Spencer Davis Group Lyrics

The Spencer Davis Group was a mid-1960s British beat group from Birmingham

Biography

The Spencer Davis Group was a mid-1960s British beat group from Birmingham, England. In their heyday, the group consisted of Steve Winwood on vocals and keyboards, Steve's brother Muff Winwood played bass, Pete York handled the drums, plus founder and lead-guitarist (co-singer) Spencer Davis. Their main producer was the late Jimmy Miller.

Spencer Davis (born 17 July 1939, Swansea, Wales) moved to Birmingham from London in 1960 to study. In 1963, he recruited the Winwood brothers and started the Spencer Davis Group. The band performed regularly in the city and were signed to a recording contract after an appearance in a local club.

The group's first professional recording was a cover version of Dimples, but they came to success at the end of 1965 with Keep on Running, the group's first number one single. In 1966 they followed this with Somebody Help Me and When I Come Home. For the German market the group released "Det war in Schöneberg, im Monat Mai" and "Mädel ruck ruck ruck an meine grüne Seite" (the first is from a 1913 Berlin operetta, the second is a Swabian traditional) as a tribute single for that audience, Spencer Davis having studied in West Berlin in the early 1960s.

By the end of 1966 and the beginning of 1967, the group released two more hits, Gimme Some Lovin' (which was re-released in a live, nine-minute version by Steve Winwood's Traffic in 1971) and I'm A Man. These tracks proved to be their two best-known successes, especially in the U.S.

In 1967, Winwood left to form Traffic; his brother Muff moved into the music industry as A&R man at Island Records. In a so-called joint venture, the soundtrack to the film Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush featured both the Spencer Davis Group and Traffic.

Despite the Winwoods' departure, the Spencer Davis Group continued performing and released more singles, though not repeating earlier successes. These included Time Seller in July 1967; the b-side, Don't Want You No More, also received radio airplay.

This was followed by "Mr. Second-Class" in late 1967, which was heavily played on Radio Caroline (at that time one of the two remaining pirate radio ships off the British coast) and the group's last minor hit, "After Tea", in 1968. The latter song was released at the same time by the German band The Rattles, providing competition that led finally to a temporary stop to all activities of the band. Davis continued working, however, producing some jazz-oriented albums in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

album: "Their First LP" (1965)

My Babe

Dimples

Searchin'

Every Little Bit Hurts

I'm Blue

Sittin' And Thinkin'

I Can't Stand It

Here Right Now

Jump Back

It's Gonna Work Out Fine

Midnight Train

It Hurts Me So

album: "The Second Album" (1966)

Look Away

Keep On Runnin'

This Hammer

Georgia On My Mind

Please Do Something

Let Me Down Easy

Strong Love

I Washed My Hands In Muddy Water

Since I Met You Baby

You Must Believe Me

Hey Darling

Watch Your Step

album: "Autumn '66" (1966)

Together Till The End Of Time

Take This Hurt Off Me

Nobody Knows You When You're Down And Out

Midnight Special

When A Man Loves A Woman

When I Come Home

Mean Woman Blues

Dust My Blues

Neighbor Neighbor

High Time Baby

Somebody Help Me

album: "With Their New Face On" (1968)

Don't Want You No More

Time Seller

soundtrack: "Here We Go 'Round The Mulberry Bush" (1968)

Here We Go 'round The Mulberry Bush

Utterly Simple

album: "Living In A Back Street" (1974)

Let's Have A Party

other songs:

Crossfire

Ella Speed

Gimme Some Lovin'

Goodbye Stevie

I Can't Get Enough Of It

I'm A Man

Love Is On A Roll

Mistakes

Sailor's Lament

Stevie's Blues

Trampoline