Mervyn "Muff" Winwood (born 15 June 1943, Erdington, Birmingham, England) is a British songwriter and record producer. The elder brother of Steve Winwood, both were members of The Spencer Davis Group in the 1960s, in which Muff played bass guitar.[1] Following his departure from the group he became an A&R man and record producer.
Muff Winwood | |
|---|---|
 Muff Winwood (on left) playing bass guitar for the Spencer Davis Group in Amsterdam, 1966 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Mervyn Winwood |
| Born | 15 June 1943 Erdington, Birmingham, England |
| Genres | Rock, pop |
Early life
editWinwood's father, Lawrence, was a foundryman by trade, who also played tenor saxophone in dance bands and had a collection of jazz and blues records. Winwood attended Cranbourne Road Primary School and the new Great Barr School (one of the first comprehensive schools) and was a choir boy at St John's Church in the Perry Barr neighborhood of Birmingham. He first became interested in the guitar, then the bass. He was nicknamed "Muff" after the popular 1950s children's TV character Muffin the Mule.[2]
His younger brother is Steve Winwood.
The Spencer Davis Group
editThe Spencer Davis Group was formed after Davis saw the Winwood brothers (Muff and Steve) at a Birmingham pub called the Golden Eagle, performing as the Muff Woody Jazz Band.[3] The Group made their debut at the Eagle and subsequently had a Monday-night residency there.[4] The Spencer Davis Group had hits such as "Gimme Some Lovin'", "Keep On Running", and "I'm a Man". Steve Winwood left in 1967, and Muff soon followed.
Record producer
editAfter leaving the Spencer Davis Group in 1967, Winwood moved within the music industry to a position as A&R man at Island Records.[1] He was there until 1978, when he became an executive at the British office of CBS Records (which later became Sony Music), where he remained until well into the 1990s.[5] As part of his A&R duties, Winwood signed Prefab Sprout, Terence Trent D'Arby, Sade, Shakin' Stevens and The Psychedelic Furs amongst others.[1]
In 1974, Winwood produced the Sparks hit album, Kimono My House along with its hit singles, "This Town Ain't Big Enough for Both of Us" and "Amateur Hour".[1] He also produced their other 1974 album, Propaganda (which included the "Never Turn Your Back on Mother Earth" single). Later, he produced the first Dire Straits album (1978).[1]
His other work included production with The Fabulous Poodles, Marianne Faithfull, Nirvana (the UK band), Sutherland Brothers ("Sailing"), Traffic, Mott the Hoople, Love Affair, Kevin Ayers, Patto, Unicorn,[6] After the Fire and The Noel Redding Band.
Discography
editStudio albums
edit| Year | Title | Details |
|---|---|---|
| 1965 | Their First LP |
|
| 1966 | The Second Album |
|
| Autumn '66 |
|
EPs
edit| Year | Title | Details |
|---|---|---|
| 1965 | You Put the Hurt on Me |
|
| Every Little Bit Hurts |
| |
| 1966 | Sittin' and Thinkin' |
|
Singles
edit| Year | Single |
|---|---|
| 1964 | "Dimples" |
| "I Can't Stand It" | |
| 1965 | "Every Little Bit Hurts" |
| "Strong Love" | |
| "Keep On Running" | |
| 1966 | "Somebody Help Me" |
| "This Hammer" (Norway and Sweden-only release) | |
| "Sittin' and Thinkin'" (Netherlands-only release) | |
| "When I Come Home" | |
| "Together 'Til the End of Time" (Norway-only release) | |
| "Take This Hurt Off Me" (Norway-only release) | |
| "Georgia on My Mind" (Netherlands-only release) | |
| "Gimme Some Lovin'" | |
| "Det war in Schöneberg" (Germany-only release) | |
| "High Time Baby" (Norway-only release) |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d e Kurutz, Steve. Biography of Muff Winwood at AllMusic. Retrieved 5 October 2009.
- ^ "Steve Winwood Fans' Site: Mojo Magazine". Winwoodfans.com. Retrieved 11 January 2020.
- ^ Lockley, Mike (17 July 2016). "Will legendary Spencer Davis Group reunite for one last gig in Birmingham?". birminghammail. Retrieved 15 October 2018.
- ^ "Spencer Davis Group / 1965 / Smallbrook Queensway". Havill & Travis. Retrieved 15 October 2018.
- ^ Billboard - Google Books. 22 May 2004. Retrieved 28 June 2014.
- ^ Official site for Unicorn
External links
edit- Muff Winwood discography at Discogs
- Muff Winwood at IMDb
- "Spencer Davis Group discography". Archived from the original on 28 October 2009. (includes Muff Winwood references)
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