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Del Wood | |
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| Also known as | Del Wood |
| Born | Polly Adelaide Hendricks (1920-02-22)February 22, 1920 |
| Died | October 3, 1989(1989-10-03) (aged 69) |
| Genres | Country,honky tonk,ragtime |
| Instrument | Piano |
| Years active | 1951–1989 |
| Labels | Tennessee Records |
| Awards |
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Polly Adelaide Hendricks Hazelwood (February 22, 1920 – October 3, 1989),[1] known professionally asDel Wood, was an Americanpianist.[2][3]
Hendricks was born inNashville, Tennessee. A lifetime resident of Nashville, she was surrounded by the influences of early country music and the remaining vestiges ofragtime, particularly through the guitar pickers. She took up piano at age five, and playedragtime,gospel, andcountry music. Despite her parents' best efforts to encourage a direction towardsclassical music, the environment in Nashville, plus the early local programming on radio, convinced her that she wanted to play piano in thehonky-tonk style.[4] Her dream goal was theGrand Ole Opry, something she would realize in her early 30s.[4]
Shortening her married name (Adelaide Hazelwood) to something easier to remember, Wood began playing in bands and honky-tonk joints in her 20s. After a decade of building repertoire and reputation, she spent some time as a staff pianist atWLBJ in Bowling Green, Kentucky. It was there that she was heard playing "Down Yonder" among other pieces, which led to a gig with a recording group called Hugh "Baby" Jarrett and his Dixieliners. This led to the first of many recording sessions for theTennessee Records label starting in 1951. "Down Yonder" soon became a national hit in both the country and pop categories inBillboardrecord charts, sold over one million copies, and was awarded agold disc.[5] She is probably the first female country solo instrumentalist to sell a million copies of arecord.[5]
This success was turned into appearances on the Grand Ole Opry starting in 1952, which led to an eventual full-time gig there in 1953, fulfilling her long-time dream.[1] Two years later her fame culminated with a contract fromRCA Victor Records, where she would make some of the first country/honky-tonk stereo recordings in the late 1950s. While nothing else that she put out had the same success as "Down Yonder", her offerings over the next decade were frequent and consistent. Wood gained the title, Queen of the Ragtime Pianists,[1] sometimes shared with junior fellow plunkerJo Ann Castle. She was also divorced from her stage-namesake, Carson Hazelwood, during this period, but not before adopting a son they named Wesley.
In 1984, Del Wood appeared in the movieRhinestone, starringDolly Parton andSylvester Stallone as the pianist in the Wild Possums Band.
During theVietnam War, Wood was part of one of the Grand Ole Opry package tours that entertained troops overseas in 1968. Her recordings after the late 1960s were infrequent at best, but her appearances on the Opry continued until just before her death from astroke on October 3, 1989, at the age of 69.[1]
She was interred in theMount Olivet Cemetery in Nashville.
Wood was posthumously inducted to the Volunteer State Music Hall of Fame in 2026.[6]
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