Capaldi, Jim

▪ 2006

Nicola James Capaldi 

      British rock musician (b. Aug. 2, 1944, Evesham, Worcestershire, Eng.—d. Jan. 28, 2005, London, Eng.), was a founding member of the psychedelic rock band Traffic. Capaldi formed his first band at the age of 14 and played drums with other bands on the British music scene. He and keyboardist Steve Winwood founded Traffic in 1967, and by the end of the year, the band had released Mr. Fantasy. Capaldi played drums, sang, and provided lyrics for all of the band's albums, including Traffic (1968), John Barleycorn Must Die (1970), and The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys (1971). Capaldi released his first solo album, Oh! How We Danced, in 1972 and pursued a successful solo career after the 1974 breakup of Traffic. Capaldi won several songwriting awards, and Traffic was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004.

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