Above: Muff Winwood on bass (Amsterdam, 1966)
BIOGRAPHICAL DETAILS
Full Name: Mervyn Winwood
Description: Bassist, Composer, Producer, UK
Known For: Brother of Steve Winwood and member of “The Spencer Davis Group”
Instruments: Bass
Music Styles: Rock
Location: United Kingdom
Date Born: 14th June 1943
Location Born: Erdington, United Kingdom
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BIOGRAPHICAL PROFILE
Muff Winwood
Mervyn “Muff” Winwood (born 15 June 1943, Erdington, Birmingham is an English songwriter and record producer, and the older brother of Steve Winwood. Both were formerly members of the Spencer Davis Group in the 1960s, in which Muff Winwood played bass guitar. He produced the first Dire Straits album, Dire Straits (1978)
An English songwriter and record producer, and the brother of Steve Winwood. Both were formerly members of the Spencer Davis Group in the 1960s, in which Muff played bass guitar.
Winwood produced the first Dire Straits Album titled Dire Straits, in 1978.
He moved into the recording industry with a position as A&R man at Island Records.
The group formed in 1963 in Birmingham.
He and Steve played in a Jazz band prior to the formation of ’The Spencer Davis Group’ basically set up by Davis himself.
The groups main hit was “GIMMIE SOME LOVIN” – 1965.
After leaving the Spencer Davis Group in 1967, Winwood moved within the music industry to a position as A&R man at Island Records. He was there until 1978, when he became an executive at the British office of CBS Records which later became Sony Music until well into the 1990s. Besides Dire Straits, Winwood had earlier produced the hit album, Kimono My House (1974), and accompanying hit singles, “This Town Ain’t Big Enough for Both of Us” and “Amateur Hour” for Sparks. He also produced their other 1974 album, Propaganda (which included the “Never Turn Your Back on Mother Earth” single). As part of his A&R duties, Winwood signed Terence Trent D’Arby, Sade, Shakin’ Stevens and The Psychedelic Furs amongst others.
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, After the Fire and The Noel Redding Band.
His father, Lawrence, was a foundryman by trade, who also played tenor saxophone in dance bands and had a collection of jazz and blues records. He attended the 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. Winwood first became interested in the guitar, then the bass. He was nicknamed “Muff” after the popular 1950’s children’s TV character Muffin the Mule.
Muff was one of the original members of the Spencer Davis Group, but was told by his parents he had to take his kid brother along to gigs to keep him out of trouble. The group started to allow young Stevie to join in on a few numbers and gradually discovered all the young girls screaming at the front of the stage were for Stevie.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia