The Artwoods (also sometimes known by Decca Records as the Art Woods) were an English rock band who formed in 1963 and were professionally active between 1964 and 1967. They were a popular live attraction, rivalling groups such as the Animals, although, despite releasing a clutch of singles and an album, their record sales never reflected this popularity.

History

Singer Arthur Wood, from whom the band took their name, was the eldest brother of Ronnie Wood (who later found fame with the Faces and

Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the g ...

). Art Wood had been a vocalist with Alexis Korner's

Blues Incorporated Alexis Korner's Blues Incorporated, or simply Blues Incorporated, were an English blues band formed in London in 1961, led by Alexis Korner and including at various times Jack Bruce, Charlie Watts, Terry Cox, Davy Graham, Ginger Baker, Art Woo ...

for a short period during 1962, simultaneously fronting his own group, the Art Wood Combo. When keyboardist Jon Lord and guitarist Derek Griffiths from Red Bludd's Bluesicians joined the Art Wood Combo, the Artwoods were formed. With Keef Hartley, formerly with

Rory Storm Rory Storm (born Alan Ernest Caldwell; 7 January 1938 – 28 September 1972) was an English musician and vocalist. Born in Liverpool, Storm was the singer and leader of Rory Storm and the Hurricanes, a Liverpudlian band who were contempora ...

& the Hurricanes, joining on drums and Malcolm Pool from the Roadrunners joining as bassist, in December 1964 the band turned professional, securing a residency at London's

100 Club The 100 Club is a music venue located at 100 Oxford Street, London, England, where it has been hosting live music since 24 October 1942. It was originally called the Feldman Swing Club, but changed its name when the father of the current owner ...

and signing a recording contract with

Decca Records Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis (Decca), Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934 by Lewis, Jack Kapp, American Decca's first president, and Milton Rackmil, who later became American ...

. Colin Martin joined from the band the Ingoes, who changed their name to the Blossom Toes. Colin went on to work at Radio 2 where he produced the like of Terry Wogan, Ken Bruce and Gloria Hunniford and was later appointed as Head of Music at the station. The intended debut single, a cover of

Muddy Waters McKinley Morganfield (April 4, 1913 April 30, 1983), known professionally as Muddy Waters, was an American blues singer and musician who was an important figure in the post-war blues scene, and is often cited as the "father of modern Chicago b ...

' " Hoochie Coochie Man", was shelved in favour of a rendition of an old

Lead Belly Huddie William Ledbetter (; January 20, 1888 – December 6, 1949), better known by the stage name Lead Belly, was an American folk music, folk and blues singer notable for his strong vocals, Virtuoso, virtuosity on the twelve-string guita ...

song, "Sweet Mary". Although it didn't reach the charts, it got sufficient airplay to bring the band a lot of live work, including an appearance on the first live edition of '' Ready Steady Go!''. Their second record, "Oh My Love", was another blues cover. Like its predecessor (and subsequent releases), it failed to chart. Their only chart single was "I Take What I Want", which reached No 28 on 8 May 1966. The Artwoods were dropped by Decca at the end of 1966, and they signed a one-record deal with Parlophone, but their release "What Shall I Do" also had no success. Later in 1967, a final "one-off" single appeared on the

Fontana Fontana may refer to: Places Italy *Fontana Liri, comune in the Province of Frosinone *Fontanafredda, comune in the Province of Pordenone *Fontanarosa, comune in the Province of Avellino *Francavilla Fontana, comune in the Province of Brindisi * ...

label, with the band billing itself as St. Valentine's Day Massacre; but by the time of its release the Artwoods had effectively ceased to exist. The Artwoods' early records today stand up well against the work of more successful groups such as

the Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically d ...

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or the Birds (who included Art's younger brother Ronnie). But at the time they came out, despite appearances on programs like ''Ready, Steady, Go!'' their singles never seemed to connect with the record-buying public. The group broke up in mid-1967. Art Wood joined his brother Ted in the graphics-art business and continued to perform music on a semi-professional basis. He also played with the

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. Keef Hartley went on to play with

John Mayall's Bluesbreakers John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers are an English blues rock band led by singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist John Mayall. While never producing a hit of their own, the band has been influential as an incubator for British rock and blues ...

and Jon Lord became a founder member of

Deep Purple Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in London in 1968. They are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal music, heavy metal and modern hard rock music, but their musical style has changed over the course of its existence. Ori ...

. Over the years, there have been two compilations released by the band. In 1983, ''100 Oxford Street'', including most of their mid-'60s singles and seven songs from ''Art Gallery'', was released by Edsel Records. In 2000, ''Singles A's & B's'', comprising the group's entire single and EP output, was released by

Repertoire Records Repertoire Records is a German record label from Hamburg, Germany, specialising in reissues of classic pop and rock albums originally issued in the 1960s and 1970s. The chairman is Thomas Neelsen. See also * List of record labels File:Alvino ...

Band members

* Art Wood – lead vocals (born Arthur Wood, 6 June 1937, in

West Drayton West Drayton is a suburban town in the London Borough of Hillingdon. It was an ancient parish in the county of Middlesex and from 1929 was part of the Yiewsley and West Drayton Urban District, which became part of Greater London in 1965. The se ...

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; died 3 November 2006, in London) *Derek Griffiths – lead guitar (born Derek Charles Griffiths, 23 June 1944, in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

) * Jon Lord – organ (born John Douglas Lord, 9 June 1941, in

Leicester Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands. The city l ...

, Leicestershire; died 16 July 2012) * Malcolm Pool – bass guitar (born 10 January 1943, in

Hayes End Hayes is a town in west London, historically situated within the county of Middlesex, and now part of the London Borough of Hillingdon. The town's population, including its localities Hayes End, Harlington, London, Harlington and Yeading, was r ...

) * Keef Hartley – drums (born Keith Hartley, 8 March 1944, in

Preston, Lancashire Preston () is a city on the north bank of the River Ribble in Lancashire, England. The city is the administrative centre of the county of Lancashire and the wider City of Preston local government district. Preston and its surrounding distri ...

, died there 26 November 2011) *Colin Martin – drums (born 18 March 1945, in Leyton,

East London East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the f ...

)

Discography

Singles

*"Sweet Mary"/"If I Ever Get My Hands on You" (Decca F 12015) Nov 1964 *"Oh My Love"/"Big City" (Decca F 12091) Feb '65 *"Goodbye Sisters"/"She Knows What To Do" (Decca F 12206) Aug 1965 *"I Take What I Want"/"I'm Looking For A Saxophonist Doubling French Horn Wearing Size 37 Boots" (Decca F 12384) Apr 1966 *"I Feel Good"/"Molly Anderson's Cookery Book" (Decca F 12465) Aug 1966 *"What Shall I Do"/"In The Deep End" (Parlophone R 5590) Apr 1967 *"

Brother Can You Spare A Dime "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?" is one of the best-known American songs of the Great Depression. Written by lyricist Yip Harburg and composer Jay Gorney, it was part of the 1932 musical revue ''Americana''; the melody is based on a Russian-Jewi ...

"/"Al's Party" (Fontana H883) (as St. Valentine's Day Massacre) 1967

EPs

*''Oh My Love'' Oh My Love"/"Big City"/"If I Ever Get My Hands On You"/"Sweet Mary"(Decca 457.076 M) 1966 *''Jazz in Jeans'' These Boots Are Made For Walkin'"/"A Taste Of Honey"/"Our Man Flint"/"Routine"(Decca DFE 8654) 1966 *''The Artwoods'' I Take What I Want" (Hayes/Porter/Hodges)/"If I Ever get My Hands on You" (Carter/Lewis)/"I Feel Good" (Neville)/"She Knows What To Do" (Hill/Rebennack)(Decca DFE 8576) Reissue, 2009 in Japan

Albums

Studio album

*''Art Gallery'' (Decca, LK4830) Nov 1966 *''Art Gallery'' eissue(Repertoire, REP4533-WP) 1995

Live albums

*''Live at Klooks Kleek'' (Diamond) 2016 *''Art's Gallery'' (Top Sounds) 2019

Compilation albums

* ''The Artwoods'' (Spark, SRLM2006) 1974 * ''100 Oxford Street'' (Edsel, ED107) 1983 * ''Singles A's & B's'' (Repertoire, REP4887) 2000 * ''Steady Gettin' It – The Complete Recordings 1964–67'' (RPM) 2014

References

External links

* The Artwoodsat

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Artwoods, The English pop music groups Musical groups established in 1964 Musical groups disestablished in 1967 Beat groups 1964 establishments in England 1967 disestablishments in England