Steve Winwood announced for Cheltenham Jazz Festival 2012, 2nd May

Steve Winwood at Cheltenham Jazz Festival

The Cheltenham Jazz Festival announces a new addition to the 2012 line-up - legendary singer and songwriter Steve Winwood!

Since rocketing to stardom as a teenager with the Spencer Davis Group, Steve Winwood has gone on to lead a hugely successful career both as a solo artist and as a member of groups such as Traffic and Blind Faith. He has also collaborated with some of the world's greatest musicians including Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix and James Brown.

Steve Winwood has won numerous Grammy awards, was rated at #33 in Rolling Stone's list of the greatest singers of all time and recently won the Ivor Novello award for outstanding song collection. Along the way his music has incorporated a varied mix of R&B, blues, jazz and rock.

In a UK exclusive, Steve Winwood will open the 2012 Cheltenham Jazz Festival on Wednesday 2nd May ahead of his spring tour of the USA.

The Cheltenham concert will feature some of Winwood's most iconic hits including Gimme Some Lovin', Can't Find My Way Home and I'm a Man. Steve and his wife, Eugenia, are patrons of Cheltenham Festivals, and he is donating all profits for this concert to The Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust.

Jazz Festival Director Ian George is thrilled with the latest addition to the line-up;

"It is fantastic to be able to have Steve perform at the festival given his association with the area and his incredible pedigree as an artist. It looks like this will be the only chance to catch Steve in the UK this year so a great treat for fans."

Tickets for this exclusive concert go on sale to Cheltenham Festivals Members on Monday 12th March, ahead of public booking from Wednesday 14th March.

Steve Winwood is the latest addition to the Jazz Festival programme. This year's stellar line-up features the return of jazz superstar Jamie Cullum as Guest Director, an exclusive live broadcast of BBC Radio 2's Friday Night is Music Night celebrating the life and music of Ray Charles, the sultry vocals of starlet Melody Gardot and 1940s glamour from The Puppini Sisters, alongside international jazz stars Bill Frisell, Marcus Miller and Chris Potter and many more.

The full programme is available to book and download at cheltenhamfestivals.com.

For more information, go to:

CheltenhamFestivals.com