Sunday October 25, 2020 “I’m a Man” Spencer Davis Group
Spencer Davis left us last week.
A student of and well versed in several languages Spencer Davies (actual spelling but pronounced Davis) was known among other musicians as “Professor’ and even taught German for a while. Early on in his musical adventures he had an informal musical duo with a keyboard player named Christine Perfect (real name) who would later find fame with a small band called Fleetwood Mac and even marry one of their members, John McVie..
In 1963 Davis went to a club to hear the Muff Wood Jazz Band which included the Winwood brothers Muff and multi-instrumentalist Steve, then fifteen. He invited them to join him and drummer Pete York and the Spencer Davis group was formed.
The band would have a number of UK hits as well a couple of iconic international hits like “I’m a Man”. After their star faded, and Steve Winwood left the band to initially form Traffic, Spencer Davis became a music executive with Island Records and would work with acts like Bob Marley and Robert Palmer.
He lived on Catalina Island off the coast of California made slightly famous by the early 60’s tune “26 Miles” by the Four Preps.
Stay safe and well...and lead singer Steve Winwood was just eighteen when he wrote and recorded this song with the SDG.