Spencer Davis, leader of The Spencer Davis Group, who produced the hits “Keep on running” and “Gimme Some Lovin’,” has died on Monday in Los Angeles at 81. Musician Steve Winwood, the member of The Spencer Davis Group, led tributes to Davis, addressing him as an “early pioneer of the British folk scene,” and crediting him with embracing folk-blues and rhythm and blues music.
“He was definitely a man with a vision, and one of the pioneers of the British invasion of America in the sixties,” Winwood said in a statement on Tuesday.
According to the UK’s PA media news agency, Davis died after being treated for pneumonia in a hospital at 81.
Davis was the founder of The Spencer Davis Group in 1963 with Pete York, and brothers Muff and Steve Winwood. The band received success after several hits like “Somebody Help me,” “I’m a Man,” “Keep on Running,” and “Gimme Some Lovin” – the latter won Davis a BMI award after the song was broadcast over 3 million times.
Davis’s songs made it big after their appearance on the soundtracks of many feature films like “The Big Chills,” Top Gun,” “Notting Hill,” and “The Blues Brothers.” Not only that but in their early days, the group toured with several future rock legends like Rolling Stones and The Who.
In 1970, Davis moved to the USA, where he formed an acoustic blues band. Moreover, he also worked as an executive at Island Records in the mid-70’s, where he worked with artists including Bob Marley and Robert Palmer before heading up an independent Hollywood record label in the early 1980s.
He never stopped performing and created the album “Crossfire,” featuring artists like Dusty Springfield and Booker T. Jones. He extensively went on tours, performing with the Classic Rock All-Stars and The World Class Rockers. He even co-starred in documentaries, commercials, and TV specials, along with the series “Married with Children.”
Many people worldwide paid tribute to Davis on social media, including The Grateful Dead and Gary Kept of Spandau Ballet. Kemp wrote, “He drove soul into the white rock sound of the time.”
