Jim Capaldi

Nicola James "Jim" Capaldi (2 August 1944 – 28 January 2005) was an English drummer, singer and songwriter. His musical career spanned more than four decades. He co-founded the psychedelic rock band Traffic in 1967 with Steve Winwood with whom he co-wrote the majority of the band's output. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a part of Traffic's original line-up.

Capaldi also performed with the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, George Harrison, Alvin Lee, Cat Stevens, and Mylon LeFevre, and wrote lyrics for other artists, such as "Love Will Keep Us Alive" and "This is Reggae Music". As a solo artist he scored more than a half dozen chart hits in various countries, the most well-known being "That's Love" as well as his cover of "Love Hurts".

Career

Early years

Capaldi was born Nicola James Capaldi in Evesham, Worcestershire, to English parents Marie (Née Couchier) and Nicholas Capaldi. His father was born Nicola Capaldi in 1913 in Evesham to Italian parents. As a child Capaldi studied the piano and singing with his father, a music teacher, and by his teens he was playing drums with his friends. At age 14 he founded the band The Sapphires and served as their lead vocalist. At 16 he took an apprenticeship at a factory in Worcester, where he met Dave Mason. In 1963 he formed The Hellions, with Mason on guitar and Gordon Jackson on rhythm guitar, while Capaldi himself switched to the drummer's chair. In August 1964, Tanya Day took The Hellions to the Star-Club in Hamburg, Germany as her backing group. The Spencer Davis Group were staying at the same hotel as The Hellions and it was there that Steve Winwood befriended Capaldi and Mason. They were managed for a time by John Schatt know as Scottie, who later became a powerful entrepreneur in the Music Business.

Steve Winwood

Stephen Lawrence "Steve" Winwood (born 12 May 1948) is an English musician whose genres include rock, blue-eyed soul, rhythm and blues, blues rock, pop rock, and jazz. Though primarily a vocalist and keyboardist, Winwood also plays bass guitar, drums, guitar, mandolin, violin, and other strings.

Winwood was a key member of The Spencer Davis Group, Traffic, Blind Faith and Go. He also had a successful solo career with hits including "While You See a Chance", "Valerie", "Back in the High Life Again" and two US Billboard Hot 100 number ones: "Higher Love" and "Roll with It". He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Traffic in 2004.

In 2005, Winwood was honoured as a BMI Icon at the annual BMI London Awards for his "enduring influence on generations of music makers." In 2008, Rolling Stone ranked Winwood #33 in its 100 Greatest Singers of All Time. Winwood has won two Grammy Awards. He was nominated twice for the Brit Award for Best British Male Artist: 1988 and 1989.