Billy Woodward

Rollin' and tumblin' directly from the salty shores of the Chesapeake Bay, Billy Woodward's career in music and art could best be described as an ever evolving hodgepodge of textures, colors and sounds spilling from the fertile soil of his Southern Maryland upbringing mixed with the grit and energy of his current home of Brooklyn, New York. No stranger to personal tragedy, Woodward looked to his adoration of traditional roots music for solace during his darkest days. From Ted Hawkins to John Prine - Tom Waits to Blaze Foley - Swamp Dogg to Sam Cooke, Woodward tugged furiously at the songwriting chops of lauded stars and unsung heroes in the desperate hope of extracting some wisdom to salve the soul. Woodward recorded his debut EP at Sun Studio in Memphis, TN in 2013 while touring with the Broadway musical Million Dollar Quartet. As a lifelong Elvis fan, this experience was not just ground shaking but also garnered an opportunity to tap into the shared energy of a hauntingly unique space. What resulted is a six song sprawl through the weeds of American storytelling. Texturally described as cigarette butts floating in an ashtray full of bourbon, the EP is a conceptually laced tale dressed with murder ballads, hopeful soul music and wrapped in a traditional rock & roll package. It received the award for Best Roots EP at the 13th Annual IMA's and was featured in the PBS series "Sun Sessions'. His past started to catch up with him once Woodward settled into his new home of Brooklvn. The grief of the untimely loss of his Mother in 2011 had taken its toll and Woodward found solace and therapy by dragging his sorry self along the dampened city streets of New York - often in a drunken musical stupor. Performing over many moons at the favorite local underground haunt, 11th Street Bar, he cut his teeth and licked his wounds. Writing all the while. In late 2020, the opportunity presented itself to plunge back into the studio to record the songs he'd written during this period of reflection. What resulted is an 11 song full-length album that follows his rough and tumble journey through the trials and tribulations of grief, desperation and redemption. Produced by John Jackson and mixed by Matt Ross-Spang, the record is a collection of styles and themes that have been the backdrop tapestry for Woodward's life thus far. Holding steady the lantern through the fog and keeping a watchful eye on his pilot light, Woodward pushes forward into the next chapter of his story.