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Johnny Woods

1917 – 1990

American Delta blues singer and harmonica

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About Johnny Woods

Lived 1917 – 1990 (aged 72). Johnny Woods was an American musician, singer and songwriter.

Johnny Woods (November 1, 1917 – February 1, 1990) was an American blues singer and harmonica player in the north Mississippi hill country blues style.

Woods was born in Looxahoma, Mississippi, a small town just west of Mississippi Highway 35. His harmonica playing first gained attention in the 1960s, when he was a duet partner with the guitarist and singer Mississippi Fred McDowell. and as a solo for Tom Pomposello and Fred Seibert of Oblivion Records ("Mississippi Harmonica") in 1972.

Stylistically, Woods's music sprang from the same north Mississippi fife-and-drum blues tradition as McDowell's. However, personal problems kept him rooted in the Delta, primarily working as a farmhand and sharecropper.

After McDowell's death in July 1973, Woods faded into obscurity until George Mitchell paired him again with another Mitchell discovery from the Mississippi Delta, R. L. Burnside, himself a McDowell disciple. They recorded the Swingmaster album and video Going Down South.

Woods died in Olive Branch, Mississippi, in 1990.

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Important facts

People in Johnny Woods's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Johnny Woods's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Johnny Woods?

American Delta blues singer and harmonica

When was Johnny Woods born?

Johnny Woods was born on 1 November 1917 in Mississippi.

When did Johnny Woods die?

Johnny Woods died on 1 February 1990 in Olive Branch.

What was Johnny Woods's occupation?

Johnny Woods was a musician, singer and songwriter.

What nationality was Johnny Woods?

Johnny Woods was American.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Johnny Woods

· Wikidata: Q15438874

· DBpedia: Johnny Woods

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Johnny Woods. https://biography.guide/johnny-woods/

MLA: "Johnny Woods." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/johnny-woods/.

Chicago: "Johnny Woods." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/johnny-woods/.

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