Mitch Woods (born April 3, 1951,

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, New York City, United States) is an American modern day

boogie-woogie Boogie-woogie is a genre of blues music that became popular during the late 1920s, developed in African-American communities since 1870s.Paul, Elliot, ''That Crazy American Music'' (1957), Chapter 10, p. 229. It was eventually extended from pi ...

, jump blues and

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

pianist and singer. Since the early 1980s he has been touring and recording with his band, the Rocket 88s. Woods calls his music, "rock-a-boogie," and with his backing band has retrospectively provided a 1940s and 1950s jump blues style.

Biography

Woods got his start playing clubs near the State University of New York Buffalo campus. He moved to San Francisco in 1971. Originally a student of jazz and classical music, on relocation to the West Coast, Woods started playing jump and

rhythm and blues Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated in African-American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly ...

. Upon hearing Louis Jordan's jive, Woods played throughout the 1970s as a soloist at local

clubs Club may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Club'' (magazine) * Club, a '' Yie Ar Kung-Fu'' character * Clubs (suit), a suit of playing cards * Club music * "Club", by Kelsea Ballerini from the album ''kelsea'' Brands and enterprises ...

. In 1984,

Blind Pig A speakeasy, also called a blind pig or blind tiger, is an illicit establishment that sells alcoholic beverages, or a retro style bar that replicates aspects of historical speakeasies. Speakeasy bars came into prominence in the United States d ...

released the debut album of the Rocket 88s, the band he had formed with HiTide Harris four years earlier. ''Steady Date with Mitch Woods & His Rocket 88s'' led to a national concert tour, including the

San Francisco Blues Festival The San Francisco Blues Festival was active from 1973 until 2008, and was located in San Francisco, California. It was the one of the longest running blues festival in the United States. History Tom Mazzolini, the event's producer, founded the ...

in 1985, as well as several European engagements. In 1988, they issued their second LP, ''Mr. Boogie's Back in Town.'' In 1991 their third album, ''Solid Gold Cadillac,'' was released, followed by ''Shakin' the Shack'' (1993). Woods, capable in four styles of piano playing,

Chicago blues Chicago blues is a form of blues music developed in Chicago, Illinois. It is based on earlier blues idioms, such as Delta blues, but performed in an urban style. It developed alongside the Great Migration of the first half of the twentieth cent ...

, Kansas City boogie-woogie, West Coast jump blues and the poly-rhythmic accents of

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

, got the opportunity to play with some of his musical heroes, when he recorded his 1996 Viceroy album, ''Keeper of the Flame.'' Their next album, ''Jump for Joy,'' appeared in 2001. The 2006 release, ''Big Easy Boogie'' featured veteran New Orleans musicians backing Woods. In 2007 Woods was nominated for the Pinetop Perkins Piano Player of the Year Award at the Blues Awards in

Memphis Memphis most commonly refers to: * Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt * Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city Memphis may also refer to: Places United States * Memphis, Alabama * Memphis, Florida * Memphis, Indiana * Memp ...

, Tennessee, presented by the

Blues Foundation The Blues Foundation is an American nonprofit corporation, headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee, that is affiliated with more than 175 blues organizations from various parts of the world. Founded in 1980, a 25-person board of directors governs the ...

. Latterly he and his band toured with the '' Efes Pilsen Blues Festival''.

Discography

* ''Steady Date with Mitch Woods & His Rocket 88s'' (1984)

Blind Pig Records Blind Pig Records is an American blues independent record label. Blind Pig was formed in 1977 in Ann Arbor, Michigan, by Jerry Del Giudice, owner of the Blind Pig Cafe, and his friend Edward Chmelewski. The label is now based in San Francisco. I ...

* ''Mr. Boogie's Back in Town'' (1988) Blind Pig * ''Solid Gold Cadillac'' (1991) Blind Pig * ''Shakin' the Shack'' (1993) Blind Pig * ''Keeper of the Flame'' (1996) Viceroy/Lightyear Records * ''Jump for Joy!'' (2001) Blind Pig * ''Big Easy Boogie'' (2006) Club 88 Records * ''Jukebox Drive'' (2008) El Toro Records (with The Lazy Jumpers) * ''Gumbo Blues'' (2010) Club 88/VizzTone Records * ''Blues Beyond Borders: Live in Istanbul'' (2012) Club 88/VizzTone Records * ''Jammin' on the High Cs'' (2015) Club 88/VizzTone Records * ''Friends Along Way'' (2017) eOneMusic/EOM * ''A Tip of the Hat to Fats'' (2019) Blind Pig

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Woods, Mitch 1951 births Living people American blues pianists American male pianists American blues singers American jazz pianists Songwriters from New York (state) Jump blues musicians Boogie-woogie pianists Musicians from Brooklyn Singers from New York (state) 20th-century American pianists Jazz musicians from New York (state) 21st-century American pianists 20th-century American male musicians 21st-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians Blind Pig Records artists American male songwriters

Biography

Discography

See also

References

External links