Sunday, March 25, 2018

Spencer Davis Group: When a Man Loves a Woman



It's only 23 hours long, but today is my birthday. And by tradition that means I am allowed to choose a Spencer Davis Group track as my Sunday music video.

I have steered clear of this one until now because Percy Sledge's original is so strong and the idea of a white teenager covering it sounds rather silly.

But Steve Winwood's vocal performance here is terrific.

There are stories that the Spencer Davis Group were played on Black radio stations in the US so a promotional film had to be made showing the world that the band's members were white.

That may explain the existence of this video for Gimme Some Lovin', which shows the lads larking about in a department store.

2 comments:

wolfi said...

Congratulations and best wishes for you, dear Jonathan!
It's always a pleasure to read your comments on British politics - and of course on rock music!
You might remember me as a big Steve Winwood fan, saw him several times in Germnany and London and even went to Texas about 15 years ago (when I was single ...) for his tour there.

Jonathan Calder said...

Thank you, Wolfi!