Biography
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Born
17 July 1939
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Born In
Bon-y-maen, Swansea, Wales, United Kingdom
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Died
19 October 2020 (aged 81)
Spencer Davis (born Spencer David Nelson Davies in Swansea on 17 July 1939; died 19 October 2020) was a Welsh musician and multi-instrumentalist, and the founder of the 1960s beat band The Spencer Davis Group.
Influenced by his Uncle Herman's mandolin playing, Spencer Davis began learning to play harmonica and accordion at the age of six. He moved to London when he was sixteen, and began working in the civil service. In 1960, he moved to Birmingham, to read German at the University of Birmingham. While in Birmingham, he dated Christine Perfect (who later married Fleetwood Mac's John McVie). They busked and played in folk clubs with the Ian Campbell Trio.
In 1963, Davis went to a Birmingham public house, the Golden Eagle, to see Muff Woody, a traditional jazz band featuring brothers Muff and Steve Winwood. Davis persuaded the brothers 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. Playing mainly R&B covers, the band performed first at the Golden Eagle, but within a year they had landed a regular gig at The Marquee in London, and by 1964 had adopted the name The Spencer Davis Group. 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.
The Spencer Davis Group continued after Winwood left to form Traffic in April 1967. The group split in 1969.
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 up with a solo album Mousetrap for United Artists, produced by and featuring Sneaky Pete Kleinow.
Another version of the group with Davis and York appeared in 1973 and disbanded in late 1974. Various incarnations of the band toured in subsequent years, under Davis' direction.
In later life, Davis lived in Avalon on Catalina Island, a small island in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of southern California.
In 2014, Davis was invited by producer Gerry Gallagher to record with Latin rock band El Chicano.
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