His blue-eyed soul voice was already known to millions from such hits with the Spencer Davis Group as “Gimme Some Lovin'” and “I’m a Man” followed by stints in Traffic and Blind Faith when Steve Winwood released his eponymous solo debut on Island Records on June 20, 1977.
After all of the above accomplishments, he was still less than 30 years old.
Winwood produced the album with Island Records founder Chris Blackwell, who had signed the Spencer Davis Group and then Winwood as a solo artist. Four of its six songs were co-written by Winwood and his Traffic bandmate Jim Capaldi, and the album featured such well known session musicians as bassist Willie Weeks and drummer Andy Newmark. Also joining was percussionist (and Traffic contributor) Rebop Kwaku Baah. However, the album suffered tepid sales and only reached #22 on the Billboard Top 200, and #12 in the U.K.
Two songs were released as singles – “Hold On” and “Time is Running Out” – but neither caught on with Top 40 radio programmers and failed to chart.
Of the album, Winwood wrote in 2026, “There were a lot of funny things happening in rock at that time. It was a strange time for me to release a first solo album, and I was a bit unsure of myself. I guess I finally did what I’d started out to do when I began cutting Barleycorn- a solo album – but it didn’t come off too well, owing to the state of the music business and that I wasn’t used to working on my own. But some of it’s good, though. I think the track I wrote with Viv Stanshall, ‘Vacant Chair’, stands up well.”
The album has been out-of-print for many years. [Many of his recordings are available here.]
Three years later, Winwood’s follow-up album, Arc of a Diver, was a significant success. The album was certified Platinum in the U.S. thanks in part to the Top 10 single “While You See a Chance.” Soon enough, he became a Top 40 radio fixture with the chart-toppers “Higher Love” and “Roll With It,” as well as hits like “Back in the High Life Again,” “The Finer Things” and “Valerie.”
Related: Our Album Rewind of Arc of a Diver
Today, the Birmingham, U.K. native, born May 12, 1948, is said to split time between his homes in the English Cotwsolds and Nashville, Tenn. When he tours, tickets are available at Ticketmaster and StubHub.
Related: Our 2024 Winwood concert review
1 Comment so far
Jump into a conversationSteve Winwood’s two first albums are some of the best rock blues jazz fusion ever created. “Time Is Running Out” has both haunted and thrilled me since its release. one of the greatest songs ever with lyrics that still resonate today.