Traffic (band)

. It is created by injecting a small amount of the targeted venom into an animal such as a sheep, horse, goat, or rabbit; the subject animal will suffer an immune response to the venom, producing antibodies against the venom's active molecule which can then be harvested from the animal's blood and used to treat envenomation in others. Traffic was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on March 15, 2004. Antivenom (or antivenin) is used in the treatment of venomous bites. After re-uniting, Capaldi and Winwood toured widely but were unable to regain their former stature. The use of venom is much more widespread than just these examples, of course. Traffic did not record again until 1994, when they released Far From Home. Bees use an acidic venom designed to cause pain to the stung, because their purpose is to defend their home and food stores, while wasps use a chemically different venom designed to paralyze the prey, so it can be stored alive in the food chambers of their young.

Winwood's solo career peaked with the album Back in the High Life. Wasps and bees illustrate the two divisions in the definition above. Capaldi's solo career began to heat up, and Winwood finally launched one of his own, recording the smash hit album Arc of a Diver. Most widely known are snakes, some species of which inject venom into their prey through hollow fangs, spiders, which also inject venom through "fangs", and stinging insects, who inject venom with a sting. Still, Shoot Out at the Fantasy Factory was another hit, as was When the Eagle Flies (1974 in music). Venom is a general term for the toxins used by several groups of animal species, for the purpose of defense and hunting prey. Once again, personnel problems wracked the band as Capaldi began a solo career.

After some personnel changes (including the return of Mason), Traffic released The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys, an American hit that didn't chart in the UK. Winwood formed Blind Faith but after that band split in 1969 he began working on a solo recording which eventually turned into another Traffic album, John Barleycorn Must Die, their most successful album yet. Their second album, Traffic, was released in 1968. The band began touring the US, but Mason was fired and Winwood announced the band's break-up. "Hole in My Shoe", the second single, was an even bigger hit, and set the stage for a rivalry between Winwood and Mason, the group's principal songwriters. Their debut album was Mr. Fantasy which, like the singles, was a hit in the UK but not in the US or elsewhere.

Their debut single was 1967's "Paper Sun", a UK hit. With Mason and Capaldi eager to form a new group, Winwood agreed to join the partnership along with Chris Wood and so the four members retreated to a secluded cottage in Aston Tirrold, Berkshire to rehearse. The four musicians often played at a club called The Elbow Room in Aston, Birmingham. Traffic was a rock band, from Birmingham in the late 1960s and led by Steve Winwood, with Jim Capaldi, Chris Wood and Dave Mason, after Winwood left the Spencer Davis Group.

Steve Winwood (http://stevewinwood.com).