Art Wood

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Arthur "Art" Wood (July 7, 1937 - November 3, 2006) was a British blues, pop and rock singer, who led The Artwoods in the 1960s and subsequently became a graphic artist. He was the brother of Ronnie Wood of The Rolling Stones.

[edit] Life

Born in 1937, Wood grew up in West Drayton, London, and enrolled at Ealing School of Art in 1950. There he developed his musical interests, as well as taking a keen interest in graphic design and fine art. In 1955 he started two years of National Service; he was posted in Devizes, Wiltshire, where he formed a skiffle group. When he returned to London, he formed his own R&B group, the Art Wood Combo, playing versions of songs by Chuck Berry, Fats Domino and others.

By 1962, he was one of several singers regularly featured with Alexis Korner's Blues Incorporated, which also included Charlie Watts and Cyril Davies. However, as that group firmed up its line-up with Long John Baldry as the main lead singer, Art Wood re-formed his own group, which he now called The Artwoods. The group included organist Jon Lord (who would go on to join Deep Purple) and drummer Keef Hartley.

See main article : The Artwoods

The Artwoods failed to make a major commercial breakthrough, and split up in 1967. In 1969 Wood formed the short-lived group Quiet Melon, with his brother Ronnie, Rod Stewart, Ronnie Lane, Kenny Jones, Ian McLagan and Kim Gardner.^[1]^[2] They recorded four songs and delivered the tapes to Fontana Records, who turned them down and cancelled Wood's contract. He then semi-retired from the music business; Gardner went on to another band; and the other members of the group carried on to become The Faces.

Wood joined his other brother Ted in setting up a graphic design business and continued to perform on a semi-professional basis with the Downliners Sect and reunited versions of the Artwoods, with occasional guest appearances by his brother Ronnie.

Art Wood died in London from prostate cancer, aged 69.^[2]