The Music and Career of Stevie Winwood Quiz

Answer: Birmingham

Stephen Lawrence "Stevie" Winwood was born May 12, 1948, in Birmingham. In England Steve would be known as a "Brummie". By 1958 he and his older brother Muff were sitting in with their father's band at weddings and other local performances. Stevie started playing in Muff's band, known as The Muff Woody Jazz Band, in 1962. He became proficient on the guitar and keyboards.

Answer: Spencer Davis Group

The Spencer Davis Group was originally called The Rhythm and Blues Quartet. Guitarist Spencer Davis met Stevie at The Golden Eagle pub in 1962. Soon Spencer Davis was asked to perform nightly at Golden Eagle. Needing backup musicians, he invited Steve, his brother Muff and Pete York to play with him.

In February of 1964 the Spencer Davis Group played at "The First Rhythm and Blues Festival in England" in Birmingham along with The Yardbirds and Sonny Boy Williamson. Later in 1964 the band opened for Manfred Mann and Graham Bond Organization.

They also backed American Blues artists Memphis Slim, Jimmy Witherspoon, Champion Jack Dupree, Charlie and Inez Fox during the year.

Answer: Keep on Running

The group's first professional recording was a cover version of "Dimples". In 1965 they followed up with "Keep On Running", which became the group's first number one British single. In 1966 they released "Somebody Help Me" and "When I Come Home". "Keep on Running" and "Somebody Help Me" were written by Jamaican ska musician Wilfred Gerald "Jackie" Edwards. Stevie co-wrote and recorded "Gimme Some Lovin'" and "I'm a Man'. Both records became hits for the band on both sides of the Atlantic.

Answer: Delaney and Bonnie and Friends

Stevie was instrumental in the formation of Traffic, Blind Faith, and Go. Immediately after leaving Spencer Davis he formed Traffic with Chris Wood, Jim Capaldi and Dave Mason. He also briefly worked with Eric Clapton as part of a group called Eric Clapton's Powerhouse.

He eventually formed Blind Faith with Eric Clapton, Ginger Baker and Ric Grech. The band was one of the first bands to be dubbed a "supergroup". In 1969 they released their only album, "Blind Faith". "Blind Faith" topped Billboard charts in both the US and the UK.

They made their live debut as a band at a free concert at London's Hyde Park on June 7, 1969. Eric left to work with the Blind Faith opening act, Delaney and Bonnie and Friends. Go was conceived in 1976 by percussionist Stomu Yamashta.

In addition to Winwood the band included Al Di Meola, Klaus Schulze and Michael Shrieve. Go made two studio albums, "Go" and "Go Too". The band also recorded a concert they performed in France in June, 1976, and released an album titled, "Live From Paris".

Answer: Voodoo Chile

During the late sixties Winwood and Dave Mason became good friends with Jimi Hendrix. Hendrix first heard Bob Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower" at a party with Dave Mason. Winwood only performed on one track of "Electric Ladyland", "Voodoo Chile". In 1969 Winwood played the organ on Joe Cocker's version of "With a Little Help from My Friends".

He also played keyboards on albums such as "Toots & The Maytals'", "Reggae Got Soul" and Howlin' Wolf's "The London Howlin' Wolf Sessions".

Answer: Traffic

After temporarily disbanding in 1969, Traffic reunited in 1970 to release the critically acclaimed "John Barleycorn Must Die". The band's line-up varied from this point until they split up again in 1975. A partial reunion took place in 1994. Traffic's first album, "Mr. Fantasy", was first titled "Heaven Is In Your Mind" when it was released in the US.

It reached number 88 on the US album charts in 1967. The band followed "John Barleycorn Must Die" with "The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys" in 1971.

This album reached number seven in the US. "Shoot Out at the Fantasy Factory" made it to number six in 1973 and their final album in the seventies was the number nine "When the Eagle Flies". "Last Great Traffic Jam" is a live album recorded in 2005.

Answer: Refugees of the Heart

"Refugees of the Heart" is a 1990 solo album by Stevie Winwood. "One and Only Man" was the hit single from the album. Jim Capaldi collaborated with Winwood as a songwriting team for the project. It was the last Winwood solo album until the late nineties, when he released "Junction Seven". "Refugees of the Heart" made it to number 27 on the US charts and was certified a Gold Record. "Far From Home" was released in 1994.

It is a reunion album with Traffic. "On the Road" is a 1973 Traffic album that reached number 29 in the US. "Last Exit" is a 1969 Traffic album that reached number 19.

Answer: Higher Love

"Higher Love" is the first single released from his third solo LP, "Back in the High Life". The song reached the number one spot on August 30, 1986. "Higher Love" also won the Grammy Award for "Record of the Year". It was written by Winwood along with Will Jennings.

The female vocals on the song were performed by Chaka Khan. "Back in the High Life" is Winwood's fourth solo album. Artists doing backing vocals on the album include James Taylor, Mark Stevens, James Ingram, Dan Hartman, Connie Harvey and Jocelyn Brown. "Valerie" was a minor hit in 1982 but it was re-recorded and re-released in 1987 for "Chronicles".

The newer version became a top-10 hit. Winwood's first solo hit, "While You See a Chance" peaked at number seven. "Back in the High Life Again" reached number 13.

Answer: Roll with It

"Roll with It" reached number one for a week in 1988 the US. It peaked at number four in the UK. At the 1988 Grammy Awards Stevie received a Grammy for Best Engineered Album, Non Classical. "Arc of a Diver" is Winwood's second solo album and the music tracks were performed entirely by him.

The album peaked at number three on the Billboard 200 album chart. The project was also engineered and mixed by Steve Winwood at Netherturkdonic Studios in England. "Talking Back to the Night" is the third solo album by Winwood.

It reached number 28 in the US. "About Time" was released in 2003. It was his first album since 1997 and made it to number 126. Stevie Winwood was nominated for the American Music Awards of 1989 in the Favorite Pop/Rock Male Artist category.

Answer: Christina Aguilera

Christina Aguilera features Winwood on "Makes Me Wanna Pray". "Back to Basics" is Aguilera's third English studio album. It was released August 15, 2006, and debuted at number one in the US and the UK. Aguilera described the double CD as a throwback to the forties style jazz era.

In 2005 Stevie accepted an invitation from Ashley Cleveland to appear on her project, "Men and Angels Say", an album of rock, blues and country arrangements of well known hymns. "I Need Thee Every Hour" features a duet with Cleveland and a Winwood organ performance.

In July, 2007, Winwood shared the stage with Eric Clapton in Clapton's "Crossroads Guitar Festival". Among the songs they played together were "Presence of the Lord" and "Can't Find My Way Home" from their Blind Faith days. Traffic was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004.