Editing Traffic (band) (section)

==History==
===1960s: 1967–69===
[[File:Traffic original lineup.jpg|thumb|Founding members from left to right: Jim Capaldi,   Chris Wood, Steve Winwood, Dave Mason]]
Traffic's singer/keyboardist/guitarist Steve Winwood was the lead singer for [[the Spencer Davis Group]] at age 14. The Spencer Davis Group released four Top 10 singles, including two #1's, and three Top 10 albums in the United Kingdom, as well as two Top Ten singles in the United States.<ref name="AMG"/> Drummer/singer/lyricist Jim Capaldi and guitarist/singer Dave Mason had both been in the Hellions and Deep Feeling, while woodwinds player Chris Wood came out of [[Locomotive (band)|Locomotive]].

The first time all four original members of Traffic met each other was in 1965, when they jammed together at [[The Elbow Room]], a club in [[Aston]], [[Birmingham]].<ref name="brumbeat">{{cite web|url=http://www.brumbeat.net/traffic.htm|title=Traffic|access-date=4 March 2008|publisher=Brumbeat.net|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080319095312/http://www.brumbeat.net/traffic.htm|archive-date=19 March 2008|df=dmy-all}}</ref> After Winwood left the Spencer Davis Group in April 1967, the quartet formed Traffic.<ref name=AMG/> Capaldi came up with the name of the group while the four of them were waiting to cross the street in Dorchester, and was not referring to drug trafficking, as was later rumoured.<ref>{{Cite video  | title = [[The Last Great Traffic Jam]]  | medium = DVD  | publisher = [[Epic Records|Epic]]  | date = 2005}}</ref> Soon thereafter, they rented a cottage near the rural village of [[Aston Tirrold]], [[Berkshire]] to write and rehearse new music.<ref name="brumbeat"/>

Traffic signed to [[Chris Blackwell]]'s [[Island Records]] label (where Winwood's elder brother [[Muff Winwood|Muff]], also a member of the Spencer Davis Group, later became a [[record producer]] and executive), and scored a hit with their debut single "[[Paper Sun]]", which reached #5 in the UK (#4 in Canada).<ref name="AMG"/> Their second single, Mason's psych-pop "[[Hole in My Shoe]]", was an even bigger hit, reaching #2 in the UK (#4 Canada). The band's third single, "[[Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush (Traffic song)|Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush]]", was made for the soundtrack of the 1967 British [[Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush (film)|feature film of the same name]].<ref name="AMG"/> It was Traffic's third consecutive UK Top 10 single, reaching #8. Their debut album, ''[[Mr. Fantasy]]'', was produced by [[Jimmy Miller]], and like the singles it was a success in the UK, reaching #16, but was less successful in the US, where it charted at #88.<ref>[http://www.allmusic.com/artist/traffic-p5681/charts-awards Traffic – Billboard] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110202081539/http://www.allmusic.com/artist/traffic-p5681/charts-awards |date=2 February 2011 }}, Allmusic. Retrieved 11 August 2011.</ref>

Mason left the group at the end of 1967, due to artistic differences.<ref>''Steve Winwood: English Soul''. (2011) TV. BBC4. 2 March 2013</ref> He rejoined in the spring of 1968,<ref name="Mojo">Black, Johnny (May 1997). [http://www.stevewinwood.com/news/5765 Feature: Steve Winwood] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110928165937/http://www.stevewinwood.com/news/5765 |date=28 September 2011 }}, [[Mojo (magazine)|''Mojo'']].</ref> writing five of the ten songs on [[Traffic (Traffic album)|Traffic's self-titled second album]], released in late 1968, including "[[Feelin' Alright?|Feelin' Alright]]", which was later covered  with great success by both [[Joe Cocker]] and [[Three Dog Night]].<ref name="The Great Rock Discography"/> Winwood, Wood, and Capaldi were still facing musical and lifestyle differences with Mason,<ref name="Mojo"/> leading him to leave the band a second time soon after the album's completion. The remaining trio enjoyed a successful tour of the US in late 1968. During 1968, Winwood and Wood often played with [[Jimi Hendrix]], and they both appear on [[The Jimi Hendrix Experience]]'s 1968 double album ''[[Electric Ladyland]]'', as did an uncredited Mason.

The band was dissolved by Winwood's leaving in early 1969. His departure went unexplained at the time, even to Capaldi and Wood, but he later said "Because of the way I ended the Spencer Davis Group, I saw no reason why I shouldn't leave Traffic and move on. It seemed to me a normal thing to do."<ref name="Mojo"/> Winwood's comments clash with the fact that the Davis group continued after he left. A third Traffic album, ''[[Last Exit (Traffic album)|Last Exit]]'', was issued in the spring of 1969, mixing studio and live recordings.

Winwood then formed the [[Supergroup (music)|supergroup]] [[Blind Faith]], which lasted less than a year, recording one album and undertaking one US tour. The remaining members of Traffic began a project with [[Mick Weaver]] (a.k.a. Wynder K. Frog), the short-lived Mason, Capaldi, Wood and Frog (later shortened to Wooden Frog). They played a few live dates and recorded some BBC sessions, but broke up before releasing any formal recordings.

===1970s: 1970–74===
[[File:Traffic are back with a new album & tape, 1970.png|thumb|left|Trade ad for ''[[John Barleycorn Must Die]]'', 1970]]
After the break-up of Blind Faith in 1969, Winwood began working on a solo recording, bringing in Wood and Capaldi to contribute, and the project eventually turned into a new Traffic album, 1970's ''[[John Barleycorn Must Die]]'', their most successful album yet. Soon after the album was released, Traffic expanded its lineup with the addition of Winwood's former Blind Faith bandmate [[Ric Grech]] on bass. In 1971, Capaldi stopped drumming and nearly left the band after his infant son died from [[SIDS|cot death]]. Drummer [[Jim Gordon (musician)|Jim Gordon]] of [[Derek and the Dominos]] and percussionist [[Rebop Kwaku Baah]] were added, while Capaldi switiched to a role as percussionist, co-vocalist, and master of ceremonies.<ref name=story>{{cite web|last=Rees |first=Paul |title=The Story of Traffic |website=Louder |date=31 August 2020 |url=https://www.loudersound.com/features/the-story-of-traffic |access-date=2 October 2021}}</ref><ref name="The Great Rock Discography"/> Dave Mason also returned at this time for a third and final stint with the band, though this lasted only six performances, some of which was captured on the [[Album#Live|live album]] ''[[Welcome to the Canteen]]'', released in September 1971. Marking the band's break with [[United Artists Records]], the album did not bear the "Traffic" name on the cover or the record label, although the band's logo appeared on the back cover. Instead, the album was credited to the band's seven individual members (Winwood, Capaldi, Mason, Wood, Grech, Kwaku Baah, and Gordon). The album ended with a version of [[The Spencer Davis Group]] song "[[Gimme Some Loving]]", which became a minor hit.

Following the departure of Mason, Traffic released ''[[The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys (album)|The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys]]'' (1971), which was a Top 10 American album but did not chart in the UK. It sold over half a million copies in 1972 when it received a [[music recording sales certification|gold disc]], and was awarded a [[R.I.A.A.]] [[music recording sales certification|platinum disc]] in March 1976 for over a million total sales.<ref name="The Book of Golden Discs">{{cite book| first= Joseph| last= Murrells| year= 1978| title= The Book of Golden Discs| edition= 2nd| publisher= Barrie and Jenkins Ltd| location= London| page= [https://archive.org/details/bookofgoldendisc00murr/page/305 305]| isbn= 0-214-20512-6| url-access= registration| url= https://archive.org/details/bookofgoldendisc00murr/page/305}}</ref> Once again, however, personnel problems wracked the band as Grech and Gordon were fired in December 1971 due to excessive drug use,<ref name=story /> and the month after, Winwood's struggles with [[peritonitis]] brought Traffic to a standstill. Jim Capaldi used this hiatus to record a solo album, ''[[Oh How We Danced]]'',<ref name="Fierce kit">Capaldi, Jim (1983).  "The Ends of Traffic, Soloing & Brazil", ''[[Fierce Heart]]'' press kit.</ref> which proved to be the beginning of a long and successful solo career. The album included a surplus recording from ''The Low Spark of High-Heeled Boys'', "Open Your Heart", and the new tracks featured drummer [[Roger Hawkins (drummer)|Roger Hawkins]] and bassist [[David Hood]], from the [[Muscle Shoals Sound Studio]] house band. Capaldi soon recruited Hawkins and Hood into Traffic to replace Grech and Gordon.<ref name="The Great Rock Discography"/>

The new lineup (Winwood, Capaldi, Wood, Kwaku Baah, Hawkins, Hood) toured America in early 1972 to promote the LP, and their concert at the [[Santa Monica Civic Auditorium]] on 21 February was recorded in multitrack audio and captured on colour videotape with multiple cameras. The 64-minute performance is thought to be the only extended live footage of the group. It was evidently not broadcast on television at the time, but was later released on home video and DVD.

[[File:Traffic 1973.jpg|thumb|Traffic performing in Hamburg in 1973]]
Following Winwood's recovery from peritonitis, Traffic's sixth studio album, ''[[Shoot Out at the Fantasy Factory]]'', released in 1973, met with a cold critical reception, but in sales it was another major hit. It was shortly followed by a major world tour, for which Muscle Shoals keyboardist Barry Beckett was added to the lineup.  The double live album ''[[On the Road (Traffic album)|On the Road]]'' was drawn from this tour.<ref name=story/> It broke the band's string of British flops by reaching #40 in the [[UK Albums Chart]].<ref name="UK Charts">[http://www.theofficialcharts.com/artist/_/traffic/ Traffic] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111120171347/http://www.theofficialcharts.com/artist/_/traffic/ |date=20 November 2011 }}, Official Charts Company. Retrieved 11 August 2011.</ref> After the tour, Winwood informed the Muscle Shoals trio that he was returning to a smaller lineup more like their original one, and their services were no longer needed. Meanwhile, Chris Wood's problems with drug use and depression were increasing.<ref name=story />

[[Rosko Gee]] was recruited on bass, while Capaldi switched back to drums. The resulting quintet began to record a new album in late 1973, but Kwaku Baah was fired partway through the sessions, leaving most of the album to be recorded by the quartet of Winwood, Capaldi, Wood, and Gee.<ref>{{cite web|last=Dineen |first=Donal |title=Donal Dineen's Sunken Treasure: 'When the Eagle Flies' by Traffic |website=The Irish Times |date=8 November 2015 |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/music/donal-dineen-s-sunken-treasure-when-the-eagle-flies-by-traffic-1.2418325 |access-date=2 October 2021}}</ref>  ''[[When the Eagle Flies]]'', released in 1974, was yet another Top 10 album in the US, and moderately successful in the UK. However, a subsequent tour of the US, while successful in terms of ticket sales,<ref name="Tapestry">Joynson, Vernon (1995). [http://alextsu.narod.ru/borderlinebooks/uk6070s/index.html ''The Tapestry of Delights''] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111130151831/http://alextsu.narod.ru/borderlinebooks/uk6070s/index.html |date=30 November 2011 }}. London: Borderline Books.</ref> was emotionally exhausting for the band. Capaldi later recalled "Rosko Gee and I were the only ones in anything like normal shape. Steve was having recurrent problems with the peritonitis, and Chris's body was suffering from chemical warfare."<ref name="Fierce kit"/> Winwood ultimately passed his boiling point, walking off the stage in the middle of what turned out to be the band's final show, in Chicago. The following day he left the tour without a word to anyone, leaving the rest of the band waiting for him at the venue for that night's scheduled performance.<ref name="Fierce kit"/> Feeling Winwood had been integral to Traffic's music, the remaining members opted not to continue the band without him.

Steve Winwood embarked on a solo career, while Rosko Gee and Rebop Kwaku Baah joined German band [[Can (band)|Can]]. Kwaku Baah died on stage from a cerebral hemorrhage in [[Stockholm]], [[Sweden]] in 1983, and Capaldi dedicated his solo album ''[[Fierce Heart]]'' to his memory. Chris Wood also died that year from [[pneumonia]].

===Reunion===

[[File:Traffic Virgin.jpg|thumb|Winwood and Capaldi, 1994]]

All the still living members of Traffic's most recent lineup - Steve Winwood, Jim Capaldi, and Rosko Gee - reunited in 1994 for a one-off tour, after a fan left a voice mail message at [[Bob Weir]]'s (of the [[Grateful Dead]]) hotel in Chicago during the 1992 "Scaring the Children" tour, and suggested it would be cool if Traffic toured with the (then Grateful) Dead. Traffic opened for the Grateful Dead during their summer tour.  The flute/sax role on the tour was played by [[Randall Bramblett]], who had worked extensively with Winwood. [[Michael J McEvoy|Mike McEvoy]] joined the lineup playing keyboards, guitar and viola, and [[Walfredo Reyes, Jr.]] played drums and percussion. As a duo, Winwood and Capaldi recorded and released a new Traffic studio album, ''[[Far from Home (Traffic album)|Far from Home]]'', which broke the Top 40 in both the UK and USA. ''[[The Last Great Traffic Jam]]'', a double live album and DVD released in 2005, documents the band's 1994 reunion tour.

The four original members of Traffic were inducted for their contributions in the [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]] on 15 March 2004. Winwood, Capaldi, Mason, and Stephanie Wood (standing in for her late brother Chris) all attended the ceremony. Winwood and Capaldi performed "Dear Mr. Fantasy" at the induction performance, and were joined by Mason for "Feelin' Alright" during the grand finale, which also featured [[Keith Richards]], [[Tom Petty]], and [[the Temptations]]. Bramblett also performed at the ceremony, though he was not one of the members inducted.<ref name="Story notes">(2011). In ''Dear Mr Fantasy: The Jim Capaldi Story'' (pp. 32–43) [CD booklet]. London: Freedom Songs Ltd.</ref>

Tentative plans for another Traffic project were cut short by Jim Capaldi's death from stomach cancer at age 60 in January 2005, ending the songwriting partnership with Winwood that had fueled Traffic from its beginning. Winwood subsequently dedicated ''[[The Last Great Traffic Jam]]'' "to the man without whom Traffic could never be: my lifelong friend and partner, Jim Capaldi."

''Dear Mr. Fantasy'' was a celebration for Capaldi that took place at [[the Roundhouse]] in [[Camden Town]], London on 21 January 2007. Guests included Steve Winwood, [[Paul Weller]], [[Pete Townshend]], and many more. ''Dear Mr. Fantasy'' featured the music of Jim Capaldi and Traffic, and all profits went to the Jubilee Action Street Children Appeal.