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Spencer Davis Group

Spencer Davis Group

48 articles

Audio interviews

Steve Winwood (1997)

Interview by Johnny Black, Rock's Backpages audio, February 1997

Winwood talks about the early days in Birmingham, from his childhood through to the start of the Spencer Davis Group, and thence to the stop-start life of Traffic, plus an overview of where he's at now

File format: mp3; file size: 114.7mb, interview length: 1h 59' 29"; sound quality: ****

List of articles in the library

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Vashti agrees: her last name must go (it's Bunyan)

Profile and Interview by Maureen Cleave, The Evening Standard, 15 May 1965

VASHTI BUNYAN is the latest in a stream of refined, nicely brought-up, middle-class girls whose well-bred accents have adorned the hit parade since Marianne Faithfull ...

When The Spencer Davis Group Was Accused...

Interview by Richard Green, Record Mirror, 12 June 1965

POOR OLD Bob Dylan's coming under fire for using an electric guitar on 'Subterranean Homesick Blues'. "He's gone all commercial," is the pathetic cry. ...

The Animals, Georgie Fame, the Who, the Yardbirds, Spencer Davis et al: Fifth National Jazz and Blues Festival, Richmond

Live Review by Richard Green, Record Mirror, 14 August 1965

RICHMOND RAVE-UP! ...

New to the Charts: Spencer Davis Group Makes Stones Happy

Interview by Keith Altham, New Musical Express, 10 December 1965

THE GROUP that every other group — from the Stones to the Animals — wanted to have a hit, that's the Spencer Davis Group, and ...

'Keep Running' was Originally the Flip Reveals Spencer Davis

Interview by Keith Altham, New Musical Express, 31 December 1965

APPARENTLY BATH was flooded on Monday morning and, following this momentous news, Spencer Davis decided he had time at last to come to the NME offices for ...

Rave City 66: Groups On The Go Choose The Swingingest Scenes

Interview by uncredited writer, Melody Maker, 15 January 1966

And does it prove that what Manchester is today, London can be tomorrow? ...

Player of the Month: Stevie Winwood

Interview by Kevin Swift, Beat Instrumental, February 1966

THERE COULDN'T possibly be a bloke who is more "in" than our Player Of The Month. Stevie Winwood has been called a prodigy, the English ...

Spencer Davis: He's Deep, Very Deep

Interview by Keith Altham, New Musical Express, 4 February 1966

SPENCER David Nelson (his father was a paratrooper!) Davis soared in my estimation last Friday when he sent the Rolling Stones' chauffeur-driven Austin Princess to ...

The Spencer Davis Group: Steve Winwood — Modest Wonder Boy

Interview by Keith Altham, New Musical Express, 11 February 1966

SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD Steve Winwood "the boy wonder" in the Spencer Davis group (lead vocals, guitar, piano, vibes and drums) is a modest – but "colourful" character! ...

Muff Winwood: Shy Guy

Interview by Keith Altham, New Musical Express, 18 February 1966

BASS guitarist Muff (in memory of "Muffin The Mule") Winwood is the Spencer who hides in the toilet when the photographers are about! ...

Spotlight on the Spencers: Useful Pete

Interview by Keith Altham, New Musical Express, 25 February 1966

PETE YORK, 23-year- old drummer with Spencer Davis, is the one who quit and came back. ...

Spencer Davis Group: 'Somebody' Makes No. 1 — But Too Quickly For Spence!

Report and Interview by Keith Altham, New Musical Express, 15 April 1966

THAT WELL-known chart topper and expectant father ("If it's a bloke I'm going to call him Gregory") and man about Potters Bar – Spencer Davis, ...

Will Spencer Davis Go Pop?

Interview by Dawn James, Rave, May 1966

That's the question people in pop are all asking. Now that Spencer Davis and his group have crashed into pop-land will they go for all-out ...

All About The World's Greatest Pop Show: 1966 NME Concert Mightiest Ever!

Live Review by Keith Altham, Alan Smith, New Musical Express, 6 May 1966

THOUSANDS upon thousands of fans converging on the massive Wembley Empire Pool for the biggest pop show in the world on Sunday... the staggering, the ...

Sixth National Jazz and Blues Festival, Windsor: Jazz on a Summer's Weekend

Live Review by uncredited writer, Melody Maker, 6 August 1966

A washout, but still swinging ...

Spencer Davis Group: Winwood 66

Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 17 September 1966

Frustrated or happy? Both, reveals Chris Welch ...

The Spencer Davis Group: Autumn 66 (Fontana)

Review by uncredited writer, Disc and Music Echo, 1 October 1966

YEAH! SPENCER'S GREATEST ALBUM ...

New Singles, including Beach Boys, Spencer Davis Group

Review by Penny Valentine, Disc and Music Echo, 29 October 1966

BEACH BOYS' new single — and it's a work of art 'Good Vibrations': What can you say about a work of art other than stating ...

Spencer Davis Group, the Move, Jimmy James, VIPS, the Herd, Wynder K. Frogg: Fairfield Hall, Croydon

Live Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 29 October 1966

SEDATE Fairfield Hall, Croydon, blew up with a wild pop package show featuring the Move, Jimmy James, VIPS, the Herd and Spencer Davis on Friday ...

Feuding Spencer Davis Group

Report and Interview by Keith Altham, New Musical Express, 11 November 1966

LAST Thursday at Shepherd's Bush Top Of The Pops studio there was the strange case of the group who did not appear to be talking ...

The Spencer Davis Group: Spencer Davis Played On Church Steps!

Interview by Keith Altham, New Musical Express, 17 December 1966

HERR SPENCER DAVIS is a top pop person in Germany, firstly because the young people like the group's earthy, exciting sound, and secondly they like ...

The Spencer Davis Group: Marquee Club, London

Live Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 31 December 1966

IT WAS A night of comedy and merry making when the Spencer Davis Group held their Christmas party at London's Marquee Club last week. ...

A Bird's Eye View of Stevie Winwood

Interview by Dawn James, Rave, January 1967

When a bird like RAVE's Dawn James takes a close look at Stevie Winwood through the magnifying glass of a personal interview, she is surprised. ...

New Singles from the Rolling Stones, Otis Redding et al

Review by uncredited writer, Melody Maker, 14 January 1967

Stones old firm back in strength ...

New albums from Donovan, Jefferson Airplane, more

Review by Loraine Alterman, Detroit Free Press, 26 February 1967

MELLOW YELLOW The Provocative Donovan ...

This Is Where It's At

Column by Mike Grant, Rave, March 1967

RAVE man Mike Grant is here again with more gossip on your favourite stars! ...

Stevie Winwood: Why I Quit

Report and Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 4 March 1967

MM EXCLUSIVE: CHRIS WELCH probes the Great Break Up and finds the Spencer Davis-Stevie Winwood split inevitable ...

The Hollies, Paul Jones, Spencer Davis Group: Granada, Mansfield

Live Review by Derek Boltwood, Record Mirror, 18 March 1967

HOLLIES JONES DAVIS TOUR ...

Stevie Directs the Traffic

Interview by uncredited writer, Rave, May 1967

Stevie Winwood walked out on success when he left the Spencer Davis Group. Now he intends to lose his image, and change his style and ...

The Beach Boys, Small Faces, Dusty Springfield et al: NME Poll Winners Concert, Empire Pool, Wembley, London

Live Review by Keith Altham, Alan Smith, New Musical Express, 13 May 1967

POLL SHOW THRILLS ALL THE WAY ...

Right Then, Who's Backing Britain?

Comment by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 20 January 1968

IF BRITAIN is going to the dogs, it is obvious a large section of the (older) community are convinced that sinful pop stars are prime ...

NME Reporters Cover the Weekend's Major Event — the Eighth National Jazz and Blues Festival

Live Review by Keith Altham, Richard Green, New Musical Express, 17 August 1968

STARS, SUNSHINE and a SHAMBLES ...

Blind Faith: They're no group

Interview by Richard Green, New Musical Express, 26 April 1969

Island Records boss CHRIS BLACKWELL talks to Richard Green ...

The Return of Spencer Davis

Interview by Dave Marsh, Creem, March 1971

SPENCER DAVIS suffers from a peculiar affliction – his name is tied inextricably to that of Stevie Winwood, it's almost certain that, first time around ...

Spencer Davis

Interview by Harold Bronson, Phonograph Record, June 1971

SPENCER DAVIS was just disgusted with the whole London pop scene. He had hit records, yes, ‘Keep On Running’ and ‘Gimme Some Lovin'’ among them. ...

Spencer Davis: Waiting For The Next Crack-Up

Interview by Caroline Boucher, Disc, 3 June 1972

SPENCER DAVIS' ailment is that he's hooked on music. It has made him ill, broke, come near to wrecking his marriage and, although he talks ...

Stones Producer Jimmy Miller Part Two: The tracks I like best

Interview by Ritchie Yorke, New Musical Express, 10 June 1972

In this final part of his interview with Ritchie Yorke, Miller talks about the many artists he has recorded, and in particular about tracks which ...

Steve Winwood: Winwood (U.A. Import).

Review by Tony Stewart, New Musical Express, 6 January 1973

WHAT A strange world it is. A couple of years ago this same double set was released in America, and swiftly withdrawn following objections – ...

Stevie Winwood: Not Just A Singer In A Rock And Roll Band

Retrospective by Ben Edmonds, Phonograph Record, April 1973

I MADE INITIAL contact with Stevie Winwood in March of 1966, a weekend rebel still in the high school clutches of suburban Boston. As was ...

Brum Beat

Overview by Rob Partridge, Melody Maker, 26 January 1974

"Liverpool today – Birmingham tomorrow. That's the forecast for the beat business in rock music. Yes, the Brum Beat is all set to take over ...

Interview: Island Records' Chris Blackwell (1989) [transcript]

Audio transcript of interview by John Tobler, Rock's Backpages transcripts, 1989

This is a transcript of John Tobler's 1989 audio interview. Listen to the audio of this interview. ...

The Spencer Davis Group: Eight Gigs A Week — The Steve Winwood Years

Review and Interview by Sylvie Simmons, MOJO, June 1996

BACK IN THE EARLY '60s, in their Golden Eagle residency days, The Spencer Davis Group played the whole gamut of American R&B from John Lee ...

10 Questions for Steve Winwood

Interview by Kieron Tyler, MOJO, April 2004

The blue-eyed soul voice behind the Spencer Davis Group and Traffic on jamming with Jimi Hendrix, the madness of Viv Stanshall and the problems of ...

The Spencer Davis Group

Retrospective by Dave Thompson, Goldmine, 2 April 2004

ALTHOUGH THE Spencer Davis Group are best remembered for propelling the young Stevie Winwood to prominence, paving the way for Traffic, Blind Faith and, of ...

Spencer Davis Group: Gimme Some Lovin' – Live 1966 (MVD)

Film/DVD/TV Review by Bill Wasserzieher, ICE, 22 March 2005

FOR DECADES, Spencer Davis has taken heat for having named his British Invasion band the Spencer Davis Group. One critic likened it to calling the ...

Lebensraum Twist

Retrospective and Interview by Alan Clayson, Record Collector, Fall 2011

Alan Clayson investigates British artists of the 1960s whose early output included records issued only in Germany. ...

10 Unjustly Overlooked British Invasion Albums (1964–1966)

Retrospective by Mitchell Cohen, Music Aficionado, September 2016

SO MANY artists in the tsunami of music from the U.K. that flooded America in the mid-'60s went on to make extraordinary albums over a ...

see also Steve Winwood

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