Steve Winwood Biography
Who is Steve Winwood, and why has the voice and musicianship of this man stayed with us for over six decades? Stephen Lawrence Winwood, born on May 12, 1948, in Birmingham’s Handsworth, England, is perhaps the most unique and respected name within the world of music today.
The son of semi-professional musician and foundryman Lawrence Winwood, Steve came from a musical family from an early age. His father, with his interest in jazz and swing, rubbed off on the young boy, making good music a presence within the home rather than an extracurricular activity.
Playing piano by the time he was four years old, Steve extended his talents to guitar, drums, and various other instruments, along with developing a soulful, high-tenor sound to the voice with which he would become so famously identified.
Grown up with brother Muff, with whom he would later share the stage, the childhood of Steve Winwood included jam sessions, appearances locally, and a desire to learn more about music than he could learn within the safe, comfortable confines of school or church choir.
From being choirboy to St John the Evangelist’s Church, Perry Barr, to being a pupil at Great Barr School, he further developed musical sensibilities. Although he studied classes within the Birmingham and Midland Institute to develop piano playing, he dropped out before graduation, liking the rough-and-tumble, on-the-job experience of playing pubs and clubs even when he could not legally be there.
When he was a teen, Winwood already gigged with blues legends Muddy Waters, B.B. King, and Howlin’ Wolf on tours to the UK, supporting these American icons. His big break arrived in 1963 when he became a member of The Spencer Davis Group together with his brother Muff, Spencer Davis, and Pete York.
The band, within the course of several years, enjoyed UK No. 1 hits with both “Keep on Running” and with “Somebody Help Me” and global smashes with the song titled, “Gimme Some Lovin’” along with the song with the catchy name, “I’m a Man.” In 1967, seeking a new creative outlet, Winwood left to co-found Traffic together with Jim Capaldi, Dave Mason, and Chris Wood.
Their rural songwriting retreat produced psychedelic masterpieces like the song titled, “Dear Mr. Fantasy” along with the song with the elegantly named, “The Low Spark of High-Heeled Boys.” He joined Eric Clapton, Ginger Baker, and Ric Grech in 1969 to form Blind Faith, the world’s first supergroup of rock music, with the self-titled album reigning on both US and UK music charts.
The brief Blind Faith ordeal saw Winwood again with Traffic, laying down a series of critically acclaimed albums before the band disintegrated in 1974. As a most sought-after session musician, he thereafter recorded with the cream of the music fraternity, including Jimi Hendrix, Lou Reed, and Marianne Faithfull.
His solo career started out back in 1977, but it was the 1980s when he became a full-fledged superstar. Albums Arc of a Diver and Back in the High Life generated timeless anthems like “While You See a Chance,” “Valerie,” and the Grammy-winning “Higher Love,” a chart-topper for the US audience.
The momentum did not stop with Roll with It, another chart-topper, this time for the year 1988. Even as pop sensibilities changed course in the 1990s onward, Winwood kept recording, touring, and jamming with the legends, including Eric Clapton.
Throughout his life, Winwood has received numerous honors, including two Grammy Awards, an Ivor Novello Award, and induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as part of Traffic. In 2008, Rolling Stone ranked him among the greatest singers of all time, and in 2025 he was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to music.
Away from the spotlight, he lives in a historic Cotswolds manor with his wife Eugenia, balancing family life with occasional tours and special performances, including a memorable appearance at the 2023 Coronation Concert. His journey is one of pure musicianship—marked by constant reinvention, collaborations with the best, and a voice that still resonates as powerfully today as it did in the 1960s.
Contents
Steve Winwood Top Songs
- Higher Love
- Back in the High Life Again
- Roll with It
- Valerie (original and 1987 remix)
- While You See a Chance
- The Finer Things
- Don’t You Know What the Night Can Do?
- Gimme Some Lovin’ (with The Spencer Davis Group)
- I’m a Man (with The Spencer Davis Group)
- Dear Mr. Fantasy (with Traffic)
Steve Winwood Discography
Solo Albums
- Steve Winwood (1977)
- Arc of a Diver (1980)
- Talking Back to the Night (1982)
- Back in the High Life (1986)
- Roll with It (1988)
- Refugees of the Heart (1990)
- Junction Seven (1997)
- About Time (2003)
- Nine Lives (2008)
- Greatest Hits Live (2017)
With The Spencer Davis Group
- Their First LP (1965)
- The Second Album (1966)
- Autumn ’66 (1966)
With Traffic
- Mr. Fantasy (1967)
- Traffic (1968)
- Last Exit (1969)
- John Barleycorn Must Die (1970)
- Welcome to the Canteen (1971)
- The Low Spark of High-Heeled Boys (1971)
- Shoot Out at the Fantasy Factory (1973)
- On the Road (1973)
- When the Eagle Flies (1974)
- Far from Home (1994)
- The Last Great Traffic Jam (2005)
With Blind Faith
- Blind Faith (1969)
Other Collaborations
- Ginger Baker’s Air Force (1970)
- Aiye-Keta (with Third World, 1973)
- Go (1976)
- Go Live from Paris (1976)
- Live from Madison Square Garden (with Eric Clapton, 2009)
Steve Winwood Top Albums
- Back in the High Life (1986)
- Arc of a Diver (1980)
- Roll with It (1988)
- John Barleycorn Must Die (with Traffic, 1970)
- The Low Spark of High-Heeled Boys (with Traffic, 1971)
- Blind Faith (with Blind Faith, 1969)
Steve Winwood Awards
- 2 Grammy Awards, including Record of the Year and Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for “Higher Love” (1987)
- Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction (with Traffic, 2004)
- Ivor Novello Award for Outstanding Song Collection (2011)
- BMI Icon Award (2005)
- Honorary Doctorate from Berklee College of Music (2008)
- Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to music (2025)
Steve Winwood Singles
| Year | Title | UK | AUS | BEL (FL) | CAN | GER | NL | NZ | US | US AC | US Main | Album / Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | Time Is Running Out | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Steve Winwood |
| 1980 | While You See a Chance | 45 | 16 | 8 | 3 | — | 21 | 28 | 7 | 17 | 2 | Arc of a Diver |
| 1981 | Spanish Dancer | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1981 | Night Train | — | — | 26 | — | — | 42 | 24 | 104 | — | — | Arc of a Diver |
| 1981 | Arc of a Diver | — | — | — | 19 | — | — | — | 48 | — | 11 | Arc of a Diver |
| 1982 | There’s a River | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Talking Back to the Night |
| 1982 | Still in the Game | — | 90 | 24 | 19 | — | 29 | — | 47 | — | 8 | Talking Back to the Night |
| 1982 | Valerie | 51 | 98 | — | 34 | — | — | — | 70 | — | 13 | Talking Back to the Night |
| 1983 | Your Silence Is Your Song | 112 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | They Call It an Accident (soundtrack) |
| 1986 | Higher Love | 13 | 8 | 31 | 1 | 49 | 26 | 11 | 1 | 7 | 1 | Back in the High Life |
| 1986 | Freedom Overspill | 69 | — | — | 39 | — | — | — | 20 | — | 4 | Back in the High Life |
| 1986 | Back in the High Life Again | 53 | 87 | 18 | 45 | — | 61 | — | 13 | 1 | 19 | Back in the High Life |
| 1987 | The Finer Things | — | 55 | — | 25 | — | — | — | 8 | 1 | 5 | Back in the High Life |
| 1987 | Valerie (remix) | 19 | 19 | — | 17 | — | — | 41 | 9 | 2 | 13 | Chronicles |
| 1988 | Talking Back to the Night (remix) | — | — | — | 92 | — | — | — | 57 | 7 | 17 | Chronicles |
| 1988 | Roll with It | 53 | 36 | — | 1 | 53 | 81 | 30 | 1 | 1 | 1 | Roll with It |
| 1988 | Don’t You Know What the Night Can Do? | 89 | 94 | — | 2 | — | — | 46 | 6 | 2 | 1 | Roll with It |
| 1988 | Holding On | — | — | — | 3 | — | — | — | 11 | 1 | 2 | Roll with It |
| 1989 | Hearts on Fire | — | — | — | 41 | — | — | — | 53 | 22 | 22 | Roll with It |
| 1990 | One and Only Man | 87 | 100 | — | 3 | 70 | 50 | — | 18 | 9 | 1 | Refugees of the Heart |
| 1991 | I Will Be Here | 96 | 121 | — | 76 | — | — | — | — | 40 | — | Refugees of the Heart |
| 1995 | Reach for the Light | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 29 | — | Balto (soundtrack) |
| 1997 | Spy in the House of Love | 88 | — | — | 53 | 86 | — | — | — | — | — | Junction Seven |
| 1997 | Gotta Get Back to My Baby | — | — | — | — | 89 | — | — | — | — | — | Junction Seven |
| 2003 | Why Can’t We Live Together? | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | About Time |
| 2003 | Different Light | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | About Time |
| 2010 | Spanish Dancer 2010 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Revolutions – The Very Best of Steve Winwood |
| 2016 | Higher Love (with Lily Winwood) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album single |
| 2021 | Range Rover (Ben Rector feat. Steve Winwood) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album single |