The Wood Brothers

Biography

The Wood Brothers are an American roots music trio formed in 2004 by brothers Oliver and Chris Wood, who grew up in Boulder, Colorado in a creative household. Their father was a molecular biologist who performed classic folk songs at campfires and family gatherings and had occasionally picked with Joan Baez, while their mother was a poet who instilled in them a passion for storytelling. Both brothers bonded over blues legends like Jimmy Reed and Lightnin' Hopkins in their youth, but pursued separate musical paths for over 15 years before reuniting.

Oliver moved to Atlanta where he played guitar in cover bands, eventually earning a spot in blues-rock guitarist Tinsley Ellis's touring act and founding King Johnson, a hard-touring group that released six albums of blues-inflected R&B, funk, and country over 12 years. Chris studied jazz bass at the New England Conservatory of Music, moved to New York City, and in the early 1990s formed Medeski Martin & Wood, which became a cornerstone of contemporary jazz and abstract music. The brothers' musical reunion came on May 24, 2001, when King Johnson opened for Medeski Martin & Wood at Ziggy's in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Oliver sat in with MMW during their headlining set, and the brothers immediately realized the depth of their musical connection, leading to the formation of The Wood Brothers in 2004.

The band, rounded out by multi-instrumentalist Jano Rix who joined in 2010, released their debut album 'Ways Not to Lose' on Blue Note Records in 2006, featuring signature hits like "Luckiest Man" that continue to resonate. Their sound represents a unique fusion of Chris's jazz-influenced forward-thinking musicianship and Oliver's blues and roots background, creating what Chris describes as mixing "Charles Mingus with Robert Johnson or Willie Nelson." An association with Zac Brown, who signed the group to his Southern Ground label, helped expose them to a new audience. Over two decades, the band has evolved sonically while maintaining their American-rooted aesthetic, as evidenced in their recent work that features everything from boisterous horns to slippery synths and global influences spanning multiple continents.

Fun Facts

• The fateful reunion that sparked The Wood Brothers happened on May 24, 2001, at Ziggy's in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, when Oliver's band King Johnson opened for Chris's band Medeski Martin & Wood. Chris recalls: 'I realized we should be playing music together' after Oliver sat in with MMW that night.
• The brothers pursued completely separate musical careers for approximately 15 years—Oliver in Atlanta's blues and roots scene, Chris in New York City's jazz world—before realizing their musical chemistry. Oliver notes this time apart was critical to their eventual sound: 'What that did was allow us to create our own musical identities and sort of grow up and maybe shed some baggage, or just get through our 20s.'
• Their song 'Slow Rise (To The Middle)' is an autobiographical ballad about the band's methodical rise to making and maintaining a stable living from their music, as opposed to an overnight rise to stardom. The band appreciates what they call their 'slow rise to the middle.'
• Oliver's distinctive upper-octave voice lands in what critics describe as 'the sweet spot between high-and-lonesome Southern drawl, Mountainous Appalachian blues singer and smokey jazz crooner,' creating a unique vocal signature for the band.

Musical Connections

Mentors/Influences

• Jimmy Reed - Blues influence that both brothers bonded over in their youth (Classic blues repertoire) [Childhood influence]
• Lightnin' Hopkins - Blues influence that both brothers bonded over in their youth (Classic blues repertoire) [Childhood influence]
• Joan Baez - Folk singer who occasionally played with their father (Folk music tradition) [Family connection during childhood]

Key Collaborators

• Jano Rix - Multi-instrumentalist and percussionist/keyboardist who rounds out the trio (All Wood Brothers albums from 2010 onward) [2010-present]
• John Medeski - Produced The Wood Brothers' first LP and member of Medeski Martin & Wood (Producer of 'Ways Not to Lose' (2006)) [2006]
• Medeski Martin & Wood - Chris Wood's primary band that initially overlapped with The Wood Brothers project (Oliver appeared on MMW's children's album 'Let's Go Everywhere' and at Bob Dylan tribute (2006)) [Early 1990s-present (Chris); 2001-2006 collaboration period (Oliver)]
• Tinsley Ellis - Blues-rock guitarist who employed Oliver Wood in his touring act (Touring performances) [1990s]
• Zac Brown - Signed The Wood Brothers to his Southern Ground label and helped expose them to new audiences ('Smoke Ring Halo' and live albums on Southern Ground Artists) [2011-2012]
• King Johnson - Oliver Wood's band that released six albums before The Wood Brothers (Six albums of blues-inflected R&B, funk and country) [1990s-early 2000s (approximately 12 years)]

Discography

Albums

Top Tracks

1. Luckiest Man (Ways Not To Lose)
2. The Muse (The Muse)
3. Postcards From Hell (Loaded)
4. I Got Loaded (The Muse)
5. Sing About It (The Muse)
6. Pray God Listens
7. Keep Me Around (The Muse)
8. Lovin' Arms (Loaded)
9. Heart is the Hero (Heart is the Hero)
10. One More Day (Ways Not To Lose)

External Links

• Spotify
• [Wikipedia](Not found in search results)
• MusicBrainz

Tags: #folk, #jam-band, #modern-blues