40,000 Headmen
Encyclopedia
"Roamin' Thro' the Gloamin with 40,000 Headmen" (album title: "Forty Thousand Headmen"), written by Steve Winwood
and Jim Capaldi
, was first recorded by Traffic
in 1967 or 1968. It was initially released as B-side to the "No Face, No Name, No Number" single in 1968 and also appears on their second album Traffic. Blood, Sweat & Tears
also recorded it on their 1970 album, Blood, Sweat & Tears 3
.
The song is sung from the perspective of the unnamed protagonist, who is only hurt, not killed, by the bullets of the eponymous headmen. It has been described as being "an evocation of a dream state".
Dave Mason and Jim Capaldi's 1998-99 "40,000 Headmen" reunion tour took its name from this song, despite the fact that Mason had no involvement in the original recording of the song. A album of highlights from this tour has been released.
Steve Winwood
Stephen Lawrence "Steve" Winwood is an English international recording artist whose career spans nearly 50 years. He is a songwriter and a musician whose genres include soul music , R&B, rock, blues-rock, pop-rock, and jazz...
and Jim Capaldi
Jim Capaldi
Nicola James "Jim" Capaldi was an English musician and songwriter. His musical career lasted more than four decades. He co-founded Traffic in Birmingham with Steve Winwood, and the band's psychedelic rock was influential in Britain and the United States...
, was first recorded by Traffic
Traffic (band)
Traffic were an English rock band whose members came from the West Midlands. The group formed in April 1967 by Steve Winwood, Jim Capaldi, Chris Wood and Dave Mason...
in 1967 or 1968. It was initially released as B-side to the "No Face, No Name, No Number" single in 1968 and also appears on their second album Traffic. Blood, Sweat & Tears
Blood, Sweat & Tears
Blood, Sweat & Tears is an American music group, originally formed in 1967 in New York City. Since its beginnings in 1967, the band has gone through numerous iterations with varying personnel and has encompassed a multitude of musical styles...
also recorded it on their 1970 album, Blood, Sweat & Tears 3
Blood, Sweat & Tears 3
Blood, Sweat & Tears 3 is the third album by the band Blood, Sweat & Tears, released in 1970.-History:After the huge success of their previous album, Blood, Sweat & Tears 3 was highly anticipated and it rose quickly to the top of the US album chart...
.
The song is sung from the perspective of the unnamed protagonist, who is only hurt, not killed, by the bullets of the eponymous headmen. It has been described as being "an evocation of a dream state".
Dave Mason and Jim Capaldi's 1998-99 "40,000 Headmen" reunion tour took its name from this song, despite the fact that Mason had no involvement in the original recording of the song. A album of highlights from this tour has been released.