Traffic

Traffic was formed in 1967 by Steve Winwood, Jim Capaldi, Chris Wood, and Dave Mason. Winwood got his start with the Spencer Davis Group at the age of 15 in 1963. The four founders met and jammed together at a club in Aston, Birmingham called The Elbow Room. Winwood left the Spencer Davis Group in April 1967, and the quartet formed Traffic. The group signed to Island Record and released their debut single, Paper Sun in mid-1967. The first album, Mr. Fantasy, was also released in 1967 and the second album, Traffic, was out in 1968. Mason left the group after disagreements about the direction the music should head. Winwood and Capaldi wanted to change to a more folk/blues style rather than the electric/psychedelic sound they had started with, but before this happened, the band split up. Winwood went on to form Blind Faith with Eric Clapton, Rich Greech, and Ginger Baker. This band lasted less than a year, but they did release a very memorable album. After Blind Faith broke up in 1969, Winwood began a solo career, bringing in Wood and Capaldi to contribute. The group eventually turned out a new Traffic album—John Barleycorn Must Die—their most successful album up to that time. By 1974, Traffic had released four more albums, including the critically-acclaimed The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys, which reached Top 10 on the American charts. Traffic was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004.