His soon-to-be-released ninth solo album, Nine Lives (Columbia) is his first new studio effort in five years. Winwood, who turns 60 in May, sat down to talk shop – touching on every chapter of his 45-year career – one week after his triumphant, sold-out, three-night Madison Square Garden stint with Clapton. I suppose at the end of the day it just gives me a little element of surprise up my sleeve.”

I play guitar I play keyboards I’m a writer I’m a record producer a singer. “It’s one of those things where I think if you work outside of your box, as it were, and do several things, it can sometimes work against you. “I think if you do one thing, it’s easy for you to be identified,” he mused in an early-March interview with VG. Lest you think Winwood’s Traffic band mate and longtime writing partner was a tad biased, check out the Crossroads Guitar Festival 2007 DVD, where Winwood all but steals the show (on a bill with Clapton, Jeff Beck, John McLaughlin, Buddy Guy, and others) with his bluesy but melodic solo soaring on the classic “Dear Mr. Steve’s one of my favorite guitar players.” “Steve had guitar at any level that you like. “He had the unique ability of covering not only keyboards and bass, but guitar,” the late Jim Capaldi said in an interview for the DVD of The Last Great Traffic Jam reunion. In point of fact, the lead guitar on the vast majority of Winwood’s recordings was supplied by him – from his teenaged years with the Spencer Davis Group through Traffic’s many incarnations, with a brief stop to trade solos with Eric Clapton in Blind Faith. He’s also no slouch on bass, mandolin, harmonica, and drums, and he’s helped write a catchy tune or two – from “Gimme Some Lovin’” and “I’m A Man” with the Spencer Davis Group to solo hits “While You See A Chance,” “Higher Love,” and “Roll With It,” with classics like Blind Faith’s “Can’t Find My Way Home” and Traffic’s “Paper Sun,” “Pearly Queen,” and “Low Spark Of High-Heeled Boys” in between. The reaction of even longtime fans when they see him perform live is invariably, “I had no idea he could play guitar like that!” But, ironically, their surprise has less to do with his six-string talents and more to do with his stature as one of rock’s greatest keyboard players – outstripped only by the fact that he possesses one of the great singing voices in pop music.Photo by Dave Allocca/ It would seem contradictory to describe someone as both underrated and a virtuoso, but such is the case with Steve Winwood, particularly regarding his guitar playing. Winwood in early March 2008 at the unveiling of his new album, Nine Lives, where Gibson presented him with this reissue Firebird.

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