Johnny Woods
Johnny Woods (November 1, 1917 – February 1, 1990) was an American blues singer and harmonica player in the north Mississippi hill country blues style. Woods was born in Looxahoma, Mississippi, a small town just west of Mississippi Highway 35. His harmonica playing first gained attention in the 1960s, when he was a duet partner with the guitarist and singer Mississippi Fred McDowell.
Johnny Woods
- Name
- Johnny Woods
- Born
- 1 November 1917
- Birthplace
- Looxahoma, Mississippi, United States
- Died
- 1 February 1990
- Place of death
- Olive Branch, Mississippi, United States
- Occupation
- Musician, songwriter
- Nationality
- United States
- Fields
- Delta blues
Reference Check
Propose documentary evidence for Johnny Woods. A contribution is never written directly as fact: identity, source, rights and evidence gates still decide.
Sign in to contribute
World of VALÉORINE
Documentary connections
Only confirmed graph relationships appear here. Images are shown only when their identity and reuse rights both pass the documentary gate.
Documentary evidence
Documentary basis
Authority files
wikidata · Q15438874 · wikipedia · Johnny Woods
In this article
Biography
Biography
They recorded together for the music historian George Mitchell in 1967, for Chris Strachwitz's Arhoolie Records (King of the Country Blues Vol. 2), for Swingmaster (Blues of Johnny Woods) and as a solo for Tom Pomposello and Fred Seibert of Oblivion Records ("Mississippi Harmonica") in 1972. Stylistically, Woods's music sprang from the same north Mississippi fife-and-drum blues tradition as McDowell's. However, personal problems kept him rooted in the Delta, primarily working as a farmhand and sharecropper. After McDowell's death in July 1973, Woods faded into obscurity until George Mitchell paired him again with another Mitchell discovery from the Mississippi Delta, R. Burnside, himself a McDowell disciple. They recorded the Swingmaster album and video Going Down South.
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Johnny Woods • Born — 1 November 1917 • Birthplace — Looxahoma, Mississippi, United States • Died — 1 February 1990 • Place of death — Olive Branch, Mississippi, United States • Instrument — Vocals, harmonica • Genre — Delta blues • Occupation — Musician, songwriter • Years Active — 1959–90 • Label — Arhoolie, Oblivion, Rounder Records, Fat Possum
Text attribution
Licensing
Text attribution
Part of the biographical narrative on this page reuses licensed material. Its origin, revision and licence are recorded here.
The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article Johnny Woods, revision 1371008108 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
reference work
Secondary witnessreference work
Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 15 September 2026.
Elsewhere in Music memorabilia
44,023 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
- Johnny WaynePerson
- Johnny WiggsPerson
- Johnny WilliamsPerson
- Johnny WinterPerson
- JohnsonPerson
- Johntá AustinPerson
- Joi BaruaPerson
- Joji YuasaPerson
Best supported in this field
For owners
Own a work by Johnny Woods?
A specialist will read what you send and tell you what the house can establish, what it cannot, and whether the object is suited to sale. There is no charge and no obligation. The object stays with you throughout; nothing is shipped to us unless it is arranged in writing beforehand.