Spencer Davis (born July 17, 1939), one of the key figures of the 1960s beat scene, has died at the age of 81.
The Welsh guitarist was the driving force behind The Spencer Davis Group, who enjoyed international hits in the ’60s with ‘Keep On Running,’ ‘Somebody Help Me’, ‘Give Somme Lovin” and ‘I’m A Man.’
Davis died in hospital on Monday, while being treated for pneumonia, according to his agent.
The band, featuring a teenage Stevie Winwood, also toured with The Who and The Rolling Stones in the ’60s.
Davis was born in Swansea in 1939 and started learning harmonica and the accordion at the age of six. He moved to London to work for the civil service at the age of 16. Starting out with degrees in modern languages from the University of Birmingham (with fluency in German, French and Spanish),
Spencer left his teaching career to begin his music career in Birmingham. Inspired by blues and skiffle, he formed a band called The Saints with Bill Wyman, later a member of the Rolling Stones; and performed folk music with Christine Perfect – who, as Christine McVie, became a core member of Fleetwood Mac’s classic line-up.
Recruiting drummer Pete York and brothers, Muff and Steve Winwood. Davis formed the Spencer Davis Group, performing on guitar, vocals and harmonica.
Their breakout hit, ‘Keep On Running,’ was a cover of a song by West Indian performer Jackie Edwards. It topped the UK charts in 1966, knocking the double A-sided Beatles single ‘We Can Work It Out’/’Day Tripper’ from the top slot.
The follow-up, ‘Somebody Help Me’, another Jackie Edwards cover, gave the quartet a second number one in March 1966. The band went on to write their own hit singles with ‘I’m A Man’ and ‘Gimme Some Lovin”, which was later covered Traffic and then by The Blues Brothers.
The band starred in their own film, a musical comedy called The Ghost Goes Gear, in 1966. It told the story of a band stranded in a haunted manor. Davis also made a cameo in The Beatles’ Magical Mystery Tour, as a bus passenger.
The Spencer Davis Group came to an end in 1967 when Winwood quit to form Traffic. Davis moved to California, where he embarked on a short-lived solo career.
In 1970, The Allman Brothers recorded ‘Don’t Want You No More’ – a song that Davis write with Eddie Hardin, and put it on their Beginnings album. “I saw more money from that one song than I saw from all the stuff that had been an Island production,” said Davis in an interview.
Davis was actually given a job with Island Records’ in artist development in the mid-’70s and helped to promote newcomers like Bob Marley, Robert Palmer and Eddie And The Hot Rods, as well as working with Winwood on his solo career.
Davis returned to songwriting with 1984’s Crossfire, which featured contributions from Dusty Springfield and Booker T. He subsequently reformed the Spencer Davis Group – minus Steve Winwood – and toured the world for the rest of his career, often playing more than 200 shows a year.
Spencer Davis is survived by his partner June, and three adult children.