"I primarily came through rock 'n' roll as a musician," he says, "from the musician's side of rock 'n' roll. Many people think that rock 'n roll is a lot of things .. a way of life, a social statement, etcetera. But for me, rock 'n; roll has always been music. Of course, having said that, I realize that if you sing songs and make records you are actually an entertainer whether you like it or not, and some people say they are artists and all this ..." The quote collapses with exhaustion. Somewhere in the dim lights, coffee is poured.

When he was only 16 years old, Steve Winwood was credited with the best blue-eyed soul voice in Britain. That was way back in 1963 when he sang with the Spencer Davis Group. He later anchored the groups Traffic and Blind Faith, then disappeared into his country estate for a while before fashioning a Grammy-winning solo career in the '80s.

The one constant throughout Winwood's career is that voice -- a yearning, deep-from-within tenor that can run from raw to celestially smooth in the blink of a phrase.