page_title: Spencer Davis
section_title: The Spencer Davis Group
hierarchical_section_title: Spencer Davis / The Spencer Davis Group
caption_attribution_description: Nederlands: The Spencer Davis group repeteert voor het Grand Gala du Disque in het concertgebouw te Amsterdam, 30 september 1966. Van links naar rechts: Muff Winwood (bas), Spencer Davis (gitaar) &amp; Pete York (drum)English: Rehearsal of The Spencer Davis Group, before performing at the Grand Gala du Disque, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, 30 Sept. 1966. From left to right: Muff Winwood (bass), Spencer Davis (guitar) &amp; Pete York (drums)
context_page_description: Spencer Davis is a Welsh musician and multi-instrumentalist, and the founder of the 1960s beat band The Spencer Davis Group. "Davies" is pronounced "Davis" in Wales, but would be misread as "Davees" in the US, so professionally he dropped the E from the spelling to avoid confusion.
context_section_description: In 1963, Davis went to a Birmingham public house, the Golden Eagle, to see Muff Woody, a traditional jazz band featuring Muff and Steve Winwood. Steve, only fifteen at the time, was already gaining notice for his musical abilities. Muff, five years older than his brother, was an accomplished jazz musician. 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. 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, 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. Another version of the group with Davis and York appeared in 1973 and disbanded in late 1974. Various incarnations of the band have toured in recent years, under Davis' direction.
caption: Spencer Davis (guitar) rehearsing in Amsterdam (1966); Muff Winwood on bass
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