His best work of all time. I don't care about pop hits, chart ratings or Grammys, Low Spark was his best work of all time. Followed by Can't Find My Way Home and Mr. Fantasy. I'm separated generationally from The Professor and didn't really care for much of the music produced in the 80s and my son who is 49 loves the 80s but he was born in 72. So I understand the differences The Professor has in his taste and opinions of what is great and what's not so great or maybe not as great would be more appropriate. And Jackson Browne actually wrote 2 songs about Valerie Carter, who he credits with pulling him from a very dark place emotionally. She also broke his heart but was never dishonest so they remained friends and close until the day that she died. He has done interviews where he talks openly and honestly about her. And speaking of Jackson Browne, if you highlighted his career I guess I missed it. He was at his best when David Lindley was playing with him but he is great when playing with anybody. IMNSHO
Steve Winwood is a magical force. I lost my wife in May 1987 due to a car wreck. Just a few weeks before we bought this album and love to dance to Higher Lover. After her death, I played this song untold amount of times. Every time now when I hear this song I smile at the times we had. Nine great years.
My number 1 Steve Winwood song is "Can't Find My Way Home" when he was with Blind Faith. Succinct lyrics that say a lot more than what many songs struggle to say and with a vocal performance that's just goosebump inducing.
+1 - especially love the acoustic version in the castle as shown in this video. Blind Faith and Cream (I know Steve wasn’t in Cream) put out some amazing songs.
@@Slammy555 This! I love telling the "young'ins" these days how old he was after I first play them the song. My niece said,"He sounds like a grown ass man."
My dad sang in a band when he was in high school, and I asked my mom what dad sounded like when he sang. She said he sounded like Steve Winwood! I heard my dad singing once, singing along to the radio while working in his garage, and he does sound like Steve Winwood!
“Higher Love” was easily his best. The addition of Chaka Khan was icing on the cake, my friend. Myself, if I could squeeze “Finer Things’ in there as well, I would. Winwood’s keyboards in those two songs, as well as “Valerie” absolutely force me to blow the dust off of my air keyboards and pretend to play along.
@Jay Trace. May I say that Steve Winwood is one of the few keyboard players who really knows how to incorporate the synthesiser into his songs. Check out "While You See A Chance" and "Help Me Angel". I am sure I read that the Roland keyboard company used a Steve Winwood "patch" on their production models after they heard his work on "Arc Of A Diver". Apparently Steve Winwood (aged around 14 years old) used to practice on the local church organ where he grew up in Great Barr, Birmingham U.K. Stay safe and well.
One of my favorite teachers from high school caught me off guard once when I asked her "How was traffic?" to which she replied, "Better with Steve Winwood." I never forgot that clever come back and The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys became one of my go to albums. I quickly became consumed with Steve Winwood's music and have many great memories growing up listening to his pop era along with the progressive rock of Traffic and the supergroups he helped anchor. Thank you for cataloging the sound track of our youth.
It's such a shame that the only/ most common live video of it is from the Finnish TV show. Their voices were worn out and cracking and it was a very low energy, lack luster performance.
Without a doubt the number 1 song that Steve Winwood preformed, for me - Can't Find My Way Home by Blind Faith. Just an AMAZING band, wish they'd stayed together for at least a follow up album.
I have always enjoyed Steve Winwood's music. He had success when he was very young, made an impact in several great bands, and then re-invented himself with a great solo career. His longevity in the music business has been very impressive. From the 60s through the 80s, he has consistently recorded quality songs.
Adam, thank you so much for doing this one on Steve Winwood. He is one of my all time favorite singers. Love his voice and his style. I live in Nashville, TN and Steve has a home here, as well as London. I was blessed to do some work for him at his house for a couple years back in 2002-03. He is such a genuinely nice person. His little girl was about 5 at the time and always had me sit down and have “tea” with her. She was such a sweetheart. Now, Lily is on her way to having a music career of her own and she is very talented. Love her version of Higher Love. Wonderful people. Blessed by God.
As a college student I took a summer trip to Scandinavia. After weeks of buses, ferries, and trains I needed to drive a car. I rented a car and drove out of Helsinki. After clearing the city I reached into my backpack, popped the mix tape out of my Walkman then popped it into the deck of the car. And what was queued up? Higher Love. Each time I hear the song my mind is transported back to that drive on the E12 from Helsinki to Toijala.
Steve's been around forever and has given us so many great tunes over the decades. So versatile-he plays multiple instruments and has a voice to match his amazing musical talent. Saw him open for Tom Petty a few years back and he played for an hour to a standing ovation! IMHO, he's never truly has gotten his due.
I think all the time about this very issue, and wrote a lengthy comment with my thoughts on why. Sadly, I think he is unlikely to get the recognition he deserves until he passes away.
What really sucks is that I keep forgetting Steve Winwood exists, then I hear one of his songs and think "Oh, yeah, he's great. I should listen to some of his other stuff", then I don't do it.
The Blues Brothers soundtrack is what got me into SDG, then Traffic, Cream, Blind Faith etc. Crazy how having 1 oddball soundtrack in the '80's (13yrs old at that time) can take you on a life long journey not for just tracking down the originators of covered songs but also new artists too you that weren't played on the radio.
Definitely one of the most underrated rock legend, I'm simply shocked at why he hasn't been inducted into the Rock and roll Hall. He has such an unique voice. I'm totally in agreement in Higher Love as his no. 1 song. You missed Don't you know what the night can do, love this song. Thanks for doing a video on my favourite solo artist. Get Stevie into the hall as a solo artist!!!!
One of my earliest memories with buying music is being in downtown Pittsburgh with my mom when I was a kid and going past National Record Mart. I begged her to buy me one thing in NRM and I picked the Roll with It cassette by Steve Winwood, which I listened to endlessly ("Shining Song" and "One More Morning" should have been U.S. singles and hits). Later on, I developed a true appreciation for Steve Winwood as an artist when I learned more about his impressive career.
Stars aligned just right to give us Steve! My five favs. 5 Mr. Fantasy 4 can't find my way home 3 gimme some lovin 2 higher love 1 when you see a chance That's was a tough one professor, so many fantastic songs, great installment!!
🎵 "I'll be back in the high life again ..."🎵 - Life has knocked me down a number of times. I play that song when I need a reminder that things will get better again. 🙃
Man, I love hearing all these stories and about the different connections. It's really incredible what all he's done. It blows my mind how young he was!
I went to visit family in Cologne, Germany in 1986 and my aunt played Back in the High Life quite a bit. When I had some time to myself, I broke out the walkman and listened to Talk Talk's The Colour of Spring. I didn't realize until later that I was actually getting a double dose of Winwood, because he played keyboard and organ on that album.
My dad passed this year. I thought going back home, driving down I-5 in WA state, back to the small town where I grew up, would be super emotion and tough at times. It wasn't... until a Steve Winwood song came on the radio. It was a song I'd heard 500 times driving that same freeway, a song I remember from my youth, growing up there. While you see a chance. That one verse... when that old gray wind is blowing and there's nothing left worth knowing, now it's time you should be going.... that just hit me, and something happened in that moment.
Higher love, finer things, roll with it ,back in the highlife again and give me good lovin. Great talent and back drop to my adolescence. Thanks 👍 Professor
A fantastic tribute to one of my favorite vocalists, culminating in a fantastic #1, including a video that made Chaka Khan my dream girl. Thanks for this one.
I saw Steve Winwood in concert in San Jose, CA back in 2014 when he was the opening act for Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers on their Hypnotic Eye tour. Can you imagine? One Rock n Roll Hall of Fame act opening up for one Rock n Roll Mt. Rushmore act... unbelievable! That was a great night. Sadly, Petty would pass away just three years later. Glad I decided to drive the hour down from San Francisco to catch this concert.
John Barleycorn Must Die, Can't Find My Way Home, Mr. Fantasy, Gimme Some Lovin', Higher Love!!! I remember riding around with my Dad back in the late 60's, and he had the AM radio blaring, here in DC. In his thickly accented English, he'd be trying to sing along with what was playing on the AM. Among the many great songs of the those years, I remember these Stevie Winwood songs. Higher Love (along with the whole album, "Back in the High Life"), reminds me of my days in the Army. Thanks for the memories, Professor.
Steve Winwood is truly one of the greats. Interestingly enough, I don't think he gets talked about nowhere near enough. But he is so gifted. He can play the keys, but I loved when he would trade licks on the guitar with Clapton. On another note, "Higher Love" sounded so good from the 80s. Great voice with a great, upbeat tune!
Steve Winwood definitely has one of the greatest voice ever.. From Gimme some Lovin to Higher love to my favorite song by him can’t find my way home! Once again you out did your self by bringing another Artist from the great music past to The forefront of another great Conversation 👓🎩
Picking Steve Winwood's five best songs is like choosing your five favorite sunsets. Can't be done. Each song, each sunset reminds you of another one equally as great. Also, a shout out to you, Professor of Rock. Your commentary perfectly compliments the songs and artists. You are erudite and passionate---loquacious and succinct. What you hint at and leave to our imagination and what you elucidate and expound upon are perfectly balanced. You are an artist in your own right. I'm so glad that I discovered you. 😉
Good post, Professor! There aren't enough superlatives when talking about Steve Winwood. All praise is an understatement. In the late 80s I took my kid brother to see Winwood in Seattle. He had no idea who Steve was, but he was pretty sharp musically. I got double my pleasure listening to great music & seeing my little brother's jaw on the floor! Made a believer out of him fast! Steve started out with 'Gimme Some Lovin' You heard the intro, then BANG, the curtain went DOWN & the Show was on! He had Russ Kunkel with him on drums. Fantastic!
"Higher Love" was #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart when my family was on vacation in Florida in 1986. I remember how big it was at the time. Great tune! 🙂👍
Back in the High Life is my guiding light. It's a song that has always reminded me to keep the faith, and whenever I hear it I know that someone up there is looking out for me.
I could list a top 5 of only his Traffic songs, but that wouldn't be representative of his overall contributions to rock, soul and pop. Here's my Top 5 of Steve Winwood: 1. Can't Find My Way Home - Blind Faith 2. Dear Mr. Fantasy - Traffic 3. While You See A Chance - Winwood solo 4. Had To Cry Today - Blind Faith 5. Low Spark Of High Heeled Boys - Traffic Honorable mentions: Valerie and Finer Things - Winwood solo. But honestly, many of his other songs from his solo career are great. He would definitely get my vote for RnR Hall of Fame as a solo artist.
If I remember reading Steve Windwood was born in 1948.. " Don't You Know What the Night 🌃🌉 Can Do" was the song that grabbed me! He has a beautiful voice 😍 and Higher Love 😘 was a pretty good song by him .. I think he gross over 200 million total .. Good job bro!!!
Positively love, love, LOVE Steve Winwood's music!! I remember hearing and singing along to Gimme Some Lovin when I was a young kid in my mom's VW Beetle. Fast forward 12 years and I'm in high school and fell in love with Steve Winwood's gorgeous soulful voice and amazing song-writing. The dimwit between my ears thought "Amazing, but this fella almost sounds like the lead singer of the Spencer Davis group singing Gimme Some Lovin!" His music has accompanied through some of the very BEST times of my life and helped me get through many of the very most difficult. God bless you, Steve Winwood, for all the happiness you have brought to SO many for decades with your amazing song-writing, singing and musicianship! My fiver would include: One and Only Man Spy in the House of Love Night Train Back in the High Life Again Holding On
To this day, his first solo album, Steve Winwood (standing next to the tree), is still one of my all time favorite albums! Let Me Make Something In Your Life is such a touching beautiful song.
"Finer Things" was robbed. The opening chords of that song is so, so haunting...that song immediately ties me back to my child hood, and I feel it is Winwood's best. As usual, excellent work. :)
Professor, you have a wonderful gift for putting the soundtrack of our lives into proper context. "Higher Love" is one of the most important songs ever delivered to the public, as it delivers timeless truths in a delicious manner. And all of these gifts come from the same Source. For what has any man but that which he was given?
Shocked you didn’t mention Winwood’s very best vocal performance on Stomu Yamashita’s 1976 (studio) album ‘Go’, which included Al Di Meola, Michael Shrieve and Klaus Schulze.
Oh, I did the Ski Machine exercises, to “Roll With It, Baby”! “High Life”, too! Loved that CD! 1988, I believe I was given that CD. It had a duet with Linda Rondstadt, the title has escaped me , at the moment! Spencer Davis Group, “Give Me Some Lovin’””, Steve’s voice was perfect for it! ♥️✌️”Bring Me a Higher Love”, I sang with it in the car, the shower, wherever I heard it! Steve also a handsome guy! Wish I could remember that other song! Thanks!
been studying his music for 60 years and still having fun learning new things. to do a proper story about winwood would take a long time. this is just a simple introduction. there's so much wisdom hidden within his catalog. most of it hidden in the jacket sleeves somewhere. thanks for your presentation. you express yourself with excellence.
While You See a Chance came out when I was 19 and became an anthem for my life. His later albums carried me through very difficult times. “I still wake up in the morning light / Just to see what is there.” That’s an attitude to take you through life. I finally saw Winwood live 2 years ago in Tampa. What a beautiful soul. His voice makes you believe, “There must be a higher love.”
Yeah he does. That night in Tampa the guitarist was sick. Stevie had to play keyboard and guitar. I like Steely Dan but went to see Winwood. Did not disappoint. Love your videos. Thank you Professor.
I think all the time about Steve Winwood, and wonder why he isn't a bigger part of our cultural dialogue, at least in the US. I just had a conversation with my mom recently about how sad it is that it will likely take his death to get a big outpouring of support and recognition. Which is tragic, because Steve Winwood is one of the greatest talents of the rock era. His organ and guitar chops are outstanding, and of course his voice is legendary. I think there are a couple of major factors as to why he isn't discussed with the same reverence as many of his contemporaries. First and foremost, as you mentioned in your video, it was never his name on the songs. Only a die-hard music junkie would have known that it was Steve Winwood singing and playing organ on those Spencer Davis Group records. Even today, I find that people don't know that he sang Gimme Some Lovin'. Similarly, Traffic and Blind Faith did not prominently feature Winwood's name. If those records, particularly tracks like Gimme Some Lovin' and I'm a Man, had been billed as Steve Winwood, we would be having a very different discussion today. My second suggested reason might be a bit more controversial, but I will stand by it: When Steve Winwood finally started putting out records under his own name, they were not as cool as the records he had done earlier in bands. I don't mean to suggest that they aren't great records--they are. But they lack the edge and bite that made tracks like I'm a Man or Dear Mr. Fantasy great. I'm not even sure you could really call them rock records at all. They were, essentially, adult contemporary records with some crossover pop appeal. Thus, when the mainstream US audience started hearing the name Steve Winwood, it was attached to exquisite, but not very cool, music. You were more likely to hear Valerie or Higher Love in a family sedan than a high school parking lot. Contrast with Winwood's contemporary Eric Clapton, who made a name for himself early as a guitarist, then went on to put out a string of bluesy rock solo albums in the 70s. By the time Clapton went soft, he was already well-known as a rock god. Winwood was not. Sorry for this essay of a comment, but I think and talk about Steve Winwood all the time and I am so glad to see your video celebrating him.
I remember seeing the Jordan Brothers perform Gimme Some Lovin' in my hometown of Bethlehem, PA in the 60s, even at that time some of us had already heard Stevie Winwood with Spencer Davis Group. Great time to be alive!
I felt so stupid when I found out who sang Gimme Some Loving. For years, I had assumed it was a whole other band. This was about 2 months ago, so the level of stupid I felt was high...very high...lol.
saw Steve Winwood live when he toured with Tom Petty and of course it was amazing. A little sad that a number of people didn't show up for his part of the show, I guess never knowing what they were missing. "Dear Mr. Fantasy" especially was awesome live.
For me it's a tie between "Back in the High Life Again" and "The Finer Things" they both make me feel a way that only a few other songs do. I also love "Don't You Know What the Night Can Do" even if it was used in a beer commercial.
Just saw him last night in Massachusetts. Amazing. Unfortunately he only did 10 songs. There is so much more. I saw him in the 80s. An hour 45 mins. Amazing.
With as much as he's done, and as great as he's been, I hate to say that he is so underappreciated these days. I would personally rate him right up there with the most talented musicians ever. Didn't he play every instrument on most songs on his solo albums? That live video of Can't Find My Way Home is just amazing...and the video his acoustic version from like 10 years ago in front of a crackling fire is pretty damn great too.
My personal top five "The Finer Things", "Night Train", "Higher Love", "I had to cry today", and of course "Valerie". I start everyday listening to The Finer Things and Higher Love just to get awake and a good mood for the day. His album "Back in the High Life" is my favorite album ever and I listen to it start to finish at least once a month.
Thank you! I LOVE "Higher Love" it is on the tpp of my list of songs from 1986 and reminds me of one of the best summers of my life. This song has gotten me through the last couple years, as memories of a good time have carried me through a bad time. I listen to it every day. "There must be someone who's feeling for me..."
What an absolute legend Steve Winwood is, definitely my fave musician. A great voice, great chops on keys and guitar and that famous mandolin! Steve is on tour with Steely Dan in 2022....there'll be some talent on stage at those gigs!!