Traffic (band)

. Something's Wrong (2001) was an album of covers, alternate versions of old songs, demos, and acoustic live performances and was released as an MP3-only album through emusic.com (http://www.emusic.com/). Traffic was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on March 15, 2004. Viva Wisconsin, a live album, was released in the United States in 1999 on the independent label Beyond, and was followed by Freak Magnet in 2001. After re-uniting, Capaldi and Winwood toured widely but were unable to regain their former stature. Rock!!!!! (1995, Mushroom Records) was released in 1995, in Australia only. Traffic did not record again until 1994, when they released Far From Home. Guy Hoffman (formerly of the Oil Tasters and BoDeans) replaced him in time to record New Times (1994, Elektra Records).

Winwood's solo career peaked with the album Back in the High Life. DeLorenzo left the group in 1993 to pursue a solo career. 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. The group came back together in 1989, releasing 3 and then Why Do Birds Sing? (1991). Still, Shoot Out at the Fantasy Factory was another hit, as was When the Eagle Flies (1974 in music). Ritchie also released several solo LPs. Once again, personnel problems wracked the band as Capaldi began a solo career. The group then disbanded, with Gano releasing an album in 1987, the result of a gospel side project Mercy Seat.

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. Rex). 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 third album, The Blind Leading the Naked, was more mainstream, pop-oriented, resulting in a minor hit with "Children of the Revolution" (originally by T. 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. The following year, the Violent Femmes released Hallowed Ground, which moved the group to a more country music sound. "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. The debut album went platinum ten years after its release.

Their debut single was 1967's "Paper Sun", a UK hit. The group quickly had a small cult following that never burgeoned into widespread popularity, although a few songs from this album did get some fame, the songs being "Add it up", "Blister in the sun", and "Kiss off". 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 music was an innovative combination of American folk music and indie rock. The four musicians often played at a club called The Elbow Room in Aston, Birmingham. Gordon Gano (singer/guitarist), Brian Ritchie (bassist), and Victor DeLorenzo (percussionist) founded the group and were discovered by James Honeyman-Scott (of The Pretenders). They signed to Slash Records and released a self-titled album in 1983. 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. The Violent Femmes are a rock and roll band, originally forming in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in the early 1980s.

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