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" Magic Bus " is a song recorded by British rock band the Who . It was written by their guitarist Pete Townshend during the time that their debut album My Generation was being recorded in 1965. However, it was not recorded until 1968, when it was released as a single on 27 July 1968 in the United States and Canada, followed by its release in the United Kingdom on 11 October 1968. It has become one of the band's most popular songs and has been a concert staple, although when released, the record only reached number 26 in the UK and number 25 in the United States. The song was included on their 1968 album Magic Bus: The Who on Tour .

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48-540: Magic Bus may refer to: Arts and entertainment [ edit ] "Magic Bus" (song) , a 1968 song by the Who Magic Bus: The Who on Tour , a 1968 album by the Who "Magic Bus (Intro)", a 2002 song by Kottonmouth Kings from Rollin' Stoned Magic Bus (studio) , a Japanese animation studio Transport [ edit ] Magic Bus (Stagecoach) ,

96-510: A BMI Icon. In 2008, Rolling Stone ranked Winwood number 33 on its list of 100 Greatest Singers of All Time. Winwood was born on 12 May 1948 in Handsworth, Birmingham . His father Lawrence, a foundryman by trade, was a semi-professional musician, playing mainly the saxophone and clarinet. Steve Winwood began playing piano at the age of four while interested in swing and Dixieland jazz , and soon started playing drums and guitar. He

144-495: A Latin percussion instrument known as claves , which are pairs of small wooden sticks that make a distinctive high pitched clicking noise when struck together. The Who had previously used this same instrument on the song " Disguises ", which was recorded in 1966. The song makes use of the Bo Diddley beat . The song was not recorded by the Who at the time it was written, but the band's management and music publisher circulated

192-613: A Townshend demo recording of the song in 1966. A version was released as a single in the UK in April 1967 by an obscure band called the Pudding, in the UK on Decca and in the US on London 's Press label. It was not a hit. Cash Box said that it has "a rhythmic reminiscence of ' Bo Diddley .'" Record World described it as an "intriguing ditty" with a "hypnotic lyric and melody." The song

240-558: A bus service in the United Kingdom Bus 142, on the Stampede Trail near Healy, Alaska, United States See also [ edit ] The Magic School Bus , a series of children's books and a TV series Furthur (bus) , a bus used by Ken Kesey and his Merry Pranksters during their 1964 Magic Trip Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with

288-676: A hit when it was re-released with a remix from Winwood's 1987 compilation album Chronicles ). His 1986 album Back in the High Life marked his career zenith, with hit singles including " Back in the High Life Again ", " The Finer Things ", and the US Billboard Hot 100 number one hit " Higher Love ". He found the top of the Hot 100 again with " Roll with It " (1988) from the album Roll with It , with " Don't You Know What

336-511: A joke, then having to explain it. The explanation doesn't add to the song at all." Winwood was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Traffic in 2004. In 2005, Winwood was honoured as a BMI Icon at the annual BMI London Awards for his "enduring influence on generations of music makers." In 2008, Rolling Stone ranked Winwood No. 33 on its list of 100 Greatest Singers of All Time. Winwood has won two Grammy Awards . He

384-599: A third album, Last Exit , being issued later that year. Following Traffic's split, Winwood formed the supergroup Blind Faith , along with former Cream members Eric Clapton (guitar) and Ginger Baker (drums), and former Family member Ric Grech (bass). The band produced only one album , which reached No. 1 in both the UK and US, and included " Can't Find My Way Home ". The band was short-lived owing to Clapton's greater interest in Blind Faith's opening act on tour, Delaney & Bonnie & Friends ; Clapton left

432-667: Is a 300-year-old manor house in the Cotswolds , England, where he also has a recording studio. Winwood also has a home in Nashville, Tennessee , with his wife, Eugenia Crafton, a Trenton, Tennessee native whom he married in 1987. They have four children. In 2011, one of Winwood's daughters, Mary Clare, married businessman Ben Elliot , later Co-Chairman of the Conservative Party between July 2019 and September 2022. The couple have two sons. Another daughter, Lilly,

480-422: Is the mono single version, but slowed down, resulting in the song being a semi-tone lower in pitch and slightly longer at 3:21. The Polydor CD Remaster of The Kids Are Alright , issued in 2000, mistakenly states "Remixed stereo version", and should state "Remixed mono version". The 2014 compilation The Who Hits 50! features the alternate vocal long version at 4:34 in mono. "Magic Bus" was first performed during

528-606: Is usually performed as a duet, where the "Rider", usually singer Roger Daltrey when live, is riding on the bus every day to see his girl. In the song he asks the "Driver", usually Townshend, if he can buy the bus from him, with the driver's initial answer being no. After haggling for a while, the driver finally lets him have it and he vows to drive it to his girlfriend's house every day. Backing vocals were provided by The Who's sound engineer Bob Pridden and Jess Roden from The Alan Bown Set , whom Townshend credits with "that Steve Winwood -type voice". The original LP and cassette of

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576-579: The Billboard 200 album chart, his highest US debut ever. On 19 February 2008, Winwood and Clapton released a collaborative EP through iTunes titled Dirty City . Clapton and Winwood released a CD and DVD of their Madison Square Garden shows and then toured together in the summer of 2009. On 19 February 2008, Winwood and Clapton released a collaborative EP through iTunes titled Dirty City . Clapton and Winwood released an album and DVD of their Madison Square Garden shows and then toured together in

624-510: The Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy compilation album featured a 4:28 longer alternate vocal take of "Magic Bus" in fake stereo which was not included on the original compact disc version because the true stereo or mono source could not be found for the long version of the song. However, on 25 July 2007, Universal Japan re-released the album in a mini-LP sleeve that includes the long alternate version of "Magic Bus" in fake stereo, as on

672-670: The Fania All Stars ' Delicate and Jumpy record and performed as a guest with the band in their only UK appearance, a sold-out concert at the Lyceum Theatre , London. Under pressure from Island Records, Winwood released his self-titled first solo album in 1977. In 1979 he played keyboards on the Marianne Faithfull album Broken English , including synthesizer on the tracks " The Ballad of Lucy Jordan " and " Broken English " which were taken as singles from

720-598: The Nashville area with his new American wife, Eugenia Crafton. With the exception of 1969's Blind Faith , Winwood had been with Island Records since the Spencer Davis Group's first single in 1964. However, at the peak of his commercial success, Winwood moved to Virgin Records and released the albums Roll with It (1988) and Refugees of the Heart (1990). Roll with It and its title track hit No. 1 on

768-574: The "Live the Life" tour. In 2014, Winwood toured North America with Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers. On 17 February 2020, Winwood participated in "A Tribute to Ginger Baker", which took place at Eventim Apollo Hammersmith in London. Other participants were Ron Wood, Roger Waters, and Eric Clapton. The concert was held in honour of Ginger Baker, his former band member in Blind Faith, who had died

816-452: The 1960s and 1970s as an integral member of three major bands: the Spencer Davis Group (1964–1967), Traffic (1967–1969 and 1970–1974), and Blind Faith (1969). During the 1980s, his solo career flourished and he had a number of hit singles, including " While You See a Chance " (1980) from the album Arc of a Diver and " Valerie " (1982) from Talking Back to the Night ("Valerie" became

864-634: The Canteen (1971), The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys (1971), Shoot Out at the Fantasy Factory (1973), On the Road (1973) and When the Eagle Flies (1974). Weariness with the grind of touring and recording prompted Winwood to break up Traffic in 1974 and retire to session work for several years. In 1966, three years before Blind Faith, Winwood guested with Eric Clapton as part of

912-679: The Chipmunks covered the song for their TV series episode "The Prize Isn't Right". Jazz musician Billy Iuso covered "Magic Bus" on his 2011 album Trippin' . Steve Winwood Stephen Lawrence Winwood (born 12 May 1948) is an English musician and songwriter whose genres include blue-eyed soul , rhythm and blues , blues rock , and pop rock . Though primarily a guitarist, keyboard player, and vocalist prominent for his distinctive soulful high tenor voice, Winwood plays other instruments proficiently, including drums, mandolin, bass, and saxophone. Winwood achieved fame during

960-623: The Light" for the animated film Balto . Winwood's final Virgin album, Junction Seven , was released in 1997, reaching the UK top 40. Later that year, he toured the US, and sang with Chaka Khan at the VH-1 Honors. In 1998, Winwood joined Tito Puente , Arturo Sandoval , Ed Calle , and other musicians to form the band "Latin Crossings" for a European tour, after which they split without making any recordings. Winwood also appeared in

1008-462: The Night Can Do? " and " Holding On " also charting highly the same year. Although his hit singles ceased after the 1980s, he continued to release new albums up to 2008, when Nine Lives , his latest album, was released. In 2004, Winwood was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Traffic. He has won two Grammy Awards and an Ivor Novello Award , and has been honored as

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1056-751: The Ron Atkinson band. Muff Winwood later recalled that when Steve began playing regularly with him and his father in licensed pubs and clubs, the piano had to be turned with its back to the audience to try to hide him because he was so obviously underage. While still a pupil at Great Barr School, Winwood was a part of the Birmingham blues rock scene, playing the Hammond C-3 organ and guitar, backing blues and rock legends such as Muddy Waters , John Lee Hooker , Howlin' Wolf , B. B. King , Chuck Berry , and Bo Diddley on their United Kingdom tours,

1104-494: The Spencer Davis Group in April 1967, the quartet formed Traffic . Soon thereafter, they rented a cottage near the rural village of Aston Tirrold , Berkshire (now Oxfordshire ), to write and rehearse new music. This allowed them to escape the city and develop their music. Early in Traffic's formation, Winwood and Capaldi formed a songwriting partnership, with Winwood writing music to match Capaldi's lyrics. This partnership

1152-523: The US album and singles charts in the summer of 1988. In 1994, Winwood and Jim Capaldi reformed as Traffic for the album Far from Home . Despite lacking a significant hit, it broke the top 40 in both the UK and US. The band toured that year, which included a performance at the Woodstock '94 Festival. That same year, Winwood appeared on the A Tribute To Curtis Mayfield CD, recording Mayfield's " It's All Right ". In 1995, Winwood released "Reach for

1200-473: The Who's 1968 tour and was part of the regular set from 1971 to 1976 (it was performed frequently in early-mid 1969 and less often in 1970 ). It has been played less frequently since Keith Moon's death in 1978, but it was frequently used as the closing song on the 2015-2016 The Who Hits 50! tour. When played live, the song typically featured a lengthy instrumental jam, with some performances lasting over 15 minutes. A notable performance can be heard on

1248-721: The Winwood brothers after he saw them performing as the Muffy Wood Jazz Band at the Golden Eagle in Birmingham. The Spencer Davis Group made their debut at the Eagle and subsequently had a Monday-night residency there. Winwood's distinctive high tenor singing voice and vocal style drew comparisons to Ray Charles. In 1964, the Spencer Davis Group signed their first recording contract with Island Records . Producer and founder Chris Blackwell later said of Winwood, "He

1296-497: The album Live at Leeds . This version stretches out to nearly eight minutes, with Roger Daltrey joining the jam playing harmonica. This recording was used during the musical montage sequence in the final act of Martin Scorsese 's film Goodfellas as well as the opening sequence of Cameron Crowe 's Jerry Maguire . Another notable performance of the song took place at The Vegas Job concert in 1999. The rhythm and beat of

1344-606: The album. In 1980, Winwood released his second solo album Arc of a Diver , which included his first solo hit, " While You See a Chance ". This was followed by Talking Back to the Night in 1982, which featured the song " Valerie ", which would eventually become a hit single upon re-release in 1987. Both Arc of a Diver and Talking Back to the Night were recorded at his home in Gloucestershire with Winwood playing all instruments. In 1986, Winwood travelled to New York City for his next album project. There, he enlisted

1392-421: The band at the tour's completion, bringing Blind Faith to an end. In 1970, Winwood went into the studio to begin work on a solo album, tentatively titled Mad Shadows . However, Winwood ended up calling in his former Traffic bandmates Jim Capaldi and Chris Wood to help, with the recording resulting in a Traffic reunion album John Barleycorn Must Die . Traffic would continue for another five albums, Welcome to

1440-513: The band's breakthrough hits in America, " Gimme Some Lovin' " and " I'm a Man ", both of which went Top 10 in the US and UK in late 1966 and early 1967. Winwood left the Spencer Davis Group in April 1967. Winwood met drummer Jim Capaldi , guitarist Dave Mason , and multi-instrumentalist Chris Wood when they jammed together at The Elbow Room , a club in Aston , Birmingham. After Winwood left

1488-564: The custom at that time being for US singers to travel solo and be backed by pick-up bands . At this time, Winwood was living on Atlantic Road in Great Barr, close to the Birmingham music halls where he played. Winwood modelled his singing after Ray Charles . At age 14, Winwood (then known as "Stevie" Winwood) became singer and keyboardist of the Spencer Davis Group , with his older brother Muff Winwood on bass, Spencer Davis on guitar, and Pete York on drums. Davis had been impressed by

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1536-556: The film Blues Brothers 2000 , as a member of the Louisiana Gator Boys, appearing on stage with Isaac Hayes , Eric Clapton , and KoKo Taylor at the battle of the bands competition. In 2003, Winwood released a new studio album, About Time , on his new record label, Wincraft Music. In 2004, Eric Prydz sampled Winwood's 1982 song " Valerie " for the song " Call on Me ". After hearing an early version, Winwood not only gave permission to use his song, he re-recorded

1584-612: The help of a coterie of stars to record Back in the High Life . The album went triple platinum in the US, with its first single " Higher Love " reaching number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and earning Winwood Grammy Awards for Record of the Year and Best Male Pop Vocal Performance. He embarked on an extensive tour of North America in support of the album, and at the end of the tour, he divorced Nicole Weir in England then settled in

1632-625: The latter's Crossroads Guitar Festival . Among the songs they played were "Presence of the Lord" and " Can't Find My Way Home " from their Blind Faith days, with Winwood playing several guitar leads during a six-song set. The two continued their collaboration with three sold-out nights at Madison Square Garden in New York City in February 2008. Winwood's next studio album Nine Lives was released in 2008. Nine Lives opened at No. 12 on

1680-422: The original album. This longer mix features an alternate vocal track, an extended middle section, and does not fade out at the end. (The original single length version did appear in true stereo only on the US "Magic Bus" LP.) The song appeared in the band's 1979 film The Kids Are Alright taken from the 1968 single performance. It was subsequently released on The Kids Are Alright film soundtrack. That version

1728-540: The part of Captain Walker in the highly successful orchestral version of the Who 's Tommy . He recorded a 1973 album with Remi Kabaka and Abdul Lasisi Amao, as Third World, Aiye-Keta . Later, after the unrelated reggae group Third World had formed, the album was re-released and identified by the band members' names. In 1976, Winwood provided vocals and keyboards on Go , a concept album by Japanese composer Stomu Yamashta . That same year, Winwood also played guitar on

1776-631: The piano and organ instrumentation from the John Barleycorn Must Die track "Glad") on her song "Makes Me Wanna Pray". In May 2007, Winwood performed in support of the Countryside Alliance , an organisation opposed to the Hunting Act 2004 , in a concert at Highclere Castle , joining fellow rock artists Eric Clapton, Bryan Ferry , Steve Harley , and Kenney Jones . In July 2007, Winwood performed with Clapton in

1824-671: The previous year. On 7 May 2023, Winwood performed as part of the Coronation Concert at Windsor Castle , where he sang "Higher Love" backed by virtual choirs from the Commonwealth realms . In 2024 Winwood toured North America with the Doobie Brothers. Winwood has spoken very little, publicly, about the origin or meaning of the songs he has written. He has said that "when I write a song, I don't like to have to explain it afterwards. To me, it's like telling

1872-429: The same note played repeatedly. Conversely, on the same release, Pete Townshend cited "Magic Bus" as his favorite song to play, "because of the rhythm." The band claimed on several occasions during their 2009 tour of Australia and Japan that they were unable to play the song, with Townshend stating, "We can't play Magic Bus right now.... But if you shout loud enough... We definitely won't play it." In 1985, Alvin and

1920-562: The samples for Prydz to use. The remix spent five weeks at No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart. In 2005, Winwood's Soundstage Performances DVD was released. That same year, he appeared on Grammy Award winner Ashley Cleveland 's album Men and Angels Say , a mix of rock, blues, and country arrangements of well-known hymns, including " I Need Thee Every Hour ", which featured a vocal duet and organ performance. On her 2006 record Back to Basics , Christina Aguilera featured Winwood (using

1968-650: The song was significantly altered to a slower groove, and Townshend and Daltrey ad libbed a few verses. The harmonica jam returned again, and the song stretched out to nearly ten minutes. Another notable performance (recorded on 27 November 2000) appears on Live at the Royal Albert Hall , which morphs into a cover of "Country Line Special." On the Thirty Years of Maximum R&B Live DVD, John Entwistle cited "Magic Bus" as his least favorite song to play, due to his bass part consisting almost entirely of

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2016-645: The summer of 2009. In 2008, Winwood was awarded an honorary doctorate from the Berklee College of Music to add to his honorary degree from Aston University , Birmingham. On 28 March 2012, Winwood was one of Roger Daltrey 's special guest stars for "An Evening with Roger Daltrey and Friends" gig, in aid of the Teenage Cancer Trust at the Royal Albert Hall . In 2013, Winwood toured North America with Rod Stewart as part of

2064-698: The temporary group Eric Clapton and the Powerhouse . Three tracks were recorded and released on the 1966 various artists compilation album, What's Shakin' . In 1968, Winwood was recruited by Jimi Hendrix to play organ for " Voodoo Chile " on the Electric Ladyland album. Following the end of Blind Faith, Winwood and Ric Grech continued working with Ginger Baker, as part of Ginger Baker's Air Force , who also featured Winwood's Traffic bandmate Chris Wood. Winwood played on their self-titled first album , released in 1970. In 1972, Winwood recorded

2112-490: The title Magic Bus . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Magic_Bus&oldid=1177706891 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Magic Bus (song) The arrangement for "Magic Bus" uses

2160-672: Was also a choirboy at St. John's Church of England, Perry Barr . The family moved from Handsworth to Atlantic Road, Kingstanding Birmingham, where Winwood attended the Great Barr School , one of the first comprehensive schools . He also attended the Birmingham and Midland Institute of Music to develop his skills as a pianist, but did not complete his course. During this time, he befriended future Fleetwood Mac member Christine McVie . At eight years of age, Winwood first performed with his father and elder brother Muff in

2208-583: Was nominated twice for a Brit Award for Best British Male Artist: 1988 and 1989. In 2011, he received the Ivor Novello Award from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors for Outstanding Song Collection. Between 1978 and 1986, Winwood was married to Nicole Weir (d. 2005), who had contributed background vocals to some of his early solo work. The two married at Cheltenham Register Office. Winwood's primary residence

2256-455: Was really the cornerstone of Island Records. He's a musical genius and because he was with Island all the other talent really wanted to be with Island." The group's first single " Dimples " was released 10 days after Winwood's 16th birthday. The group had two UK No. 1 singles in late 1965 and early 1966 with " Keep on Running " and " Somebody Help Me "; the money from this success allowed Winwood to buy his own Hammond organ . Winwood co-wrote

2304-542: Was the source of most of Traffic's material, including popular songs such as " Paper Sun ", "No Face, No Name, No Number", "Dear Mr. Fantasy", and " The Low Spark of High-Heeled Boys ", and outlived the band, producing several songs for Winwood's and Capaldi's solo albums. Over the band's history, Winwood performed the majority of their lead vocals, keyboard instruments, and guitars (the latter more so after Mason's departure in 1968). Traffic disbanded in early 1969 after two albums, Mr. Fantasy (1967) and Traffic (1968), with

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