| Jeff Wood | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Jeffrey Scott Wood |
| Born | May 10, 1968 [1] |
| Origin | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States |
| Genres | Country |
| Occupations | Singer-songwriter |
| Instruments | Vocals, keyboards, bass guitar |
| Years active | 1994-present |
| Labels | Liberty, Imprint |
| Associated acts | Garth Brooks, John Michael Montgomery |
Jeffrey Scott "Jeff" Wood (born May 10, 1968 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma) is an American country music artist. Wood was signed to a publishing contract in 1994, writing songs for other country artists, including "Cowboy Love", a Top 5 hit for John Michael Montgomery in 1996. He signed to a recording contract with Liberty Records later that year, but did not release anything while on the label. His debut album, Between the Earth and the Stars, was released in 1997 on Imprint Records. This album produced three chart singles for Wood on the Hot Country Songs charts that year, including the #44-peaking "You Just Get One". Although he did not chart again after 1997, Wood continued to write songs for other artists into the 2000s, including Neal McCoy and his brother-in-law, Phil Vassar, and independently released a second album in 2008.
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Jeff Wood was born May 10, 1968 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He later attended Oklahoma State University, where he earned a degree in finance and was a member of the Sigma Nu fraternity.[2] One of Wood's classmates was Garth Brooks, who, like Wood, had aspirations to become a country music artist. Eventually, both singers moved to Nashville, Tennessee to begin their respective careers.
Wood was signed to a songwriting contract with EMI Publishing in 1994. One of his first cuts as a songwriter was "Cowboy Love," which was a top five hit on the country charts for John Michael Montgomery in early 1996.[1] Liberty Records signed Wood to a recording contract later that year.[3]
By the end of the year, he had signed to his second recording contract, this time with a newly-started independent label, Imprint Records. His debut album was released on February 11, 1997. Entitled Between the Earth and the Stars, it received mixed reviews from critics. Jeffrey B. Remz of Country Standard Time described the album as "pleasant enough sounding" and "usually maintain[ing] country sensibilities" although Remz said that it "produce[d] no surprises".[4] Allmusic critic Jack Leaver, who gave the album two-and-a-half stars out of five, called it "a mostly mellow set[…]that should appeal to the fans of the Dave Loggins-meets-John Berry school of country pop."[5] The San Antonio Express-News called it an "impressive debut".[6] Brett Atwood of Billboard called "You Just Get One" an "immensely likeable" single.[7]
The album's lead-off single, "You Just Get One", reached number 44 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks (now Hot Country Songs) charts.[8] This song was co-written by Don Schlitz and Vince Gill (who also played mandolin and guitar on the album), and was previously cut by Ty Herndon on his 1995 debut album What Mattered Most. Between the Earth and the Stars also produced minor chart singles in the number 55 "Use Mine" and number 63 "You Call That a Mountain",[8] which was later a single in 2000 for B.J. Thomas from his album of the same name. Imprint closed at the end of 1997, and Wood was left without a record label. He continued to write songs for other artists, including Tracy Byrd, Neal McCoy, and Phil Vassar.
In 2008, Wood returned to recording, issuing an album entitled Raw Wood independently. Its first single is a song entitled "Long Way from OK", a re-recording of a song previously found on his debut album. Wood also released a Christmas album and a religious-themed album.
Jeff Wood was nominated for the 7th Annual Independent Music Awards for Band Venue Poster of the year
| Between the Earth and the Stars | |
|---|---|
| Studio album by Jeff Wood | |
| Released | February 11, 1997 |
| Genre | Country |
| Length | 36:12 |
| Label | Imprint |
| Producer | Mark Bright, Kevin Beamish |
As listed in liner notes.[9]
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions |
Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | CAN Country | |||
| 1997 | "You Just Get One" | 44 | 87 | Between the Earth and the Stars |
| "Use Mine" | 55 | — | ||
| "You Call That a Mountain" | 63 | 97 | ||
| 2008 | "Long Way from OK" | — | — | Raw Wood |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | ||||
| Year | Video | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | "Use Mine" | Jim Shea |
| "Fire Down Below" (with Aaron Tippin and Mark Collie) | Steven R. Monroe | |
| 2008 | "Long Way from OK" |