| Johnny Woods | |
|---|---|
Woods posing, Spring 1972, in Olive Branch, Mississippi. Photo: Tom Pomposello via Fred Seibert |
|
| Background information | |
| Born | November 1, 1917 Looxahoma, Mississippi, United States |
| Died | February 1, 1990 (aged 72) Olive Branch, Mississippi, United States |
| Genres | Delta blues |
| Occupations | Musician, songwriter |
| Instruments | Vocals, harmonica |
| Years active | 1959–1990 |
| Labels | Arhoolie, Oblivion, Rounder Records, Fat Possum |
| Associated acts | R.L. Burnside, Mississippi Fred McDowell,[1] Tom Pomposello |
Johnny Woods (November 1, 1917 – February 1, 1990) was an American blues singer and harmonica player in the North Mississippi style.
Woods was born in a small Mississippi town called Looxahoma, just west of Mississippi Highway 35.[2] His harmonica playing first gained notoriety in the 1960s as a duet partner with fellow blues revival discovery guitarist/singer Mississippi Fred McDowell. They recorded together first for George Mitchell in 1967, for Chris Strachwitz's Arhoolie Records (King of the Country Blues V2), Swingmaster (Blues of Johnny Woods)[3] and in 1972 for Tom Pomposello and Fred Seibert on Oblivion Records (Mississippi Harmonica).[4]
Stylistically, Woods' music sprang from the same North Mississippi Fife and drum blues band tradition as McDowell's. However, personal problems and plagues kept him rooted in the Delta, primarily working as a farm hand and sharecropper.
After McDowell's death in July 1973, Woods faded away until George Mitchell paired him again with another late Mitchell Mississippi Delta discovery, R. L. Burnside, himself a McDowell disciple. Together they recorded the Swingmaster album and video, Going Down South.
Johnny Woods died in Olive Branch, Mississippi in 1990.