b. November 1st, 1917 in Looxahoma (Mississippi)
d. February 1st, 1990 in Olive Branch (Mississippi)
EIGHT YEARS RAMBLIN'
Revival
Barclay
FRED MC DOWELL AND JOHNNY WOODS
Rounder
MAMA SAYS I'M CRAZY
Fat Possum
THE GEORGE MITCHELL COLLECTION vol.22
Fat Possum
August 1967
On ne connait pas grand chose de cet harmoniciste, compère de R.L. Burnside et de Fred Mac Dowell. Il joue de l'harmonica en autodidacte depuis l'enfance tout en travaillant dans les champs. Durant son périple dans le sud, l'ethnomusicologue George Mitchell se rendit à Senatobia où il put enregistrer Johnny avec son ami Fred Mac Dowell. Les deux bluesmen offrent une superbe séance de blues brut et rythmique, très excitant. Un contenu puissant avec des moments remarquables : "Goin' away", "Mama says I'm crazy", "Standing at the backdoor", "Long haired Doney", "My babe", "Scratch my back". Il faut être circonspect car les différentes éditions LP et CD ne possèdent pas tout à fait les mêmes tracklists. Johnny a gravé six morceaux en leader ce jour-là.
Little is known about this harmonica player, a friend of R.L. Burnside and Fred Mac Dowell. He has been playing the harmonica on his own since childhood while working in the fields. During his trip to the South, ethnomusicologist George Mitchell visited Senatobia where he was able to record Johnny with his friend Fred Mac Dowell. The two bluesmen offer a superb and very exciting session of raw and rhythmic blues. Powerful content with noteworthy moments : "Goin' away", "Mama says I'm crazy", "Standing at the backdoor", "Long haired Doney", "My babe", "Scratch my back". You have to be careful because the different LP and CD issues do not have quite the same tracklists. Johnny cut six tracks as a leader that day.
MISSISSIPPI HARMONICA (EP)
Oblivion
April 1972
Grâce à Tom Pomposello et Fred Seibert, Johnny Woods grave deux morceaux formidables seul à son instrument : "Long haired Doney" et "Three o'clock in the morning".
Thanks to Tom Pomposello and Fred Seibert, Johnny Woods recorded two great tracks alone on his instrument : "Long haired Doney" and "Three o'clock in the morning".
DXPCV vol.1
Fan Club
New Rose
1972
Quatre morceaux capturés par Jim Dickinson en 1972 à Memphis. Johnny joue seul sur le beau "Jes' like a monkey" et accompagné d'un petit groupe sur les trois autres titres (l'excellent "Ol' man nose" qui ressemble à "Shake your boogie").
Four tracks captured by Jim Dickinson in Memphis in 1972. Johnny plays solo on the nice "Jes' like a monkey" and accompanied by a small band on the other three tracks (the excellent "Ol' man nose" which sounds like "Shake your boogie").
IT CAME FROM MEMPHIS vol.2
Birdman
1972
Un autre titre capturé par Jim Dickinson à Memphis : "Shake your boogie".
Another track captured by Jim Dickinson in Memphis : "Shake your boogie".
BEALE STREET SATURDAY NIGHT
Orpheum
Omnivore
1972
Un titre instrumental dans lequel Johnny est seul à l'harmonica : "Frisco blow".
An instrumental track in which Johnny is alone on harmonica : "Frisco blow".
SO MANY COLD MORNINGS
Swingmaster
August 1981 / November 1984
Johnny trouve enfin l'opportunité de graver un premier (et seul) album complet au début des années 80 grâce au hollandais Leo Bruin. Cet album est constitué de deux séances : la première gravée dans le Mississippi dans laquelle il est seul à l'harmonica et la seconde aux Pays-Bas parfois associé à R.L. Burnside. Un superbe disque de blues campagnard avec des morceaux intenses comme "So many cold mornings", "She's loving another man", "That's all right", "My jack don't drink no water", "On this killing floor".
Johnny finally found the opportunity to record his first (and only) full-length album in the early 1980's thanks to dutchman Leo Bruin. This album consists of two sessions : the first recorded in Mississippi, where he played alone on harmonica, and the second in the Netherlands, sometimes in association with R.L. Burnside. A superb country blues album with intense tracks like "So many cold mornings", "She's loving another man", "That's all right", "My jack don't drink no water", "On this killing floor".