Steve Winwood

One of British rock's most enduring figures, singer-keyboardist Steve Winwood enjoyed a half-century of success with such acclaimed groups as The Spencer Davis Group, Blind Faith and Traffic, as well as being a Grammy-winning solo artist. He was something of a teenaged prodigy in the early 1960s, earning accolades for his almost supernaturally soulful voice on such enduring favorites as "Gimme Some Lovin'" with the Spencer Davis Group. Winwood left for more experimental pastures with Traffic, a jazz-rock-psychedelic group that recorded the FM radio favorites "Dear Mr. Fantasy" and "The Low Spark of High-Heeled Boys" between tumultuous breakups and reunions throughout the late '60s and early '70s. Winwood also briefly joined Eric Clapton and Ginger Baker in the legendary Blind Faith before severing ties with Traffic and taking a lengthy hiatus from music. He emerged in the late 1970s as a solo performer with a synthesizer-driven sound on singles like "While You See a Chance," though his true breakout release would not come until 1987 with his wildly popular Back in the High Life. Its slick, R&B-pop tone would largely define his solo efforts for the next decade, which enjoyed less acclaim as the '90s drew to a close before a successful return to his R&B roots with About Time (2003) and Nine Lives (2008). Winwood's participation in some of the most popular music acts of the '60s and '70s, as well as his storied library of songs, made him one of the most accomplished rock musicians of the 20th century.