Song of the Day-Gimme Some Lovin'

Turn this one up! Stevie Winwood joined the Spencer Davis Group at the age of 14 where he led the band through a series of hits culminating in this rocking classic "Gimme Some Lovin'" which went to #7 US and #2 UK in 1967. It is Number 244 on the list of Rolling Stone Magazines Greatest Songs of All Time. There are actually two versions. The version that was a hit in the UK is slower, looser and lacks the prominent Hammond B-3 sound that tops the US mix (played by Winwood). This is one that hasn't aged a day! Presumably Stevie Winwood will be closing his show, as he often does, with this tune when he plays Detroit in May.

It was co-written with Steve's brother Muff and Spencer Davis himself.

The Blues Brothers did a version in 1980 on the soundtrack to their hit movie of the same name. It reached number 18 on the Billboard Charts. The band, led by Steve Cropper, is hot. The track is tight and sizzles with energy but, alas, John Belushi's vocal doesn't hold a candle to Winwood's.

Wanted to throw in this tune from Alex Chilton, who I wrote about a couple of days ago. He was the lead singer of Memphis, the Boxtops.  Listen to his mature vocals on "The Letter" which topped the charts in 1967. Alex, like Stevie, was another teenage sensation being all of 16 years old when it was recorded.

One of the shortest songs to top the charts, "The Letter" is two minutes and one second of sonic bliss!