By the end of the 1970's, Steve Winwood was at a crossroads. Only 32, he had been in the music business for over 15 years, first with the Spencer Davis Group, then Traffic, Blind Faith (a supergroup featuring Eric Clapton and Ginger Baker from Cream), then a re-formed Traffic. In 1975, upon Traffic's breakup, Steve worked on his first solo album while working on two albums with Japanese keybordist Stomu Yamashtha. Winwood's debut album, released in 1977, was met with mixed reviews. Upset with the feedback from the public about his first solo record, Steve had serious doubts about continuing in the music industry. Determined to give it one last try, Steve tried to salvage his career through the ultimate DIY project. Recording and performing all of the instruments at his home studio, Winwood was able to work with his new, mellower sounding songs until they were just right. Not only did Winwood record everything but he also engineered and mixed what was to become "Arc Of A Diver". Released on the last day of 1980, "Arc Of A Diver" was the perfect segueway from Steve's work with Traffic in the 1970's to his breakout solo career in the 1980's. Straddled between the analog, more fusion aspects of the 1970's and the lighter, more commercial 80s, "Arc Of A Diver" fits right in. The opening track, 'While You See A Chance' was the breakout hit from this album. According to Wikipedia, the beginning of this song (which peaked at #7 on the Billboard Hot 100 in April of 1981), was a complete accident. "The song's keyboard introduction was not originally intended to be part of the song. The track was thrown together fairly quickly after Winwood discovered that he had accidentally deleted his intended drum track introduction while preparing for vocals. He wrote a new introduction on the spot as a replacement...". The highlight of this album, however, is the opening two tracks on side two of the album, 'Spanish Dancer' and the 8 minute 'Night Train'. The latter showing that Steve had not lost his touch as a fantastic guitar player as well as synthesizer maestro. Future albums like "Back In The Highlife" may have cemented Winwood's legacy in the pop world, but it was "Arc Of A Diver" which started the framework to Steve's fantastic resurgence. Please join us on Tuesday, January 24th at 8pm as we spotlight the 1980 album by Steve Winwood, entitled Arc Of A Diver.