From:   "Dik de Heer" 
Date:  Sat Feb 22, 2003  1:18 am
Subject:  Born To Be With You : Del Wood
 
DEL WOOD

Born Polly Adelaide Hendricks, 22 February 1920, Nashville, Tennessee
Died 3 October 1989, Nashville, Tennessee

Pianist.

Del Wood is recognized as being the most successful female country
solo instrumentalist. Her stage name was created by combining part of 
her middle name with part of her married name (Hazelwood).
Her parents gave her a piano for her fifth birthday with the hope that she
would become a classical pianist. She had different ideas and aimed for 
a career at the Grand Ole Opry. She developed a thumping ragtime style
that, in 1951, saw her record her version of the old minstrel show tune 
"Down Yonder". Wood's version on the Tennessee label reached # 5 in
the US country charts and # 4 on the pop charts and sold an estimated
three million copies. She was the first female instrumentalist to chalk up 
a million seller.

After guesting on the Opry in 1952 and refusing the chance of playing with
Bob Crosby, she joined the roster in November 1953. Her playing proved 
so popular that she toured with Opry shows, even to Japan. She recorded 
more than sixty singles and twenty-five albums, mostly for major labels -
RCA, Decca, Mercury and Columbia - earning her the sobriquet Queen of
Ragtime Piano. She made a cameo appearance in Dolly Parton's 1984 film
"Rhinestone". Wood remained a member of the Opry until the end of her life.
In 1973 Jerry Lee Lewis made his first and only appearance on the Grand
Ole Opry. He interrupted his performance and called Del Wood, whom he
cited as a primary influence. Together they performed Wood's hit "Down 
Yonder".

CD: Good Time Ragtime (Peter Pan, 1995).