Several American musicians, including Taj Mahal,[2] the Grateful Dead,[3] Ry Cooder,[2] Catfish Keith,[4] Woody Mann, and Olu Dara, as well as the British guitarist John Renbourn, were influenced by and have recorded variations of his arrangements of gospel and Bahamian songs.
[1] These tracks included Spence's arrangement of "I Bid You Goodnight", which was covered by the Grateful Dead and Ralph McTell, among others.
[1] Mike Heron, of the Incredible String Band, credited Spence as the inspiration for the "Lay down, dear sister" passage in "A Very Cellular Song" on the album The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter, released in 1968.
The power of his playing derives from moving bass lines and interior voices and a driving beat that he emphasized with foot tapping.
After his death in 1984 the Richard Thompson fan club produced a benefit tribute album to Spence and the Pinder Family, Out on the Rolling Sea, released on the Green Linnet label and featuring Henry Kaiser, Taj Mahal, and Martin Carthy.
Spence's rendition of "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town" from the 1980 Rounder release Living on the Hallelujah Side has endured as a unique holiday cover.
[9] The song was patronized for several years during the holiday season on the Boers and Bernstein show on Chicago's WSCR 670 "The Score" sports radio station.