Gimme Some Lovin' - Single Mix

This song was written by the group's lead singer, Steve Winwood (Spencer Davis was their guitarist - he was chosen as the group's namesake because he was the only one who enjoyed doing interviews). Winwood says they banged it out in the studio in the first or second take. The song was also written on the fly. In Rolling Stone magazine, bassist Muff Winwood said, "Steve had been singing, 'Gimme some lovin',' just yelling anything. It took about an hour to write, then down the pub for lunch."

Steve Winwood was just 17 years old when he wrote this song. It was one of the first songs he wrote, and the first one that he says wasn't derivative of something already recorded.

The Spencer Davis group was signed by Chris Blackwell, who released their first single, a cover of the John Lee Hooker song "Dimples," in 1964. He had the group record songs written by the Jamaican composer Jackie Edwards, two of which were #1 UK hits in 1965: "Keep on Running" and "Somebody Help Me." When Blackwell set his sights on the American market for the group, he had them record with producer Jimmy Miller and asked them to write an original song that would go over well in the US. "Gimme Some Lovin'" was the result; Miller made the US release more appealing to American taste by adding percussion and a female chorus. The song served its purpose, becoming the first American hit for The Spencer Davis Group. Their follow-up, "I'm a Man," made #10, but was their last significant hit stateside. Winwood, however, went on to tremendous success in America as a solo artist, becoming far more popular there than in his native UK. In America, he had two #1 hits: "Higher Love" and "Roll With It."