Nightline Playlist: Steven Winwood

May 16, 2008— -- Grammy winner Steve Winwood may be famous for his 1986 hit "Higher Love" and his collaborations with Eric Clapton, but at age 14, his music teachers certainly didn't foresee the British pop star's potential.

"I was dismissed from music school because I liked and enjoyed the wrong kind of music," Winwood told "Nightline" at New York City's Buddha Bar. "I liked Igor Stravinsky, but I also liked Fats Domino and Ray Charles ... and they [the teachers] said well, you've either got to forget about Fats Domino and Ray Charles or you have to leave."

Not willing to forget about either one of these jazz and rock sensations, Winwood said he was "happy to leave" music school and rightfully so. His departure gave him the freedom to pursue the "wrong" kind of music he enjoyed -- the kind that ultimately propelled him to fame.

Winwood grew up Birmingham, England, surrounded by music. His grandmother, grandfather, father and uncles on both sides were musicians. His father played '20s, '30s and '40s dance music, and blues and jazz were constants in the Winwood home.

"I was very interested in music right from the start, from the age of 7, 8, and I learned to play the guitar when I was 9," Winwood said. He also played the drums and piano, and he sang in his church choir as a boy.

While he didn't necessarily dream of being a music star from Day 1, it became clear from a young age that that was where Winwood was headed.

"I'm not sure it was a conscious decision that I wanted to make music my life for my career. I suppose it was a gradual thing. ... It just became a matter of fact that I just went and became a musician."

Shortly after he was kicked out of music school at 14, Winwood and his older brother, Muff, formed the Spencer Davis group. Winwood sang and played the piano and churned out a couple of singles under the alias Stevie Anglo, including hit "Gimme Some Lovin'."

Hoping to expand his repertoire, Winwood left the Spencer Davis group in 1967 and formed Traffic, a quartet that combined jazz, R&B, British folk and pop sounds.