The Artwoods
Encyclopedia
The Artwoods 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.
, from whom the band took their name, was the eldest brother of Ronnie Wood (who later found fame with the Faces
and Rolling Stones). Art Wood had been a vocalist with Alexis Korner
's Blues Incorporated
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 & 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
and signing a recording contract with Decca Records
.
The intended debut single, a cover of Muddy Waters
' "Hoochie Coochie Man
", was shelved in favour of a rendition of an old Leadbelly
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.
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
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 Yardbirds
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 Downliners Sect
. Keef Hartley went on to play with John Mayall's Bluesbreakers and Jon Lord became a founder member of Deep Purple
.
Over the years, there have been two compilations released by the band. In 1983, 100 Oxford Street 1983, including most of their mid-'60s singles and seven songs from Art Gallery, was released by Get Back Records. In 2000, Singles A's & B's, comprising the group's entire single and EP output, was released by Repertoire Records.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
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
The Animals
The Animals were an English music group of the 1960s formed in Newcastle upon Tyne during the early part of the decade, and later relocated to London...
, although, despite releasing a clutch of singles and an album, their record sales never reflected this popularity.
History
Singer Arthur WoodArt Wood
Arthur "Art" Wood was a British blues, pop and rock singer, who led The Artwoods in the 1960s and subsequently became a graphic artist. He was the brother of Ronnie Wood of The Rolling Stones.-Life:...
, from whom the band took their name, was the eldest brother of Ronnie Wood (who later found fame with the Faces
Faces (band)
Faces are an English rock band formed in 1969 by members of the Small Faces after Steve Marriott left that group to form Humble Pie...
and Rolling Stones). Art Wood had been a vocalist with Alexis Korner
Alexis Korner
Alexis Korner was a blues musician and radio broadcaster, who has sometimes been referred to as "a Founding Father of British Blues"...
's Blues Incorporated
Blues Incorporated
Blues Incorporated were a British R&B band in the early 1960s, led by Alexis Korner and featuring at various times Jack Bruce, Charlie Watts, Terry Cox, Ginger Baker, Long John Baldry, Ronnie Jones, Danny Thompson, Graham Bond, Cyril Davies, Malcolm Cecil and Dick Heckstall-Smith.-History:Korner ...
for a short period during 1962, simultaneously fronting his own group, the Art Wood Combo. When keyboardist Jon Lord
Jon Lord
Jonathan Douglas "Jon" Lord is an English composer, pianist and Hammond organ player.Jon Lord, also known as 'Hammond Lord', is a classically trained piano player. He is recognised for his Hammond organ blues-rock sound and for his pioneering work in fusing rock and classical or baroque forms...
and guitarist Derek Griffiths from Red Bludd's Bluesicians joined the Art Wood Combo, the Artwoods were formed. With Keef Hartley
Keef Hartley
Keef Hartley was an English drummer and bandleader. He fronted the Keef Hartley Band, and played at Woodstock. Hartley was later a member of Dog Soldier, and variously worked with Rory Storm, The Artwoods and John Mayall.-Biography:Hartley was born in Preston, Lancashire, England...
, formerly with Rory Storm & The Hurricanes, joining on drums and Malcolm Pool
Malcolm Pool
Malcolm Pool was the bassist with the 1960s R&B group The Artwoods from 1963, until the band split up in 1968....
from the Roadrunners joining as bassist, in December 1964 the band turned professional, securing a residency at London's 100 Club
100 Club
The 100 Club is a music venue in London situated at 100 Oxford Street, W1, originally called The Feldman Swing Club.The 100 Club attained legendary status in modern British music, having played host to live music since 24 October 1942....
and signing a recording contract with Decca Records
Decca Records
Decca Records began as a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; however, owing to World War II, the link with the British company was broken for several decades....
.
The intended debut single, a cover of Muddy Waters
Muddy Waters
McKinley Morganfield , known as Muddy Waters, was an American blues musician, generally considered the "father of modern Chicago blues"...
' "Hoochie Coochie Man
Hoochie Coochie Man
"Hoochie Coochie Man" is a blues standard written by Willie Dixon and first performed by Muddy Waters in 1954 . The song was a major hit upon its release, reaching #8 on Billboard magazine's Black Singles chart...
", was shelved in favour of a rendition of an old Leadbelly
Leadbelly
Huddie William Ledbetter was an iconic American folk and blues musician, notable for his strong vocals, his virtuosity on the twelve-string guitar, and the songbook of folk standards he introduced....
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!
Ready Steady Go!
Ready Steady Go! or simply RSG! was one of the UK's first rock/pop music TV programmes. It was conceived by Elkan Allan, head of Rediffusion TV. Allan was assisted by record producer/talent manager Vicki Wickham, who became the producer. It was broadcast from August 1963 until December 1966...
. Their second record, "Oh My Love", was another blues cover. Like its predecessor (and subsequent releases), it failed to chart.
The Artwoods were dropped by Decca at the end of 1966, and they signed a one-record deal with Parlophone
Parlophone
Parlophone is a record label that was founded in Germany in 1896 by the Carl Lindström Company as Parlophon. The British branch was formed in 1923 as "Parlophone" which developed a reputation in the 1920s as a leading jazz label. It was acquired in 1927 by the Columbia Graphophone Company which...
, but their release "What Shall I Do" also had no success. Later in 1967, a final "one-off" single appeared on the Fontana
Fontana Records
Fontana Records is a record label which was started in the 1950s as a subsidiary of the Dutch Philips Records; when Philips restructured its music operations it dropped Fontana in favor of Vertigo Records. In the seventies PolyGram acquired the dormant label....
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
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
, the Yardbirds
The Yardbirds
- Current :* Chris Dreja - rhythm guitar, backing vocals * Jim McCarty - drums, backing vocals * Ben King - lead guitar * David Smale - bass, backing vocals...
or the Birds
The Birds (band)
The Birds were a popular rhythm and blues band in the United Kingdom during the mid 1960s, although they recorded fewer than a dozen songs and released only four singles. Starting out with a hard R&B sound, they later began infusing it with Motown-style vocal harmonies...
(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 Downliners Sect
Downliners Sect
The Downliners Sect were a British rhythm and blues band of the beat boom era, formed in 1963 when the existing Downliners band split up.Stylistically, they were similar to The Yardbirds, The Pretty Things and the Rolling Stones, playing basic R&B on their first album The Sect...
. Keef Hartley went on to play with John Mayall's Bluesbreakers and Jon Lord became a founder member of Deep Purple
Deep Purple
Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in Hertford in 1968. Along with Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, they are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal and modern hard rock, although some band members believe that their music cannot be categorised as belonging to any one genre...
.
Over the years, there have been two compilations released by the band. In 1983, 100 Oxford Street 1983, including most of their mid-'60s singles and seven songs from Art Gallery, was released by Get Back Records. In 2000, Singles A's & B's, comprising the group's entire single and EP output, was released by Repertoire Records.
Band members
- Art WoodArt WoodArthur "Art" Wood was a British blues, pop and rock singer, who led The Artwoods in the 1960s and subsequently became a graphic artist. He was the brother of Ronnie Wood of The Rolling Stones.-Life:...
- lead vocals (born Arthur Wood, 6 June 1937, in West DraytonWest DraytonWest Drayton is a suburban area in the London Borough of Hillingdon in the far west of London, England. Formerly part of the Yiewsley and West Drayton Urban District of Middlesex, the district became part of Greater London in 1965....
, MiddlesexMiddlesexMiddlesex is one of the historic counties of England and the second smallest by area. The low-lying county contained the wealthy and politically independent City of London on its southern boundary and was dominated by it from a very early time...
died 3 November 2006, in LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
) - Derek Griffiths - lead guitar (born 23 June 1944)
- Jon LordJon LordJonathan Douglas "Jon" Lord is an English composer, pianist and Hammond organ player.Jon Lord, also known as 'Hammond Lord', is a classically trained piano player. He is recognised for his Hammond organ blues-rock sound and for his pioneering work in fusing rock and classical or baroque forms...
- organ (born John Douglas Lord, 9 June 1941, in LeicesterLeicesterLeicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
, LeicestershireLeicestershireLeicestershire is a landlocked county in the English Midlands. It takes its name from the heavily populated City of Leicester, traditionally its administrative centre, although the City of Leicester unitary authority is today administered separately from the rest of Leicestershire...
) - Malcolm PoolMalcolm PoolMalcolm Pool was the bassist with the 1960s R&B group The Artwoods from 1963, until the band split up in 1968....
- bass guitar (born 10 January 1943, in Hayes End, MiddlesexMiddlesexMiddlesex is one of the historic counties of England and the second smallest by area. The low-lying county contained the wealthy and politically independent City of London on its southern boundary and was dominated by it from a very early time...
) - Keef HartleyKeef HartleyKeef Hartley was an English drummer and bandleader. He fronted the Keef Hartley Band, and played at Woodstock. Hartley was later a member of Dog Soldier, and variously worked with Rory Storm, The Artwoods and John Mayall.-Biography:Hartley was born in Preston, Lancashire, England...
- drums (born Keith Hartley, 8 March 1944, in Preston, Lancashire) - Colin Martin - drums
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" (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"/"Al's Party" (Fontana H883) (as St. Valentine's Day Massacre) 1967
E.P.s
- Oh My Love (Decca 457.076 M) 1966
- Jazz In JeansJazz in JeansJazz in Jeans is an EP released by The Artwoods in 1966 by Decca. The album was re-released in 2009 in Japan.-Track listing:#"These Boots Are Made For Walkin'" #"A Taste Of Honey" #"Our Man Flint" #"Routine"...
(Decca DFE 8654) 1966 - I Take What I WantI Take What I WantI Take What I Want is an EP released by The Artwoods in 1966 by Decca. The album was re-released in 2009 in Japan.-Track listing:#"I Take What I Want" #"If I Ever get My Hands On You" #"I Feel Good"...
(Decca DFE 8576) 1966
Albums
- Art Gallery (Decca LK 4830) Nov 1966
- Art Gallery [Reissue] (Repertoire REP4533-WP) 1995
Compilation albums
- 100 Oxford Street (Get Back GET524) 1983
- Singles A's & B's (Repertoire REP4887) 2000
External links
- [ The Artwoods] at Allmusic