Spencer Davis, R.I.P.

Guitar, harmonica player and later record executive Spencer Davis, best known as a founding member of the Spencer Davis Group, passed away of Monday of pneumonia. He was 81. 

Born in Wales, Davis mastered several languages before being immersed in the language of music. Davis would collaborate with a pre-Rolling Stones Bill Wyman and a pre-Fleetwood Mac Christine McVie (nee Perfect) before recruiting drummer Pete York, bassist Muff Winwood and his 14-year old brother Stevie form the Rhythm & Blues Quartet in 1963. That Stevie would be Steve Winwood. 

Although the younger Winwood's vocal chops would be the focal point, the group would be renamed The Spencer Davis Group because Davis did media and other behind the scenes work. The Spencer Davis Group had a string of hits in the mid-1960's - "Keep on Running", "Somebody Help Me", "I'm a Man" and "Gimme Some Lovin'".

The Spencer Davis Group would lose its mojo after Steve Winwood left the group to form Traffic in 1967. Two more albums would follow over the next five years but with little to show for it. Davis made little money from Island Records, but would get a windfall when The Allman Brothers covered "Don't Want You Know More" which he had co-written with latter day Spencer Davis Group member Eddie Hardin. 

Davis subsequently became an executive with Island Records and managed the likes of Bob Marley, Robert Palmer as well as Steve Winwood's solo career. In 2006, the Spencer Davis Group reformed without the Winwood brothers and performed on the oldies circuit. 

Although a longtime California resident, Davis was a staunch supporters of the Welsh Nationalist political party Plaid Cymru. 

I leave you Davis discussing his musical career at length in an interview given in 1997. R.I.P.