Hardin and York - Drinking My Wine (1969)

Having been in The Spencer Davis Group together, Eddie Hardin and Pete York split from Spencer’s band to create a two-person band in 1969. Hardin, an organist and pianist, mixed with York’s drumming to create one of the most unique duo/instrument combinations of the era. Although Hardin’s left hand usually created the bass sound, the band’s three albums were often accompanied by more than just the pair’s instruments of choice. You would often hear guitars, brass, female backup vocals, or wind instruments on any of their three albums: 1969’s Tomorrow Today, 1970’s The World’s Smallest Big Band, and 1971’s For the World. The duo wasn’t able to find much of an audience in the US or UK, but were quite popular in the rest of Europe, especially in Germany. In 1971, York started the Pete York Percussion Band and Hardin co-created Hardin/Fenwick/Newman. Although they kept up their dual enrollment for a while, they eventually disbanded in 1973 when the Spencer Davis Group came beckoning for a reunion.

With their jazz-influenced blend of the blues and hard rock, it was hard not to compare the duo to Traffic. Steve Winwood, co-creator of Traffic, had been in the Spencer Davis Group with Hardin and York, so it’s certainly conceivable to see where Hardin & York were inspired to find their sound. The song heard below, written by Eddie Hardin and featured on their debut 1969 album, Tomorrow Today, was featured as the album’s fourth track. That album’s cover, which lacked Hardin and York’s name, was an award-winner in New York for artistic originality.



Hardin and York - Drinking My Wine (1969)

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Lyrics:

Sitting here drinking my wine
Wastes so much of my time
Pass another empty day
Sitting on my new friend’s way

When it comes to you
I drink some out of your shoe
And I don’t know, but i feel like
Some of these might happen to me, too

Sitting alone in the park
Feeling afraid of the dark
Everyone’s eyes set firmly on me
Why can’t they set me free?

When it comes to you
I drink some out of your shoe
And I don’t know, but i feel like
Some of these might happen to me, too

Sitting here drinking my wine
Wastes so much of my time
Pass another empty day
Sitting on my new friend’s way

When it comes to you
I drink some out of your shoe
And I don’t know, but i feel like
Some of these might happen to me, too

Sitting alone in the park
Feeling afraid of the dark
Everyone’s eyes set firmly on me
Why can’t they set me free?

When it comes to you
I drink some out of your shoe
And I don’t know, but i feel like
Some of these might happen to me, too

The Spencer Davis Group - Gimme Some Lovin' (1966)

Originally known as The Rhythm and Blues Quartette, this band first came together in Birmingham, England in 1963 when Spencer Davis (lead vocalist) met with brothers Steve (lead guitar) and Muff Winwood (bass). When they picked up Pete York on drums, the band’s first lineup was complete. Since none of the band members except Spencer Davis enjoyed doing interviews, Muff Winwood had the idea to name the band after him so that the other members “could stay in bed and let him” be in the spotlight. In 1964, with their new name, they were signed to their first record deal; and, by the end of 1965, they had released their first hit, “Keep On Running,” which was a cover of a Jackie Edwards song released previously that same year. After a large amount of success in the coming years, Steve Winwood blind-sided his bandmates by announcing he was quitting the band in early 1967. They later found out it was to co-create the band Traffic. His brother Muff soon left to become the A&R man at Island Records, but despite their recent losses, the band continued on. After a few failed singles leading up into 1968, Pete York left the band along with newer member Eddie Hardin to begin their own work under the name Hardin & York. By 1969, the group decided to call it quits. They reunited briefly in 1973, releasing a couple of lukewarm albums, but broke up again in 1974. Lately, as of 2006, Spencer Davis has been performing with an entirely new lineup, touring both Europe and the US.

Written by Spencer Davis and Steve and Muff Winwood, this song was one of the best-selling songs released by the band. The main guitar riff of the song was borrowed from “(Ain’t That) A Lot of Love,” a Homer Banks song. Two versions of the song were released: the UK version and the US version. The differences were that the UK version lacked backing vocals, was a bit slower, and didn’t appear to “sound as live.” The US version is the one predominately heard today, which is widely believe to be the better cut. Upon the songs release, it reached number seven in the US and number two in the UK. The song has been covered by numerous famous artists and has appeared in many popular television shows and films.



The Spencer Davis Group - Gimme Some Lovin' (1966)

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Lyrics:

(Hey!)

Well my temperature's rising
And my feet left the floor
Crazy people knockin’
'cause they wanted some more

Let me in, baby
I don't know what you got
But you better take it easy
This place is hot

And I’m
So glad you made it
So glad you made it
You got to
Gimme some lovin'
(Gimme- gimme some lovin')
Gimme some lovin'
(Gimme- gimme some lovin')
Gimme some lovin'
Every day

(Hey!)

Well, I feel so good
Everything is gettin' hot
You better take it easy
‘cause this place is on fire

It’s been a hard day
And I have so much to do
We made it, baby
And it happened to you

And I’m
So glad you made it
So glad you made it
You gotta
Gimme some lovin'
(Gimme- gimme some lovin')
Gimme some lovin'
(Gimme- gimme some lovin')
Gimme some lovin'
Every day

Yeah

(Hey!)

Well, I feel so good
Everything is gettin' hot
You better take it easy
‘cause the place is on fire

It’s been a hard day
And nothing went too good
Now I’m gonna relax
I think everybody should

And I’m
So glad you made it
Hey hey
So glad you made it
You got
Gimme some lovin'
(Gimme- gimme some lovin')
Gimme some lovin'
(Gimme- gimme some lovin')

Hey, hey
(Gimme some lovin')
I need ya to gimme- gimme some of your lovin’, babe
(Gimme- gimme some lovin')
You know I need it so bad
(Gimme- gimme some lovin')…