Chris Wood (Traffic)

Chris Wood was a flautist and saxophonist from Quinton, Birmingham, born in 1944. He is mostly known as a co-founder of the British rock band Traffic in which he wrote songs such as John Barleycorn Must Die, Evening Blue and Tragic Magic. He collaborated with artists such as Jimi Hendrix, Ginger Baker, Dr John and Free whilst still being a part of Traffic. Chris Wood died in 1983 of internal organ failure at the age of 39 due to heavy drinking. To honour Wood Jim Capaldi and Steve Winwood (fellow members of Traffic) reunited in 1994 to create the album ‘Far From Home’ in which the front cover depicts a stick man playing the flute which is meant to be Wood, the whole album is dedicated to him as he brought a lot of his creative mind into Traffic with his flute and sax.