Friday Psychedelic Soul at the 2025 Birthdays of Stevie Winwood, Motown Genius Norman Whitfield, and Faces Keyboardist Ian McLagan
by Robert Wilkinson
We begin our fantastic Friday feast celebrating the May 12 birthday of two musical geniuses who have given us some of the most memorable tunes in history. If you don't know who they are, you have most definitely heard their music! Our show features some awesome soulful dance music, with a nod to the (Small) Faces!
We'll begin with Stevie Winwood. It’s not hyperbole to state that Stevie Winwood (born 12 May 1948) Is one of the greatest talents of our times! He began as a young teen with the Spencer Davis Group, where he wrote and sang some pretty incredible stuff. From there he created Traffic, and went on to join up with Eric Clapton, Ginger Backer, and Ric Gretch in Blind Faith, said to be the first “supergroup.” After that, he forged a brilliant solo career while still collaborating with some of the best of the best!
We’ll begin with one that he co-wrote while he was in the Spencer Davis Group!
First, his most famous song, as immortalized by the Blues Brothers! They wrote it in a half hour, and it went to #2 with a bullet! In this great videotraffic, Stevie and the Spencer Davis Group are very live on Finnish television in early 1967, performing the iconic “Gimmie Some Lovin’.” From the same show, a live performance of their early 1967 hit “I’m A Man”
This year I found an 18 minute clip of that show! The Spencer Davis Group Live on Finland Television - 1967 (Set list: "Gimme Some Lovin'," "I'm A Man," "Georgia On My Mind" and "Dust My Blues")
Here’s the original studio version of Stevie’s “I’m A Man”
From French TV in 1966, Stevie front and center on lead vocals in a great live performance of their first hit which went to #1 in 1965, the driving “Keep On Runnin’”
From the Beat Club, here’s another great live performance of a more up-tempo version of “Keep On Runnin’”
The Spencer Davis Group followed that up with another great tune in 1966! Here’s an excellent live video from 1966 on Beat Beat Beat in Germany, again with Stevie on lead vocals and guitar, cranking out “Somebody Help Me”
We now move into his years with Traffic. Last year I had a great video of Traffic in November 1967 on Belgian TV doing “Smiling Phases” but it’s disappeared. And unfortunately, the 41 minute audio live show in Stockholm in Sept 1967 is also gone.
One of my favorite Traffic songs! Live in December 1967, ”Giving to You”
Here’s the video of ”Paper Sun” - 1967
From that show on Stockholm radio, here’s an exquisite live performance of “Paper Sun”
Even though the Belgian performance is gone, they went on radio in the UK on London Calling and performed “Smiling Phases”
From the Goodbye Again tv show in 1968, Traffic in a live performance of “Forty Thousand Headmen”
From April 1970, a BBC audio recording of an hour of Traffic live! Traffic Live at Paris Theatre, London
Here's Traffic performing live in Santa Monica in 1972, with Stevie and the rest of Traffic (sans Dave Mason) in a 14 minute live video performance of “Low Spark of High Heeled Boys” From the same gig, a great offering of “Rainmaker” and “Dear Mister Fantasy”
After finding the above clips, of course I found the entire show! This has all their best, including live performances of their biggest hits across the years. “Traffic Live in Santa Monica – 1972
From what is titled the Last Great Traffic Jam in 1994, Stevie and Jim in a newer iteration of Traffic kicking off with “Glad” and “Freedom Rider” followed by the strut of “Pearly Queen.” From what looks to be the same gig in New York at Woodstock 1994, “Medicated Goo”
Here’s the entire hour and 18 show! Traffic at Woodstock 94
There’s not a lot of live performance footage, so we’ll go to some of the original studio versions set to still photos.
"Giving To You” (“like I dig jazz, man, it’s like that man, it’s jazz is where it’s at…..”)
“Low Spark of High Heeled Boys”
We now move to what was called "the world's first supergroup." From his time with Blind Faith, Here's an incredible piece of history in an entire 60 minute concert in London’s Hyde Park in 1969! For your enjoyment, Stevie Winwood, Eric Clapton, Ginger Baker, and Ric Gretch performing as "Blind Faith in Hyde Park - 1969 ("Well All Right," "Sea of Joy," "Sleeping in the Ground," "Under My Thumb and "Can't Find My Way Home," "Do What You Like," "Presence of the Lord," "Means to an End" and "Had To Cry Today")
For a few more, here are the original studio versions of
We’ll now move into some of the biggest from his solo career!
Here’s the great music video of the equally great “While You See A Chance”
Very live on Soundstage, “Back In the High Life Again” and "Dear Mr. Fantasy"
Here’s the music video to the very beautiful “The Finer Things”
Live on the BBC in 1988, Stevie putting us in a grinding version of “Roll With It”
Live in London in 1989, another great live performance of “Back In the High Life Again”
From May 1991 on Arsenio Hall’s late night television show, a great 13 minute video of Stevie performing ”I’m A Man” and “Another Deal Goes Down” and an interview
Live in 2003 on Soundstage, here’s Stevie and Jose Neto performing "Cigano (For the Gypsies)".
Very live at VH1 in London 2007, dig the groove of “Higher Love”
It’s back! Here’s his one hour show live at the Royal Albert Hall in 1988 on his Roll With It tour! Stevie Winwood Live at the Royal Albert Hall - 1988
The 1991 show in Japan is still gone, as is the 2 hour 1991 show in Miami.
This year I found this 2005 Soundstage 55 minute show! Please enjoy ” Can’t Find My Way Home,” “Low Spark of High Heeled Boys,” “Bully,” “Freedom Rider,” “Back in the High Life,” and “Dear Mr. Fantasy.”
Here’s a great and very live 2 hour and 11 audio show! Stevie Winwood and Eric Clapton at Birmingham - 2010.
Last year I had the entire 2011 show from Budokan, but it’s disappeared. So instead, I found the 2008 MSG show again! For your enjoyment, Stevie and Eric at Madison Square Garden! Stevie Winwood and Eric Clapton at MSG – 2008
From July 2010 on Letterman, Stevie raving up “Gimme Some Lovin’”
The brilliant one hour BBC 4 documentary! Steve Winwood - English Soul
We’ll close this birthday tribute with something from the Crossroads Guitar Festival in 2007. For your enjoyment, Stevie and his old bandmate Eric Clapton giving us Stevie’s classic Traffic tune, “Dear Mister Fantasy” and rom the 20Festival, their classic Blind Faith number, “Had To Cry Today”
For our encore, we have a good set of Stevie and Eric live at the Royal Albert Hall in May of 2011 cranking out “Glad” and “Well All Right”
From the same gig, “Can’t Find My Way Home”
“Voodoo Chile” (Stevie provided the keyboards on the original Electric Ladyland studio version of this song!)
“While You See A Chance” and “Gimme Some Lovin’”For our second encore, Stevie cranking it up at the Rockpalast Open Air Festival in 1997, offering up what originally brought him to the big time! Stevie Winwood at Rockpalast
For our final encore, from the King’s Coronation Concert, Stevie delivering “Higher Love”
Thanks for all the fantastic tunes over the years, Stevie! I’ve been dancing to your music since the very beginning, and you just keep getting better as the years rock on. Happy and merry everything!
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Here’s a song between acts! May 12 is the birthday of Billy Swan (May 12, 1942) best known for one big hit! For your remembrance, Mister Billy Swan on the Midnight Special television show performing "I Can Help."
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Our next May 12 musical birthday celebrates the life and extraordinary talent of awesome Motown songwriter and producer Norman Whitfield (May 12, 1940 – September 16, 2008). Over his 25 year career, he helped create the Motown sound, especially “psychedelic soul.” If you don’t know how awesome this guy was, he and songwriting partner Barrett Strong wrote a bunch of Motown's biggest, including “Ain’t Too Proud To Beg,” “I Know I’m Losing You,” “I Heard it Through the Grapevine,” “Cloud Nine,” “I Can’t Get Next to You,” “War,” “Ball of Confusion,” “Just My Imagination,” “Smiling Faces Sometime,” and “Papa Was A Rolling Stone.” Wow.
For your enjoyment, the music of Mister Norman Whitfield! We’ll begin with his string of hits with the Temptations!
From 1966 with David Ruffin on lead, “Ain’t Too Proud To Beg”
From 1966 on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, “I Know I’m Losing You.” Here’s another version that hit the charts in 1970 by Rare Earth! Live on The Ed Sullivan Show here’s Rare Earth cranking out “I Know I’m Losing You”
From 1968, with all 5 Temptations taking a turn at lead vocals, “Cloud Nine”
From 1970 on Top of the Pops television, here they crank out their 1969 hit with Dennis Edwards on lead, “I Can’t Get Next To You.” Here’s another great live performance of “Can’t Get Next To You”
From 1971, with Eddie Kendricks on lead, “Just My Imagination (Runnin’ Away With Me)” Also from early that year, on The Ed Sullivan Show, “Just My Imagination (Runnin’ Away With Me)”
Last year I had “Just My Imagination (Runnin’ Away With Me)” from 1985 on the Solid Gold television show, but it’s disappeared. I did find this gem from the same show in 1982! “Can’t Get Next To You”
From 1972, “Papa Was A Rolling Stone”
From 1973 in Paris, a high intensity performance of “Papa Was A Rolling Stone”
Norman and Barrett wrote this monster hit which had 4 singing lead! This extraordinary live tv performance has the lyrics, and they're powerful! “Ball of Confusion”
Here’s the original studio version of “Ball of Confusion”
We'll close out the Temptations set with two from a 1987 live show, “Just My Imagination (Runnin’ Away With Me)” From what looks to be the same concert, a shortened live performance of “Ball of Confusion”
Here are two more written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong! The first is one of their biggest, done by more stars than I can count! Here’s marvelous Marvin Gaye’s version of his smash hit, delivered live on television in 1968! “I Heard it Through the Grapevine.”
Here’s a great live video clip from the 1980 Montreux Festival of “I Heard it Through the Grapevine,” which we’ll follow with Marvin’s studio version of “Too Busy Thinking About My Baby”
Norman also wrote and produced this major hit for a group called the Undisputed Truth called “Smiling Faces Sometime.” Here’s another live performance from 1975, complete with some pretty rad Afro wigs! “Smiling Faces Sometime”
And we’ll close this set with a tune that went all the way to #1, the very funky disco sound of Rose Royce in a live performance of the title track to the movie “Car Wash.” In case you missed the original, here’s how the world first heard this tune at the intro to the movie! “Car Wash”
For our encores, one of my favorite songs, and one of the most powerful anti-war tunes ever sung! Here’s the original 1970 studio version by Edwin Starr of “War,” and here he’s live on Midnight Special in 1974 getting down with a very fast and funky live performance of “War” and here’s the official video for “War” (The lip synched “performance” on Soul Train in 1970 has disappeared.)
Our last three encores are live! This very powerful live performance by Edwin took place in 2003 in Stuttgart! He cranks it up! “War”
This one’s at double speed and as in your face as possible! Live at Leeds on The James Whale Show, in 1992, “War”
Our final offering of this masterpiece features the Boss reminding us in a breathtaking performance why "blind faith in your leaders will get you killed.” Don’t miss this one, because it’s bone chilling!! “War”
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Our final May 12th musical birthday features the music of Ian McLagan (12 May 1945 – 3 December 2014) the keyboardist for the Small Faces, then the Faces, and later the Rolling Stones, Lucinda Williams, Bruce Springsteen, and the New Barbarians. The Small Faces were one of England’s most rocking mod groups of the 60s. Known mainly in the US for the song “Itchycoo Park,” the Small Faces actually rocked a lot harder than many knew at the time. And I can assure you, they rocked just as hard behind Rod Stewart. I saw them live in 1970 (Deep Purple opened!), and they were very tight and gave me one of my memorable concerts!
From 1966, a great clip of the Small Faces performing live on the German tv show Beat Beat Beat. Here they perform their first big hit, also made big by Manfred Mann! Cranking it up, here's Steve and the Faces belting out "Sha La La La Lee" (The sound is better on this clip than the next one.)
In past years I’ve had the entire show but it’s disappeared. This year I found the individual clips of the set list. Here they are in order: "Hey Girl," followed by "All or Nothing," and we’ll finish with "Watcha Gonna Do 'Bout It." (The set was finished with "Shalalalalee" above).
From June 24 1967, the Small Faces live on Beat Club doing “Here Come the Nice”
From September 1967, the very mod Small Faces very live back on Beat Club doing their biggest hit “Itchycoo Park”, and from the same gig, the psychedelic rocker "Green Circles.” (The camera work is as psychedelic as the song!)
Again at the Beat Club, "I Can't Make It"
From Germany and the Beat Club on December 30 1967, a live performance by my personal favorite by the Small Faces, “Tin Soldier.” And even if it looks lipsynched, here’s a great color video of the Small Faces with PP Arnold doing great moves on French tv in 1968 cranking out a “live” version of “Tin Soldier.”
A rocking live BBC performance of a usually mellow standard! “If I Were A Carpenter”
We continue 1968 with a live performance by the Small Faces on Beat Club on April 27, 1968, of one of their hits from Ogden’s Nut Gone Flake,, “Lazy Sunday”
From 1968 on the Color Me Pop BBC television series, here the Small Faces rock hard performing "Song of A Baker."
Here’s the entire 26 minute show! Small Faces on Color Me Pop – 1968
Here’s a live performance on French TV in 1968 of Steve taking Jimi's "Foxey Lady" riff and turning it into something else entirely! "Rollin' Over." Also from that show, a fantastic live performance with PP Arnold of “Tin Soldier”
We'll close his Small Faces section with two great rockers on Swedish television in 1967! First, another performance of my favorite Small Faces song, "Tin Soldier," followed by "Talk to You"
Now from his time with the Faces, we begin with a great 1970 live 28 minute video performance! The Faces Live At the Marquee Club
I found it again! It’s a 1971 French TV video of the Faces live doing the whole set, including two of my favorite tunes! ”Maybe I’m Amazed,” “Flying,” “Around the Plynth,” “Gasoline Alley,” “Love in Vain,” and “It’s All Over Now.”
And here’s the fantastic original studio version of “Around the Plynth”
Here’s a 1971 Top of the Pops video featuring Rod and the Faces with Ronnie taking the lead on “Richmond.” This year “Maggie May” is gone.
From Sept 1971, here’s an audio-only version from the Peel Tapes! “Maggie May”
From 1971 on the BBC, Rod and the Faces live grinding out a very danceable version of "I Know I'm Losing You"
Their 43 minute show at the BBC Crown Jewels Sounds for Saturdays on April 1, 1972 is gone, but I found this 30 minute show from the same era. The Faces At the BBC Crown Jewels
From 1971, an audio-only full hour at the Fillmore East! The Faces at the Fillmore East - 1971
Here are four albums from their peak period! In 1970 they released their first album which rocks hard! First Step
Later that year they backed Rod Stewart’s second album! Gasoline Alley
In 1971 they backed Rod’s third album! Every Picture Tells A Story
In 1973, Rod and the Faces gave us the album Ooh La La,
We close this brief tribute with a live performance from the BBC Sounds for Saturday show from April 1, 1972! “Stay With Me” and from there into another 1972 performance by Rod and the Faces on Top of the Pops of “You Wear It Well”
For our encore, from May 1972, a live video of Rod and the Faces cranking out “Maggie May”
© 2025 Robert Wilkinson
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