotel lobby in Chicago in 2015. I never, ever bother a celebrity but to get Stevie Winwood's autograph, I wouldn't pass that up. And he was such a gentleman.
Steve's recent video of him singing Can't Find My way Home in front of the fire place I liked even more than the original of that song. He still sounds amazing
Spencer Davis Group, Traffic and Blind Faith cemented his brilliance. Such a beautiful voice also. Very underrated vocalist, imho. Thanks again Fil! Another brilliant analysis
I think at the time that Stevie was dominating, he was considered one of the greatest vocalist, in traffic in blind faith, nobody had that tone like him
@@Uncle-Bull I used underrated because, unlike Clapton, Steve Winwood, as great as he was, really is not in this generation's consciousness. They still know who Clapton is. I'm not talking about when he was in his heyday. If you listed 10 male rock singers, including him, and gave it to 1000 20-50 yr olds to rank, where do you think he would be ranked? Unlike Streisand, Vaughn, Holliday, Fitzgerald who spanned the generations and continue to be explored, I think Steve has fallen off people's radar so he is not as remembered as maybe the more flashier vocalists. That is what I meant by underrated. I didn't want to say forgotten, even though that may be more accurate. I think if more actually heard his work, he would be better remembered. Have a good night.
The Spencer Davis Group performed in February 1967 at the Helsinki Culture House and Pasila TV Studio. In Finland, it appeared on the fourth day of the tour on February 27. The House of Culture housed 1,550 people, a full hall.
Many of the Black Soul shouters in the 60's had this voice or better, but as far as the white soul singers WInwood was up near the top.@@larrybrown1597
They were so influential that the very first track from the Allman Brothers Band debut album was an instrumental cover of their song Don't Want You No More. I believe Steve Winwood's voice just gets better with age.
This is fabulous! Please consider checking out Alex Chilton and the Box Tops, "Cry Like a Baby". Alex had not turned 16 , yet, when the band released their first hit. Teenagers with old soul voices.
Excellent observation. His time with them is a large part of that mid-60's suburban & city atmosphere. It was the music of the time. Just a kid, and he resonates 50+ years later! Wow. "The Letter" was an all-timer. Cocker's rendition is great, as well.
At the Clapton and Winwood concert in 2010, each guy took a solo spotlight to sing a song. Steve did Georgia on My Mind. I had seen Ray Charles in nightclubs, small venues but not an arena. I closed my eyes to listen to Steve and could have sworn it was Ray. Then you go numb realizing that Steve has sounded this way since he broke on to the scene at age 14.
I remember hearing little Steve Winwood on my transistor radio I was not even a teenager I've loved him all these years. He has never disappointed. A true musical genius. He still sounds great.
I was privileged to be at Hyde Park in 1969 to see Steve Winwood and Eric Clapton and Ginger Baker and Rick Grech perform song after song of outstanding quality, as Blind Faith , so I know how good Steve Winwood has always been. His playing of the Hammond organ is SO good. And, many years later, I went to an intimate venue, and enjoyed about an hour of great music, by the drummer of The Spencer Davis group, Pete York and his band. All was/ is so good.
"Can't Find My Way Home" is a perfect example of the RELAXED, yet incredibly powerful, effortless vocal ability of Steve. There's a recent vid of him singing it solo next to a fireplace and as I sang along I was amazed, I was actually able to grab a few notes!!! However, when I attempted to play guitar and sing I realized he was turned down an entire step. Try singing the original sometime.....at least for me, it ain't happenin'. Oh well, that's why we love our greats! Personal Note: I saw Traffic in Indiana in about 1970. Got backstage, got high with them sitting about 2 feet away from Steve. Took a piss next to Jim Gordon, drummer I think I recall. Also there was some short African guy bouncing around. Only about 20 people in the room...like I said, we we're smokin' it down
I was "only" 14 but in those days we heard this a lot and always played it at our parties! Of course, now after this explanation it suddenly gets another meaning. Thanks, Fil!
The wife and I were talking with Peter Noone. He told us that he was in a club with some other musicians at the time. Some of the band members had their kids with them, so he didn't think anything of it. A 16 Y/O Steve gets up on stage and starts singing. Peter said everyone's mouth just dropped to the floor...
We love going to see Peter whenever he's in town. He has so many stories of the British Invasion musicians and singers. He told us that he was very young in a pub sitting between John Lennon and Graham Nash. They were all just teenagers then. None of them knew what was to come.
I always loved this song and it’s still amazing in 2022!!! Please also feature Betty Wright. She started singing at 13. Her vocal range and versatility were absolutely mind blowing!!! What a legacy she has left behind.
The genius boy wonder for a good reason. Stevie Wonder also comes to mind. Same era and same instrument. I miss the organ in rock music. YES Deep Purple Edgar Winter Steve Winwood Steppenwolf Doors Greg Allman etc
By the time Steve and his brother Muff joined The Spencer Davis Group that ad been gigging around the pubs and clubs in Birmingham since Steve was about 10 years old. His brother Muff became a record producer and has his own recording studios.
Fil, what I like most about your channel is your sampling and analysis is what I so considered classical taste. You reach way back and choose the right fruit.
I’m 74 . This is easy one of my top 5. That voice. It’s all him. Natural talents. He’s got the blues down.
A comatose Keith Richards is exponentially more talented than “Ye” on his best night...
I can say almost word for word what you said. I love this song.
Steve Winwood is my all around favorite British musician. He is a multi instrumental talent, a great singer, songwriter and producer. Steve Winwood turns 74 years old tomorrow. I saw Steve Winwood twice live, as the opening act for Tom Petty. Thanks for sharing this analysis video. Cheers, Fil! ✌️
No one like Steve Winwood A kid with a voice like that and he’s never changed! Thanks Stevie Winwood for a lifetime of music and you Fil for highlighting him. I was a teen when this song came out and we would blast it in the car!
Amazing that he had to open for Tom Petty. Should’ve been the other way around. Happy Birthday lil Stevie Winwood.
Steve Winwood is my top for "misheard lyrics" LOL. His voice is great but not always so clear.
@@jimuren2388 I’d give that to Lionel Richie or Elton John. Rocket Man is a veritable word salad.
@@alexnutcasio936 ah. You left out Van Morrison. LOL
At 17 he’d already been performing for 3 years. Hard work as well as natural talent.
True story. My mother lived in Houston and would listen to "black radio" coming in from Baton Rouge. One night they played "this new kid" (she thought he was 16 though) that sounded just like Ray Charles. They played SPD off and on for two days, going on and on about this "phenom". Then one day the radio station apologized to its audience. They didn't realize he was white. People called in and didn't care, they loved the kid the band and the music. Mom said she was shocked to know he was white as well.
It was the 1st time a white person played on that station.
Anyway, I always thought that was a funny story.
Thanks for sharing.
You should read Keith Richards autobiography called: "Life". Fascinating stories of the Stones on their first tour in the deep south of the United States when they were still a Blues Band.
It has a lot to do with "Honky Tonks".
@@mrnobody3161 That sounds real good. I like stories like that. I knew that they had recorded at Muscle Shoals and the music created was definitely country, blues and R&B flavored homage to their experiences touring in the south. I've done a little reading about the Chitlin Curcuit tar-paper juke joints, and it's influence on rock n roll and whites that "appropriated" music from the CC.Super interesting.
But thanks for the recommend. I'm a nut for reading, a nut for autobiographies, and a nut for music, so I will absolutely check it out. Plus touring stories from bands are _always_ a good read; things happen there that occurs nowhere else.
And thank you very much for your reply.
I assumed the singer was black
when l first heard this song.
Love this song!
Stevie started sitting in on organ from a VERY young age (like 12 or something) for all the black American artists touring the UK when they came to Birmingham, his home city. Since the venue was a pub, he had to sit with his back to the audience so any visiting police wouldn't realise he was underage to be on licensed premises. He must have absorbed so much from these musical role models.
And IIRC, he has said he modelled himself vocally on Ray Charles.
What a GREAT story. Thank you for sharing. very cool.
Give Steve Winwood some much deserved respect.
For those out there who are maybe not so familiar with The Spencer Davis Group and the name of Steve Winwood let me just tell you that this is the same guy who is responsible for Higher Love song.
A very gifted artist.
Sreve Winwood is a charismatic, talented musician,you find him in many great works all these years
This song has really stood the test of time.
One of the most
Talented musicians and vocalists ever.
Spot on once again, Fil. This video took me back to my first band. "Gimme Gimme Some Lovin" was rising up the US charts and we learned it. I had just turned 12 year and had a Teisco Checkmate combo organ. It be another 5 years before I could afford my first Hammond. Back then we never realized just how much more talented teens like Stevie Winwood, Alex Chilton (Box Tops), Georgie Fame (Flames), etc., than we were. LOL I sang this song and "Light My Fire" barely understanding what I was singing about. :)
Seventeen years old and he could shred the organ like people who had been doing it for years AND nailed the song with all the nuances and never looked like he was trying!! The British Invasion brought the most amazing music in history and it’s still being played today.☺️ I was so glad I was born into that era.❤️
Amen
He had been doing it for years... But I take your point. I saw him on his 16th birthday and it was life-changing for a 14-year old. He was born in May 1948 so must be 18 at least, in this clip
@@keithrandall1492 He must have been already 18 years old when composing or at least performing that number 'Gimme Some Lovin', it was not in the record shops until autumn 1966...?
Me too. X
I loved his playing on "Voodoo Chile" on Jimi Hendrix's Electric Ladyland album. Lots of tasty parts in that song!
Steve Winwood is up there on my list. I like pretty much everything he has ever done... Blind Faith, Traffic, solo stuff.
I was very happy that you analysed a song of Steve Winwood, (Spencer Davis Group) becauae I love to listen to these early recordings. Interesting story how Gimme some lovin'' was composed. 👍 and I hooe that mr Winwood is still singing and playing the organ or piano in 2022!
Amazingly talented then 17 year old from Birmingham UK, my home town. Brilliant!!!
Did you go to Henry’s Blueshouse in that Era? Shabby but fantastic venue.
I love seeing the origins of artists I "discovered " as a teen in the 80s.
@Bobb Grimley I'm not quite sure how you mean your 'good for you". It must have been amazing to witness the origins rather than learn later. I've asked my parents what it was like to see Elvis and the Beatles' first appearances on (north America) television.
When Winwood was still in school he played the Hammond during UK tours with people like Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, Howlin Woolf, BB King, Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley. He learned the blues from some of the best. Before he could legally drink a beer.
I did not know Spenser was gone. Saw him at the Kedron Wayville Club in Brisbane. No Steve Winwood but still had it all. RIP
I loved this song from the first time I heard it and have been a Stevie Winwood fan for ever. Love your channel and your analysis Fil.
So young & so talented.
🤘💜
That's always been a favorite song. Don't let the simplicity fool you. It's much harder to compose a simple song without padding and over production.
Simplicity means every instrument stands out, counts, and is spotlighted! Real classic song !
But one does have to credit their co-producer/Wunderkind Jimmy Miller with the recut, overdubbed version for the U.S. market, back in the day. I think that its most likely the version we all know and love.
A great ensemble, a solid groove.
Fil, thank you very much for this video of my all-time favorite singer! I have been very fortunate to see Steve about a dozen times over the years and even as he's getting older, he still puts on a fantastic performance and his voice has aged like fine wine. I loved your analysis of showing how gifted he was, even as a teenager, providing your expertise, which is always a joy to watch. Thanks again for a great video.
🤯 Whoa, whaaaaaat!!????
This is my first time seeing the video and…mind blown! The two things that blew it are:
1) The age of the singer (I’d always thought he was MUCH older).
And
2) HAD NO CLUE he was a very young Steve Winwood!!! Just incredible!!!
This was the first song I learnt how to play on my fender telecaster (a very long time ago).
I still think its one of the best and I can tell by your facial expressions you think so to.
Thanks from Canada
I stumbled onto Steve Winwood's greatest Hits Live album on Amazon Music recently and can't stop playing it. In particular Dear Mr. Fantasy and this song, and While You See a Chance. Just great. Truly one of the best rock vocalists to my ears.
Love this video !! It was awesome !! Thank you Fil for still being awesome and you keep doing a great job as always!!!
Just as amazing is Steve Winwood's voice later in life. Clapton and Winwood live at Madison Square Garden 12 years ago was like hearing back in time. Steve is one of the greatest of all time. Timeless and still contemporary.
Probably the most talented 74 year old you'll ever see now.
Mozart of Rock !!! Great job as usual !!!
This is a song I will never tire of hearing. It one of those songs that picks you up the moment it starts.
I saw Steve three times in 1965 at Pete Stringfellow’s Mojo Club. It was obvious even then that someone so talented was going places. He signed my copy of their first LP left handed with apologies having strained his right but you would never have known from his guitar playing that night.
Merci beaucoup for this. I was 11 when this came out, and my musical abilities weren't that great. But my listening abilities were top notch.
So glad I grew up in this era.
LOVE THESE GUYS 🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰
...and the crowd goes absolutely MILD...at the end.....
A great video by you yet again. When I was in my late teens I was really into Jimi Hendrix and very late at night I used to put on (on the record player!) Voodoo Chile. As you know, Steve Winwood played on that recording and his organ totally sets the mood for the song. What a talent and at such a young age too. They should make a film of his life and could call it Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush.
love this one Fil One of my all time fav artists. Watching him at the keys reminds me of another great one.....Brian Auger. Have u ever reviewed him?
Another one of "the crown jewels" of 1960s british music! This, and early Kinks, is probably as good as it gets. Great analysis as always WoP!
I remember sharing this video with my Friends on Facebook! This takes me back to my school days!
I'm trying to recall which language the subtitles are in.
1st time watching...great reaction and channel. Subscribed!
Thanks!
As a teenager at the time 14, I bought this as a single. I played it and played it forever. I had no idea who Steve Winwood was and I never knew he was so young at the time. He really was a prodigy, wasn’t he?
I knew none of this. It is why you are my favorite of all time reactors. The history is just invaluable to those of us who knew we grew up with genius! We just didn't appreciate it as much as we should have. We just lived it and danced our asses off to it! You make it indelible into our psyches.
Great focus on Steve Winwood, how about looking at another ‘Stevie’, the brilliant Steve Marriott? What a voice!
I saw this headline but not the artist. I thought that if it was not Steve Winwood then I could not continue with this channel … glad for both of us :). You do good work here.
If this was performed in 1967, Fil, Stevie would have actually been in his 19th year as he was born in 1948. However, he was a prodigy nonetheless. Of him, Wikipedia notes that he and his brother Muff joined the Spencer Davis Group when Stevie was only 14, adding that "The group's first record, a single, was released 10 days after Winwood's 16th birthday." en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Winwood
And linked below is him singing "Gimme Some Lovin" in 2020. To my ears his pipes are better preserved than Macca's -- perhaps he exercises a bit more restraint; while Paul may belt out songs louder, his voice can sound ragged when he does so, or when he tries to hit the high notes. (As Clint Eastwood once said as "Dirty Harry" Callahan: "A man's got to know his limitations." 😏Why, Paul? Why?)
By comparison, Stevie voice seems smoother and more under control. And not having to sing crazy vocal cord shredding McCartney favs on stage like "Oh Darling", "Helter Skelter" "Live & Let Die", etc. [ua-cam.com/video/5YoFR0SU32Y/v-deo.html] probably doesn't hurt Winwood retain a semblance of former vocal attractiveness. ua-cam.com/video/rpkqTLR3OD8/v-deo.html
Now you too can sing "Gimme Some Lovin'" in Finnish. 😀
Steve Winwood was born in May 1948. This was recorded in June 1966. So he was 18, not 17. Still amazing. Now he was 14 when the Spencer Davis Group was first formed.
Incredible singer, I've been collecting SDG videos for years now.
He was often dubbed 'Little' Stevie Winwood after 'Little' Stevie Wonder. What wasn't mentioned in this clip - unless I missed it - is that Winwood started as a jazz guitarist before getting into the blues via the likes of Ray Charles (listen to the Spencer Davis Group's version of 'Georgia'). Indeed, on the early SDG hits 'Keep On Running', 'When I Come Home' and 'Somebody Help Me' Winwood is on guitar, with the riff on 'Keep On Running' being, along with 'Satisfaction' one of the first times we'd heard a fuzz tone pedal. If he wasn't on guitar, he was on piano - there was no organ in the earlier days. Indeed, 'Gimme Some Loving' was a WTF moment, with that surging Hammond and Winwood letting loose vocally. Then came 'I'm a Man'. Whilst early hits were penned by outsiders, Winwood was now writing tunes ('I'm a Man' was a co-write with producer Jimmy Miller, who brought percussion to the version of that tune done for America...and also played drums on several Stones tunes as well as adding cowbell on 'Honky Tonk Woman'). Harmonica and drums were also on Winwood's can-do list. During his time with the SDG he did a one-off session with Eric Clapton and Jack Bruce (Ginger Baker bowed out, so SDG's Pete York drummed), with Clapton's pal Ben Palmer on piano and Manfred Mann's Paul Jones on vocals. Go listen to The Powerhouse and their version of (pre-Cream) 'Crossroads'. Also listen to the SDG's killer version of John Lee Hooker's 'Dimples' and their take on 'My Babe'. Winwood excels on both. The band's three albums - 'Their First Album', 'Their Second Album' and 'Autumn 66' and string of single put this band in the history books before the Hammond was introduced.
Most British pop stars were young in the 60s. The Small Faces, the Herd (Peter Frampton joined aged 16), Amen Corner...all mid teens. Mick Taylor had just turned 18 when he took Peter Green's place in the Bluesbreakers. Winwood, who joined the SDG when aged 15, was 17 when recording 'Gimme Some Loving' and 18 when it was released.
Worth noting that he and Traffic drummer Jim Capaldi were to have been on Joe Cocker's 'Help From My Friends', but Jimmy Page and Procol Harum's BJ Wilson nailed the part and made the record.
Here is one of the great SDG B-sides. 'Goodbye Stevie' has Winwood on rollicking piano, bluesy guitar (a white Strat) and ripping vocals. ua-cam.com/video/AZ0RBsv-0GU/v-deo.html
I think he was 19 when he made Blind Faith. Insane.
I belive he was SIXTEEN when this was recorded in '66
Stevie Winwood best I've ever seen
Those were the days my friend.
Steve Winwood has been providing alotta lovin for the past 50+ years what a Legend
OMG I was looking for reaction from Al Green singing live 'How Can you Mend a Broken Heart' amazing vocals, wow breathkaken.........live on soul 1972 amazing.
Amen to that….. genius
When you look at great young performers, there are five that jump off the page. Of course Michael Jackson, and Steve Winwood, Stevie Wonder, Alex Chilton, and Sylvester Stewart (aka Sly Stone). When Sly was 17 he wrote "Swim" by Bobby Freeman and was working the board at Autumn Records on those great Beau Brummels singles.
*Wings of Pegasus Phil Give me some lovin appreciate your videos Listening 🌟 from Mass USA TYVM 💙*
Never seen you in this setting!
❤️
I remember when this particular song was released in the U.S.. I thought the lead singer was black until I saw him. Steve Winwood is so multitalented. The Spencer Davis Group was also impressive during live performances. Rarely did I see them lip syncing
As much as I like the song I would have LOVED to hear Ottis Redding cover it. He could have kicked it up to 11.
you haven't heard johnny lang, age 16....lie to me...his song is amazing
Good work highlighting Steve and SDG, Fil. An exemplary prodigy and virtuoso. Keys, guitar, vocals, songwriting, composition; all top tier from Mr. Winwood. My favorite live SDG performance is them doing Sittin' And Thinkin' where Steve lays down some incredible Otis Rush/Freddie King style with some smooth T-Bone jump-blues swing incorporated. Would be a great clip to illustrate dynamics and phrasing in blues/jazz guitar. And Davis' vocals and harp blowing are on point despite inebriation. 😎 Helluva band.
ua-cam.com/video/GgRckrjgEfA/v-deo.html
Hi phil in your town from rory gallagher is great slide guitar maybe you could analize it
Hey Fil, what do you call it when you drop a piano down a mine shaft? A flat miner.😂
What is that hollow body bass? Is that some kind of Danelectro? It´s driving me crazy.
Steve Winwood is a genius .
So talented yes, amazing! You may already know this but Steve's second solo album decades after Spencer Davis Group, Traffic, Blind Faith and so on, recorded Arc of a Diver at his home studio he had built, wrote all the music, sang everything, played all the instruments, and produced, mixed and engineered it himself. Some of these people hogged all the talent. :D
Funny, but I don’t remember them. I looked them up and listened to some of their songs, but no memory. I do know this song though.
Thanks for the analysis Fil.
🎼 Hey!
From the mouths of babes.
For me Give me Some Lovin is a perfect song! Steve Winwood's voice is so mature for such a young age - both raw and precise - and his timing is so subtle. I love how authoritative in the genre this English band is in 1967. You are so right, Fil, about the energy in the room. All these decades later it is palpable. One of my favourites.
He was. Great at 14. My wife was his singing teacher when he was 10, and after half an hour said you don't need anything I can offer.
Fabulous. It's so interesting to see comments from people who have been there.
No way!?! That's so dang cool! Imagine one of your students end up becoming a Steve Winwood? What I wild ride lol!
Where in Birmingham, UK did you guys live?
Beatles, Stones, Kinks, Animals, Yardbirds, The Who, Small Faces, Spencer Davis…the bands were amazing back then
The British Invasion
Troggs, Hollies, Zombies, Dave Clark Five, Manfred Mann, Searchers, Herman's Hermits, Fortunes, Cream, Tremeloes, Shadows, the list goes on.
They surecwere. I feel so privileged to have grown up surrounded by such fabulous music.
So young yet with a soulful voice and playing guitar, lead, rhythm, bass, piano, organ. What a musical genius.
I would add to Steve Winwood at 17, the unbelievably talented Alex Chilton, who at just 16 years old topped the charts with his first professional recording when The Box Tops' "The Letter" became an international number one hit. Followed by "Cry Like a Baby".
I agree. Also, Rick Derringer was only 17, or 18, when Hang On Sloopy was recorded. Stevie Wonder was a teenager, when he recorded things like Fingertips, Uptight, For Once In My Life, and so on. A Canadian, Burton Cummings, was no more than 21, when hits like These Eyes, was recorded by The Guess Who. It would be something if a kid told his parents that they didn't want to take piano lessons anymore. The kid's parents would ask, why not? The kid would show them music by these child prodigies, who are now adults (senior citizens).
@@dwaynewladyka577 thanks for reminding us about these incredible talents that I’ve listened to for so many years. SW IMHO TOPS the others but they are awesome in their own right. Thanks for this Fil.
Big Star was a phenomenal rock band. Vastly under-rated.
There are a lot of names to add to that list: The Jackson Five, Stevie Wonder, Steve Marriott, Davy Jones, Janis Ian, Mike Oldfield, Peter Frampton, The Wilson brothers, Cliff Richards, Keith Moon, Mick Taylor, and a few dozen others.
@@johnj2763 100% Agree! "Thirteen" might be the greatest teenage angst song of all time. I believe Jeff Tweedy/Wilco were greatly influenced by Alex Chilton.
Wow. I have never heard this version before....but I always tried to imagine a live rendition, and this is about as amazing as I could have ever hoped for. Everything they added beyond what the single version has is perfect. I mean, perfect as in so cool.....I don't know anything about how to write a song. It just sounds so damn cool.
I love Steve Winwood's voice. There are parts of this where his voice sounds kind of shredded.
It sounds like he had a sore throat maybe. Not bashing him in any way, it just sounds like he's straining to hit some notes and you can hear his voice cracking some, which isn't at all how he normally sounds. By this time he was a veteran of performing.
Blind faith were great he is the real m,coy
As a vocalist and multi-instrumentalist, Steve Winwood always blows it out of the water!
A prodigy! Stevie Winwood will always be one of my absolute fav artists!!
Omgosh! I've never seen them LIVE doing this song contemporaneously with it being a hit! I'm saving this one.
I was 11 years old when this song came out and it was THE SONG of that year...and to this day, it's still being played regularly on oldies stations that usually leave out some of the best. But, none of the stations ever miss playing "Gimme Some Lovin'". I met Stevie (as he was called back in the day) in a hotel lobby in Chicago in 2015. I never, ever bother a celebrity but to get Stevie Winwood's autograph, I wouldn't pass that up. And he was such a gentleman.
After all these years Steve Winwood's talent at that age still amazes me!
Steve's recent video of him singing Can't Find My way Home in front of the fire place I liked even more than the original of that song. He still sounds amazing
Spencer Davis Group, Traffic and Blind Faith cemented his brilliance. Such a beautiful voice also. Very underrated vocalist, imho. Thanks again Fil! Another brilliant analysis
He certainly wasn't underrated during the time these groups were contemporary. Nice the new generations are discovering him.
I think at the time that Stevie was dominating, he was considered one of the greatest vocalist, in traffic in blind faith, nobody had that tone like him
@@jamesmcghee3440 Exactly. Few people have had No1 hits in more decades than he has.
@@Uncle-Bull I used underrated because, unlike Clapton, Steve Winwood, as great as he was, really is not in this generation's consciousness. They still know who Clapton is. I'm not talking about when he was in his heyday. If you listed 10 male rock singers, including him, and gave it to 1000 20-50 yr olds to rank, where do you think he would be ranked? Unlike Streisand, Vaughn, Holliday, Fitzgerald who spanned the generations and continue to be explored, I think Steve has fallen off people's radar so he is not as remembered as maybe the more flashier vocalists. That is what I meant by underrated. I didn't want to say forgotten, even though that may be more accurate. I think if more actually heard his work, he would be better remembered. Have a good night.
You don't need to tell me , Steve is amazing talent. Been following him since "Keep on Running" in 65
The Spencer Davis Group performed in February 1967 at the Helsinki Culture House and Pasila TV Studio. In Finland, it appeared on the fourth day of the tour on February 27. The House of Culture housed 1,550 people, a full hall.
No one... no one has a voice like SW.... incredible.
Well...Ray Charles who was Steves idol.
Many of the Black Soul shouters in the 60's had this voice or better, but as far as the white soul singers WInwood was up near the top.@@larrybrown1597
Steve Winwood has one of my favorite voices ever. From this, to the the angelic Can't Find My Way Home, and everything else he always sounds amazing 💚
Love that şong👌🏽
I love that song. Have you seen the version where he's playing an acoustic guitar in front of a fireplace?
They were so influential that the very first track from the Allman Brothers Band debut album was an instrumental cover of their song Don't Want You No More. I believe Steve Winwood's voice just gets better with age.
This is fabulous!
Please consider checking out Alex Chilton and the Box Tops, "Cry Like a Baby". Alex had not turned 16 , yet, when the band released their first hit. Teenagers with old soul voices.
@@ginnywhat5777 yes it is!
Love that song!
Excellent observation. His time with them is a large part of that mid-60's suburban & city atmosphere. It was the music of the time. Just a kid, and he resonates 50+ years later! Wow. "The Letter" was an all-timer. Cocker's rendition is great, as well.
And 55 years later he's still out there. Thanks for this great video and analysis!
At the Clapton and Winwood concert in 2010, each guy took a solo spotlight to sing a song. Steve did Georgia on My Mind. I had seen Ray Charles in nightclubs, small venues but not an arena. I closed my eyes to listen to Steve and could have sworn it was Ray. Then you go numb realizing that Steve has sounded this way since he broke on to the scene at age 14.
I remember hearing little Steve Winwood on my transistor radio I was not even a teenager I've loved him all these years. He has never disappointed. A true musical genius. He still sounds great.
I was privileged to be at Hyde Park in 1969 to see Steve Winwood and Eric Clapton and Ginger Baker and Rick Grech perform song after song of outstanding quality, as Blind Faith , so I know how good Steve Winwood has always been. His playing of the Hammond organ is SO good. And, many years later, I went to an intimate venue, and enjoyed about an hour of great music, by the drummer of The Spencer Davis group, Pete York and his band. All was/ is so good.
"Can't Find My Way Home" is a perfect example of the RELAXED, yet incredibly powerful, effortless vocal ability of Steve. There's a recent vid of him singing it solo next to a fireplace and as I sang along I was amazed, I was actually able to grab a few notes!!! However, when I attempted to play guitar and sing I realized he was turned down an entire step. Try singing the original sometime.....at least for me, it ain't happenin'. Oh well, that's why we love our greats! Personal Note: I saw Traffic in Indiana in about 1970. Got backstage, got high with them sitting about 2 feet away from Steve. Took a piss next to Jim Gordon, drummer I think I recall. Also there was some short African guy bouncing around. Only about 20 people in the room...like I said, we we're smokin' it down
I was "only" 14 but in those days we heard this a lot and always played it at our parties! Of course, now after this explanation it suddenly gets another meaning. Thanks, Fil!
The wife and I were talking with Peter Noone. He told us that he was in a club with some other musicians at the time. Some of the band members had their kids with them, so he didn't think anything of it. A 16 Y/O Steve gets up on stage and starts singing. Peter said everyone's mouth just dropped to the floor...
We love going to see Peter whenever he's in town. He has so many stories of the British Invasion musicians and singers. He told us that he was very young in a pub sitting between John Lennon and Graham Nash. They were all just teenagers then. None of them knew what was to come.
When this band comes on you get up and boogie! And they remind me of the early Animals
I always loved this song and it’s still amazing in 2022!!!
Please also feature Betty Wright. She started singing at 13. Her vocal range and versatility were absolutely mind blowing!!! What a legacy she has left behind.
The genius boy wonder for a good reason. Stevie Wonder also comes to mind. Same era and same instrument. I miss the organ in rock music. YES Deep Purple Edgar Winter Steve Winwood Steppenwolf Doors Greg Allman etc
Pocul harum
By the time Steve and his brother Muff joined The Spencer Davis Group that ad been gigging around the pubs and clubs in Birmingham since Steve was about 10 years old. His brother Muff became a record producer and has his own recording studios.
Fil, what I like most about your channel is your sampling and analysis is what I so considered classical taste. You reach way back and choose the right fruit.