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{{Short description|Welsh musician (1939–2020)}}
{{Short description|Welsh musician (1939–2020)}}
{{about||the racing driver|Spencer Davis (racing driver)|the American baseball infielder|Spencer Davis (baseball)}}
{{About||the racing driver|Spencer Davis (racing driver)|the American baseball infielder|Spencer Davis (baseball)|the British colonial administrator|Spencer Davis (governor)}}
{{EngvarB|date=August 2014}}
{{EngvarB|date=August 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2020}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2020}}
{{Infobox musical artist
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = Spencer Davis
| name = Spencer Davis
| image = Spencer Davis 08072006 NSU 01.JPG
| image = Spencer Davis 08072006 NSU 01.JPG
| caption = Davis performing in July 2006
| caption = Davis performing in July 2006
| landscape = yes
| landscape = yes
| background = solo_singer
| background = solo_singer
| birth_name = Spencer David Nelson Davies
| birth_name = Spencer David Nelson Davies
| birth_date = {{Birth date|df=yes|1939|7|17}}
| birth_date = {{Birth date|df=yes|1939|7|17}}
| birth_place = [[Swansea]], Wales
| birth_place = [[Swansea]], Wales
| death_date = {{Death date and age|df=yes|2020|10|19|1939|07|17}}
| death_date = {{Death date and age|df=yes|2020|10|19|1939|07|17}}
| death_place = [[Los Angeles]], [[California]], U.S.
| death_place = [[Los Angeles]], [[California]], U.S.
| genre = {{hlist|[[Rock music|Rock]]|[[Pop music|pop]]|[[rhythm and blues]]}}
| genre = {{hlist|[[Rock music|Rock]]|[[Pop music|pop]]|[[rhythm and blues]]}}
| occupation = Musician
| occupation = Musician
| instrument = {{hlist|Vocals|[[harmonica]]|guitar}}
| instrument = {{hlist|Guitar|vocals|harmonica}}
| years_active = 1963–2020
| years_active = 1963–2020
| label = {{hlist|[[Fontana Records|Fontana]]|[[United Artists Records|United Artists]]}}
| label = {{hlist|[[Fontana Records|Fontana]]|[[United Artists Records|United Artists]]}}
| associated_acts = [[The Spencer Davis Group]], [[World Classic Rockers]]
| past_member_of = [[The Spencer Davis Group]], [[World Classic Rockers]]
| website = {{URL|spencer-davis-group.com}}
| website = {{URL|spencer-davis-group.com}}
}}
}}


'''Spencer Davis''' (born '''Spencer David Nelson Davies'''; 17 July 1939{{spnd}}19 October 2020) was a Welsh singer and musician. He founded [[The Spencer Davis Group]], a band that had several hits in the 1960s including "[[Keep On Running]]", "[[Gimme Some Lovin']]", and "[[I'm a Man (The Spencer Davis Group song)|I'm a Man]]", all sung by [[Steve Winwood]]. Davis subsequently enjoyed success as an [[Artists and repertoire|A&R]] executive with [[Island Records]].<ref name=NYT/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.spencer-davis-group.com/ |title=The Spencer Davis Group |publisher=The Spencer Davis Group |access-date=25 July 2015}}</ref>
'''Spencer Davis''' (born '''Spencer David Nelson Davies'''; 17 July 1939{{spnd}}19 October 2020) was a Welsh musician. He founded [[the Spencer Davis Group]], a band that had several hits in the 1960s including "[[Keep On Running]]", "[[Gimme Some Lovin']]", and "[[I'm a Man (The Spencer Davis Group song)|I'm a Man]]", all sung by [[Steve Winwood]]. Davis subsequently enjoyed success as an [[Artists and repertoire|A&R]] executive with [[Island Records]].<ref name=NYT/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.spencer-davis-group.com/ |title=The Spencer Davis Group |publisher=The Spencer Davis Group |access-date=25 July 2015}}</ref>


==Early life==
==Early life==
Davis was born in [[Swansea]], [[South Wales|South-West Wales]], on 17 July 1939.<ref name="Telegraph obit">{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/obituaries/2020/10/20/spencer-davis-founder-frontman-spencer-davis-group-obituary/|title=Spencer Davis, founder and frontman of the Spencer Davis Group – obituary|date=20 October 2020|access-date=20 October 2020|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph|location=London}} {{subscription required}}</ref> His father was a [[paratrooper]] during [[World War II]]. While his father was away, his uncle Herman was a musical influence on Davis, teaching him how to play the [[harmonica]] at age six. While growing up in Swansea, Davis lived through [[The Blitz]]: "The bombed city centre was my playground. I watched the town being absolutely destroyed."<ref name=NYT>{{cite news |last1=Farber |first1=Jim |title=Spencer Davis, Whose Band Helped Power the Sound of the ’60s, Dies at 81 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/20/arts/spencer-davis-dead.html?searchResultPosition=1 |access-date=3 November 2020 |agency=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref> Davis's mother continuing to live in the West Cross area of Swansea until her death.<ref name="bbc">{{cite news |last= Savage |first= Mark |date= 21 October 2020 |title= Spencer Davis, one of rock's elder statesmen, dies aged 81 |url= https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-54619718 |work= BBC News |access-date= 22 October 2020}}</ref> He began learning to play harmonica and [[accordion]] at the age of six. He attended [[Dynevor School, Swansea|Dynevor School]] and became proficient in languages.<ref name="bbc09">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/southwestwales/hi/people_and_places/music/newsid_8391000/8391102.stm|title=Spencer Davis in song and story|work=BBC News|date=2 December 2009|access-date=20 October 2020}}</ref> He moved to London when he was 16 and began working in the civil service as a clerical officer at the [[Postal savings system|Post Office Savings Bank]] in [[Hammersmith]] and then for [[HM Customs and Excise]]. However, he went back to his old school to study for [[Advanced Level|A-levels]] in languages, becoming head boy in 1959. In 1960, he moved to [[Birmingham]], to read German at the [[University of Birmingham]].<ref>{{cite book |title=Back in the High Life |first=Alan |last=Clayson |year=1988 |isbn=0-283-99640-4 |publisher=Sidgewick and Jackson}}</ref> In music circles, Davis was later known as "Professor".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/southwest/halloffame/showbiz/spencerdavis.shtml |title=South West Wales - Hall of Fame - Spencer Davis |publisher=BBC |access-date=22 July 2017 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040506063349/http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/southwest/halloffame/showbiz/spencerdavis.shtml |archive-date=6 May 2004 }}</ref>
Davis was born in [[Swansea]], [[South Wales|South-West Wales]], on 17 July 1939.<ref name="Telegraph obit">{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/obituaries/2020/10/20/spencer-davis-founder-frontman-spencer-davis-group-obituary/|title=Spencer Davis, founder and frontman of the Spencer Davis Group – obituary|date=20 October 2020|access-date=20 October 2020|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph|location=London}} {{subscription required}}</ref> His father was a [[paratrooper]] during [[World War II]]. While his father was away, his uncle Herman was a musical influence on Davis, teaching him how to play the [[harmonica]] at age six. While growing up in Swansea, Davis lived through [[The Blitz]]: "The bombed city centre was my playground. I watched the town being absolutely destroyed."<ref name=NYT>{{cite news |last1=Farber |first1=Jim |title=Spencer Davis, Whose Band Helped Power the Sound of the '60s, Dies at 81 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/20/arts/spencer-davis-dead.html |access-date=3 November 2020 |work=[[The New York Times]]|date=20 October 2020 }}</ref> Davis's mother continued to live in the West Cross area of Swansea until her death.<ref name="bbc">{{cite news |last= Savage |first= Mark |date= 21 October 2020 |title= Spencer Davis, one of rock's elder statesmen, dies aged 81 |url= https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-54619718 |work= BBC News |access-date= 22 October 2020}}</ref> He began learning to play harmonica and [[accordion]] at the age of six. He attended [[Dynevor School, Swansea|Dynevor School]] and became proficient in languages.<ref name="bbc09">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/southwestwales/hi/people_and_places/music/newsid_8391000/8391102.stm|title=Spencer Davis in song and story|work=BBC News|date=2 December 2009|access-date=20 October 2020}}</ref> He moved to London when he was 16 and began working in the civil service as a clerical officer at the [[Postal savings system|Post Office Savings Bank]] in [[Hammersmith]] and then for [[HM Customs and Excise]]. However, he went back to his old school to study for [[Advanced Level|A-levels]] in languages, becoming head boy in 1959. In 1960, he moved to [[Birmingham]], to read German at the [[University of Birmingham]].<ref>{{cite book |title=Back in the High Life |first=Alan |last=Clayson |year=1988 |isbn=0-283-99640-4 |publisher=Sidgewick and Jackson}}</ref> In music circles, Davis was later known as "Professor".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/southwest/halloffame/showbiz/spencerdavis.shtml |title=South West Wales - Hall of Fame - Spencer Davis |publisher=BBC |access-date=22 July 2017 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040506063349/http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/southwest/halloffame/showbiz/spencerdavis.shtml |archive-date=6 May 2004 }}</ref>


==Early music career==
==Early music career==
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{{Main|The Spencer Davis Group}}
{{Main|The Spencer Davis Group}}
[[File:SpencerDavisGroup1966RonKroon.jpg|thumb|Davis (guitar) rehearsing in Amsterdam (1966) with Muff Winwood on bass]]
[[File:SpencerDavisGroup1966RonKroon.jpg|thumb|Davis (guitar) rehearsing in Amsterdam (1966) with Muff Winwood on bass]]
In 1963, Davis went to the [[Golden Eagle, Birmingham|Golden Eagle]] in Birmingham to see the Muff Wood Jazz band, a traditional jazz band featuring [[Muff Winwood]] and his younger brother, Steve Winwood. Davis persuaded them to join him and drummer [[Pete York]] as the Rhythm and Blues Quartet. Davis performed on guitar, vocals and harmonica, Steve Winwood on guitar, organ and vocals, Muff Winwood on bass and Pete York on drums.<ref name=rs/> Reportedly, they adopted the name [[The Spencer Davis Group]] because Davis was the only band member who agreed to press interviews, allowing the other band members to sleep longer.<ref name=NYT/><ref name=bbc/> The group's live reputation attracted the attention of Island Records founder [[Chris Blackwell]] who signed the group to its first contract and became their manager.<ref name=NYT/> The group had No. 1 hits in the UK with consecutive single releases in 1966 ("[[Keep On Running]]" and "[[Somebody Help Me]]"). Steve Winwood sang lead vocals on all the Spencer Davis Group's hits up to "[[I'm a Man (Spencer Davis Group song)|I'm a Man]]" in 1967.<ref name=rs/>
In 1963, Davis went to the [[Golden Eagle, Birmingham|Golden Eagle]] in Birmingham to see the Muff Wood Jazz band, a traditional jazz band featuring [[Muff Winwood]] and his younger brother, Steve Winwood. Davis persuaded them to join him and drummer [[Pete York]] as the Rhythm and Blues Quartet. Davis performed on guitar, vocals and harmonica, Steve Winwood on guitar, organ and vocals, Muff Winwood on bass and Pete York on drums.<ref name=rs/> Reportedly, they adopted the name [[the Spencer Davis Group]] because Davis was the only band member who agreed to press interviews, allowing the other band members to sleep longer.<ref name=NYT/><ref name=bbc/>
The group's live reputation attracted the attention of Island Records founder [[Chris Blackwell]] who signed the group to its first contract and became their manager.<ref name="NYT" /> The group had No. 1 hits in the UK with consecutive single releases in 1966 ("[[Keep On Running]]" and "[[Somebody Help Me]]"). Steve Winwood sang lead vocals on all the Spencer Davis Group's hits up to "[[I'm a Man (Spencer Davis Group song)|I'm a Man]]" in 1967.<ref name="rs" />


The Spencer Davis Group continued after Winwood left to form [[Traffic (band)|Traffic]] in April 1967. The group recorded two more albums before splitting in 1969. Another version of the group with Davis and York appeared in 1973 and disbanded in late 1974. Various incarnations of the band toured in later years under Davis's direction.<ref name=NYT/><ref name=rs/>
The Spencer Davis Group continued after Winwood left to form [[Traffic (band)|Traffic]] in April 1967. The group recorded two more albums before splitting in 1969. Another version of the group with Davis and York appeared in 1973 and disbanded in late 1974. Various incarnations of the band toured in later years under Davis's direction.<ref name=NYT/><ref name=rs/>
Line 43: Line 45:
After the group broke up, Davis moved to California and recorded an acoustic album with Peter Jameson, ''It's Been So Long'', for Mediarts in mid-1971. He followed it with a solo album, ''Mousetrap'', for United Artists, produced by and featuring [[Sneaky Pete Kleinow]]. Neither album sold well. Soon after, he moved back to the UK, formed a new Spencer Davis Group and signed with [[Vertigo Records]]. In addition, Davis was an executive at [[Island Records]] in the mid-1970s.<ref name="Strong">{{cite book |last1=Strong |first1=M.C. |title=The Great Rock Discography |date=1996 |publisher=Canongate Publishing |location=Edinburgh |isbn=0862416043 |page=205}}</ref><ref name=rs/> As a promoter for Island Records, Davis worked with [[Bob Marley]], [[Robert Palmer (singer)|Robert Palmer]] and [[Eddie and the Hot Rods]] as well as promoting the solo career of former Spencer Davis Group member Steve Winwood.<ref name=bbc/>
After the group broke up, Davis moved to California and recorded an acoustic album with Peter Jameson, ''It's Been So Long'', for Mediarts in mid-1971. He followed it with a solo album, ''Mousetrap'', for United Artists, produced by and featuring [[Sneaky Pete Kleinow]]. Neither album sold well. Soon after, he moved back to the UK, formed a new Spencer Davis Group and signed with [[Vertigo Records]]. In addition, Davis was an executive at [[Island Records]] in the mid-1970s.<ref name="Strong">{{cite book |last1=Strong |first1=M.C. |title=The Great Rock Discography |date=1996 |publisher=Canongate Publishing |location=Edinburgh |isbn=0862416043 |page=205}}</ref><ref name=rs/> As a promoter for Island Records, Davis worked with [[Bob Marley]], [[Robert Palmer (singer)|Robert Palmer]] and [[Eddie and the Hot Rods]] as well as promoting the solo career of former Spencer Davis Group member Steve Winwood.<ref name=bbc/>


In 1993, Davis formed the [[Supergroup (music)|supergroup]] the Class Rock All-Stars. He left the group in 1995 to form World Classic Rockers with former [[Eagles (band)|Eagles]] bassist [[Randy Meisner]], singer [[Bobby Kimball]] and guitarist [[Denny Laine]].<ref name=rs/>
In 1993, Davis formed the [[Supergroup (music)|supergroup]] the Class Rock All-Stars. He left the group in 1995 to form World Classic Rockers with former [[Eagles (band)|Eagles]] bassist [[Randy Meisner]], ex [[Toto (band)|Toto]] singer [[Bobby Kimball]] and ex [[Moody Blues]] and [[Wings (band)|Wings]] guitarist [[Denny Laine]].<ref name=rs/>


==Later life==
==Later life==
Davis retained an affinity for Germany, having studied its language and played in clubs in [[Berlin]] early in his career. He watched both the building of the [[Berlin Wall]] in 1961 and, with his son, its fall in 1989.<ref name=bbc09/>
Davis retained an affinity for Germany, having studied its language and played in clubs in [[Berlin]] early in his career. He watched both the building of the [[Berlin Wall]] in 1961 and, with his son, its fall in 1989.<ref name=bbc09/>


Davis was a supporter and honorary member of the Wales Nationalist Party, [[Plaid Cymru]]. From the mid-1970s onwards, Davis lived in [[Avalon, California|Avalon]] on [[Santa Catalina Island, California|Catalina Island]], a small island in the Pacific Ocean, off the coast of [[southern California]].<ref name=bbc09/><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.walesonline.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/sixties-music-star-spencer-davis-19136428|title=Sixties' music star Spencer Davis – hitmaker behind Keep on Running and Gimme Some Lovin' – dead at 81|work=Wales Online|date=20 October 2020|access-date=20 October 2020}}</ref> During the summer of 2012, the Catalina Island Museum hosted an exhibition called "Gimme Some Lovin': The Spencer Davis Group", to celebrate Davis's musical career. To complement the museum show, the museum also hosted a symposium on "[[The British Invasion]]", where Davis was joined on a panel by, among others, [[Micky Dolenz]] of [[the Monkees]] and a July Fourth concert featuring Davis singing his hits with a backing band named 'The Catalina All Stars'.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.brunchradio.com/features/archive/spencer_davis_exhibit_2.asp|title=Beatle Brunch - Spencer Davis Exhibit|website=Brunchradio.com|access-date=22 October 2020}}</ref>
Davis was a supporter and honorary member of the Wales nationalist party, [[Plaid Cymru]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/welsh-music-star-keep-running-19136441|title=Keep On Running hitmaker Spencer Davis dies aged 81|first1=Graham|last1=Young|first2=Sion|last2=Morgan|date=20 October 2020|website=WalesOnline}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/obituaries/2020/10/20/spencer-davis-founder-frontman-spencer-davis-group-obituary/|title=Spencer Davis, founder and frontman of the Spencer Davis Group – obituary|first=Telegraph|last=Obituaries|newspaper=The Telegraph |date=20 October 2020|via=www.telegraph.co.uk}}</ref> From the mid-1970s onwards, Davis lived in [[Avalon, California|Avalon]] on [[Santa Catalina Island, California|Catalina Island]], a small island off the coast of [[Southern California]].<ref name=bbc09/><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.walesonline.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/sixties-music-star-spencer-davis-19136428|title=Sixties' music star Spencer Davis – hitmaker behind Keep on Running and Gimme Some Lovin' – dead at 81|work=Wales Online|date=20 October 2020|access-date=20 October 2020}}</ref> During the summer of 2012, the Catalina Island Museum hosted an exhibition called "Gimme Some Lovin': The Spencer Davis Group", to celebrate Davis's musical career. To complement the museum show, the museum also hosted a symposium on "[[The British Invasion]]", where Davis was joined on a panel by, among others, [[Micky Dolenz]] of [[the Monkees]] and a July Fourth concert featuring Davis singing his hits with a backing band named 'The Catalina All Stars'.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.brunchradio.com/features/archive/spencer_davis_exhibit_2.asp|title=Beatle Brunch - Spencer Davis Exhibit|website=Brunchradio.com|access-date=22 October 2020|archive-date=26 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201026054520/http://www.brunchradio.com/features/archive/spencer_davis_exhibit_2.asp|url-status=dead}}</ref>

== Personal life ==
He had three children and divorced in the late 1970s.{{citation needed|date = April 2021}}

== Death ==
Davis died from pneumonia in [[Los Angeles]] on 19 October 2020 at the age of 81.<ref name=rs>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/spencer-davis-group-obituary-1078226/|title=Spencer Davis, Founder of the Spencer Davis Group, Dead at 81|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=20 October 2020|access-date=20 October 2020}}</ref><ref name="bmail">{{cite news|url=https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/whats-on/music-nightlife-news/sixties-music-legend-who-gave-19135505 |title=Sixties music legend who gave his name to chart-topping band dies|newspaper=[[Birmingham Mail]]|access-date=20 October 2020}}</ref><ref name=NYT/>

== Discography ==

=== With [[The Spencer Davis Group]] ===
{{Main|The Spencer Davis Group discography}}

==== Studio albums ====
{| class="wikitable"
!Year
!Title
!Details
|-
|1965
|''[[Their First LP]]''
|
* Released: June 1965
* Label: [[Fontana Records|Fontana]]
|-
| rowspan="2" |1966
|''[[The Second Album (The Spencer Davis Group album)|The Second Album]]''
|
* Released: 7 January 1966
* Label: Fontana
|-
|''[[Autumn '66]]''
|
* Released: 26 August 1966
* Label: Fontana
|-
|1968
|''[[With Their New Face On]]''
|
* Released: April 1968
* Label: United Artists
|-
|1973
|''[[Gluggo]]''
|
* Released: 1973
* Label: [[Vertigo Records|Vertigo]]
|-
|1974
|''Living in a Back Street''
|
* Released: February 1974
* Label: Vertigo
|-
|1986
|''Vibrate''
|
* Released: 1986
* Label: Victoria
* Only released in Spain
|-
|1998
|''Funky''
|
* Released: 1998
* Label: [[Angel Air Records|Angel Air]]
* Originally planned for release in 1969 in the UK as ''Letters From Edith'' but withdrawn. Then was released in the US by [[Date Records|Date]] in 1970 as ''Funky'' but quickly withdrawn due to the dissolution of the label
|}


==== EPs ====
Davis in the 1960s. He had three children and divorced in the late 1970s.{{citation needed|date = April 2021}}
{| class="wikitable"
!Year
!Title
!Details
|-
| rowspan="2" |1965
|''You Put the Hurt on Me''
|
* Released: August 1965
* Label: Fontana
|-
|''Every Little Bit Hurts''
|
* Released: October 1965
* Label: Fontana
|-
|1966
|''Sittin' and Thinkin'''
|
* Released: May 1966
* Label: Fontana
|-
|1978
|''Spencer Davis Group''
|
* Released: May 1978
* Label: Island
* Compilation EP
|-
|2017
|''Rambling Rose''
|
* Released: 22 April 2017
* Label: Rhythm & Blues
* [[Record Store Day]] release
|}


==== Singles ====
Davis died from pneumonia in [[Los Angeles]] on 19 October 2020 at the age of 81.<ref name=rs>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/spencer-davis-group-obituary-1078226/|title=Spencer Davis, Founder of the Spencer Davis Group, Dead at 81|work=Rolling Stone|date=20 October 2020|access-date=20 October 2020}}</ref><ref name="bmail">{{cite news|url=https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/whats-on/music-nightlife-news/sixties-music-legend-who-gave-19135505 |title=Sixties music legend who gave his name to chart-topping band dies|newspaper=[[Birmingham Mail]]|access-date=20 October 2020}}</ref><ref name=NYT/>
{| class="wikitable"
!Year
!Single
|-
| rowspan="2" |1964
|"[[Dimples (song)|Dimples]]"
|-
|"I Can't Stand It"
|-
| rowspan="3" |1965
|"[[Every Little Bit Hurts]]"
|-
|"Strong Love"
|-
|"[[Keep On Running]]"
|-
| rowspan="10" |1966
|"[[Somebody Help Me]]"
|-
|"This Hammer" <small>(Norway and Sweden-only release)</small>
|-
|"Sittin' and Thinkin'" <small>(Netherlands-only release)</small>
|-
|"[[When I Come Home]]"
|-
|"Together 'Til the End of Time" <small>(Norway-only release)</small>
|-
|"Take This Hurt Off Me" <small>(Norway-only release)</small>
|-
|"[[Georgia on My Mind]]" <small>(Netherlands-only release)</small>
|-
|"[[Gimme Some Lovin']]"
|-
|"Det war in Schöneberg" <small>(Germany-only release)</small>
|-
|"High Time Baby" <small>(Norway-only release)</small>
|-
| rowspan="5" |1967
|"[[I'm a Man (The Spencer Davis Group song)|I'm a Man]]"
|-
|"Time Seller"
|-
|"[[It's Gonna Work Out Fine]]" <small>(New Zealand-only release)</small>
|-
|"[[When a Man Loves a Woman (song)|When a Man Loves a Woman]]" <small>(Italy-only release)</small>
|-
|"Mr. Second Class"
|-
| rowspan="4" |1968
|"After Tea"
|-
|"Looking Back" <small>(US, Canada and Germany-only release)</small>
|-
|"[[Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In|(Aquarius) Der Wassermann]]" <small>(Germany and Netherlands-only release)</small>
|-
|"Short Change"
|-
|1971
|"[[Magpie (TV series)#Theme song|Magpie]]" <small>(as 'The Murgatroyd Band')</small>
|-
| rowspan="4" |1973
|"Don't You Let It Bring You Down" <small>(US and Canada-only release)</small>
|-
|"Catch You on the Rebop"
|-
|"Mr. Operator"
|-
|"Livin' in a Back Street"
|-
|1974
|"Another Day" <small>(Spain-only release)</small>
|}


==References==
==References==
Line 59: Line 236:
==External links==
==External links==
{{commons category}}
{{commons category}}
*{{IMDb name|0205483|Spencer Davis}}
* {{IMDb name|0205483|Spencer Davis}}
* {{Discogs artist|Spencer Davis}}
* {{Discogs artist|Spencer Davis}}
* [http://www.45cat.com/45_search.php?sq=spencer+davis&sm=ar Entries at 45cat.com]
* [http://www.45cat.com/45_search.php?sq=spencer+davis&sm=ar Entries at 45cat.com]
*[https://www.namm.org/library/oral-history/spencer-davis Spencer Davis Interview – NAMM Oral History Library (2012)]
* [https://www.namm.org/library/oral-history/spencer-davis Spencer Davis Interview] at [[NAMM Oral History Program|NAMM Oral History Collection]] (2012)
* {{NPG name|id=125394}}
* {{NPG name|id=125394}}
{{Spencer Davis Group}}
{{Spencer Davis Group}}
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[[Category:The Spencer Davis Group members]]
[[Category:The Spencer Davis Group members]]
[[Category:Welsh buskers]]
[[Category:Welsh buskers]]
[[Category:Welsh expatriates in the United States]]
[[Category:Welsh expatriate musicians in the United States]]
[[Category:Welsh guitarists]]
[[Category:Welsh guitarists]]
[[Category:Welsh multi-instrumentalists]]
[[Category:Welsh multi-instrumentalists]]
[[Category:Welsh rock musicians]]
[[Category:Welsh rock musicians]]
[[Category:World Classic Rockers members]]

Revision as of 05:41, 7 June 2024

For the racing driver, see Spencer Davis (racing driver). For the American baseball infielder, see Spencer Davis (baseball). For the British colonial administrator, see Spencer Davis (governor).

Spencer Davis
Davis performing in July 2006
Davis performing in July 2006
Background information
Birth nameSpencer David Nelson Davies
Born(1939-07-17)17 July 1939
Swansea, Wales
Died19 October 2020(2020-10-19) (aged 81)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Genres
Occupation(s)Musician
Instruments
  • Guitar
  • vocals
  • harmonica
Years active1963–2020
Labels
Formerly ofThe Spencer Davis Group, World Classic Rockers
Websitespencer-davis-group.com

Spencer Davis (born Spencer David Nelson Davies; 17 July 1939 – 19 October 2020) was a Welsh musician. He founded the Spencer Davis Group, a band that had several hits in the 1960s including "Keep On Running", "Gimme Some Lovin'", and "I'm a Man", all sung by Steve Winwood. Davis subsequently enjoyed success as an A&R executive with Island Records.[1][2]

Early life

Davis was born in Swansea, South-West Wales, on 17 July 1939.[3] His father was a paratrooper during World War II. While his father was away, his uncle Herman was a musical influence on Davis, teaching him how to play the harmonica at age six. While growing up in Swansea, Davis lived through The Blitz: "The bombed city centre was my playground. I watched the town being absolutely destroyed."[1] Davis's mother continued to live in the West Cross area of Swansea until her death.[4] He began learning to play harmonica and accordion at the age of six. He attended Dynevor School and became proficient in languages.[5] He moved to London when he was 16 and began working in the civil service as a clerical officer at the Post Office Savings Bank in Hammersmith and then for HM Customs and Excise. However, he went back to his old school to study for A-levels in languages, becoming head boy in 1959. In 1960, he moved to Birmingham, to read German at the University of Birmingham.[6] In music circles, Davis was later known as "Professor".[7]

Early music career

His early musical influences were skiffle, jazz and blues. Musical artists who influenced Davis include Big Bill Broonzy, Huddy Ledbetter, Buddy Holly, Davey Graham, John Martyn, Alexis Korner and Long John Baldry. By the time he was 16, Davis was hooked on the guitar and the American rhythm and blues music making its way across the Atlantic. With few opportunities to hear R&B in South Wales, Davis attended as many local gigs as practical.

When Davis moved to Birmingham as a student, he often performed on stage after his teaching day. While in Birmingham, he formed a musical and personal relationship with Christine Perfect who was later a member of Fleetwood Mac.[4][8]

The Spencer Davis Group

Main article: The Spencer Davis Group
Davis (guitar) rehearsing in Amsterdam (1966) with Muff Winwood on bass

In 1963, Davis went to the Golden Eagle in Birmingham to see the Muff Wood Jazz band, a traditional jazz band featuring Muff Winwood and his younger brother, Steve Winwood. Davis persuaded them to join him and drummer Pete York as the Rhythm and Blues Quartet. Davis performed on guitar, vocals and harmonica, Steve Winwood on guitar, organ and vocals, Muff Winwood on bass and Pete York on drums.[8] Reportedly, they adopted the name the Spencer Davis Group because Davis was the only band member who agreed to press interviews, allowing the other band members to sleep longer.[1][4]

The group's live reputation attracted the attention of Island Records founder Chris Blackwell who signed the group to its first contract and became their manager.[1] The group had No. 1 hits in the UK with consecutive single releases in 1966 ("Keep On Running" and "Somebody Help Me"). Steve Winwood sang lead vocals on all the Spencer Davis Group's hits up to "I'm a Man" in 1967.[8]

The Spencer Davis Group continued after Winwood left to form Traffic in April 1967. The group recorded two more albums before splitting in 1969. Another version of the group with Davis and York appeared in 1973 and disbanded in late 1974. Various incarnations of the band toured in later years under Davis's direction.[1][8]

Solo career

After the group broke up, Davis moved to California and recorded an acoustic album with Peter Jameson, It's Been So Long, for Mediarts in mid-1971. He followed it with a solo album, Mousetrap, for United Artists, produced by and featuring Sneaky Pete Kleinow. Neither album sold well. Soon after, he moved back to the UK, formed a new Spencer Davis Group and signed with Vertigo Records. In addition, Davis was an executive at Island Records in the mid-1970s.[9][8] As a promoter for Island Records, Davis worked with Bob Marley, Robert Palmer and Eddie and the Hot Rods as well as promoting the solo career of former Spencer Davis Group member Steve Winwood.[4]

In 1993, Davis formed the supergroup the Class Rock All-Stars. He left the group in 1995 to form World Classic Rockers with former Eagles bassist Randy Meisner, ex Toto singer Bobby Kimball and ex Moody Blues and Wings guitarist Denny Laine.[8]

Later life

Davis retained an affinity for Germany, having studied its language and played in clubs in Berlin early in his career. He watched both the building of the Berlin Wall in 1961 and, with his son, its fall in 1989.[5]

Davis was a supporter and honorary member of the Wales nationalist party, Plaid Cymru.[10][11] From the mid-1970s onwards, Davis lived in Avalon on Catalina Island, a small island off the coast of Southern California.[5][12] During the summer of 2012, the Catalina Island Museum hosted an exhibition called "Gimme Some Lovin': The Spencer Davis Group", to celebrate Davis's musical career. To complement the museum show, the museum also hosted a symposium on "The British Invasion", where Davis was joined on a panel by, among others, Micky Dolenz of the Monkees and a July Fourth concert featuring Davis singing his hits with a backing band named 'The Catalina All Stars'.[13]

Personal life

He had three children and divorced in the late 1970s.[citation needed]

Death

Davis died from pneumonia in Los Angeles on 19 October 2020 at the age of 81.[8][14][1]

Discography

With The Spencer Davis Group

Main article: The Spencer Davis Group discography

Studio albums

Year Titel Details
1965 Their First LP
1966 The Second Album
  • Released: 7 January 1966
  • Label: Fontana
Autumn '66
  • Released: 26 August 1966
  • Label: Fontana
1968 With Their New Face On
  • Released: April 1968
  • Label: United Artists
1973 Gluggo
1974 Living in a Back Street
  • Released: February 1974
  • Label: Vertigo
1986 Vibrate
  • Released: 1986
  • Label: Victoria
  • Only released in Spain
1998 Funky
  • Released: 1998
  • Label: Angel Air
  • Originally planned for release in 1969 in the UK as Letters From Edith but withdrawn. Then was released in the US by Date in 1970 as Funky but quickly withdrawn due to the dissolution of the label

EPs

Year Titel Details
1965 You Put the Hurt on Me
  • Released: August 1965
  • Label: Fontana
Every Little Bit Hurts
  • Released: October 1965
  • Label: Fontana
1966 Sittin' and Thinkin'
  • Released: May 1966
  • Label: Fontana
1978 Spencer Davis Group
  • Released: May 1978
  • Label: Island
  • Compilation EP
2017 Rambling Rose

Singles

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)
1967 "I'm a Man"
"Time Seller"
"It's Gonna Work Out Fine" (New Zealand-only release)
"When a Man Loves a Woman" (Italy-only release)
"Mr. Second Class"
1968 "After Tea"
"Looking Back" (US, Canada and Germany-only release)
"(Aquarius) Der Wassermann" (Germany and Netherlands-only release)
"Short Change"
1971 "Magpie" (as 'The Murgatroyd Band')
1973 "Don't You Let It Bring You Down" (US and Canada-only release)
"Catch You on the Rebop"
"Mr. Operator"
"Livin' in a Back Street"
1974 "Another Day" (Spain-only release)

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Farber, Jim (20 October 2020). "Spencer Davis, Whose Band Helped Power the Sound of the '60s, Dies at 81". The New York Times. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
  2. ^ "The Spencer Davis Group". The Spencer Davis Group. Retrieved 25 July 2015.
  3. ^ "Spencer Davis, founder and frontman of the Spencer Davis Group – obituary". The Daily Telegraph. London. 20 October 2020. Retrieved 20 October 2020. (subscription required)
  4. ^ a b c d Savage, Mark (21 October 2020). "Spencer Davis, one of rock's elder statesmen, dies aged 81". BBC News. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
  5. ^ a b c "Spencer Davis in song and story". BBC News. 2 December 2009. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  6. ^ Clayson, Alan (1988). Back in the High Life. Sidgewick and Jackson. ISBN 0-283-99640-4.
  7. ^ "South West Wales - Hall of Fame - Spencer Davis". BBC. Archived from the original on 6 May 2004. Retrieved 22 July 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  8. ^ a b c d e f g "Spencer Davis, Founder of the Spencer Davis Group, Dead at 81". Rolling Stone. 20 October 2020. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  9. ^ Strong, M.C. (1996). The Great Rock Discography. Edinburgh: Canongate Publishing. p. 205. ISBN 0862416043.
  10. ^ Young, Graham; Morgan, Sion (20 October 2020). "Keep On Running hitmaker Spencer Davis dies aged 81". WalesOnline.
  11. ^ Obituaries, Telegraph (20 October 2020). "Spencer Davis, founder and frontman of the Spencer Davis Group – obituary". The Telegraph – via www.telegraph.co.uk.
  12. ^ "Sixties' music star Spencer Davis – hitmaker behind Keep on Running and Gimme Some Lovin' – dead at 81". Wales Online. 20 October 2020. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  13. ^ "Beatle Brunch - Spencer Davis Exhibit". Brunchradio.com. Archived from the original on 26 October 2020. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
  14. ^ "Sixties music legend who gave his name to chart-topping band dies". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
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