Polly Adelaide Hendricks Hazelwood (February 22, 1920 – October 3, 1989), k… Read Full Bio ↴Polly Adelaide Hendricks Hazelwood (February 22, 1920 – October 3, 1989), known professionally as Del Wood, was an American pianist.
Hendricks was born in Nashville, Tennessee. A lifetime resident of Nashville, she was surrounded by the influences of early country music and the remaining vestiges of ragtime, particularly through the guitar pickers. She took up piano at age five, and played ragtime, gospel, and country music. Despite her parent's best efforts to encourage a direction towards classical music, the environment in Nashville, plus the early local programming on radio, convinced her that she wanted to play piano in the honky-tonk style. Her dream goal was the Grand Ole Opry, something she would realize in her early 30s.
Shortening her married name (Adelaide Hazelwood) to something easier to remember (and intentionally non-gender specific), 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 at WLBJ 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 the Tennessee Records label starting in 1951. "Down Yonder" soon became a national hit in both the country and pop categories in Billboard record charts, sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc. She is probably the first female country solo instrumentalist to sell a million copies of a record.
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. Two years later her fame culminated with a contract from RCA 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, sometimes shared with junior fellow plunker Jo Ann Castle. She was also divorced from her stage-namesake, Carson Hazelwood, during this period, but not before adopting a son they named Wesley.
During the Vietnam 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 a stroke on October 3, 1989 at the age of 69.
She was interred in the Mount Olivet Cemetery in Nashville.
Hendricks was born in Nashville, Tennessee. A lifetime resident of Nashville, she was surrounded by the influences of early country music and the remaining vestiges of ragtime, particularly through the guitar pickers. She took up piano at age five, and played ragtime, gospel, and country music. Despite her parent's best efforts to encourage a direction towards classical music, the environment in Nashville, plus the early local programming on radio, convinced her that she wanted to play piano in the honky-tonk style. Her dream goal was the Grand Ole Opry, something she would realize in her early 30s.
Shortening her married name (Adelaide Hazelwood) to something easier to remember (and intentionally non-gender specific), 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 at WLBJ 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 the Tennessee Records label starting in 1951. "Down Yonder" soon became a national hit in both the country and pop categories in Billboard record charts, sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc. She is probably the first female country solo instrumentalist to sell a million copies of a record.
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. Two years later her fame culminated with a contract from RCA 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, sometimes shared with junior fellow plunker Jo Ann Castle. She was also divorced from her stage-namesake, Carson Hazelwood, during this period, but not before adopting a son they named Wesley.
During the Vietnam 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 a stroke on October 3, 1989 at the age of 69.
She was interred in the Mount Olivet Cemetery in Nashville.
The Bells Of St. Mary's
Del Wood Lyrics
We have lyrics for 'The Bells Of St. Mary's' by these artists:
Aaron Neville The Bells of St. Mary, Ah, hear they are calling, The young…
Aaron Neville (Holiday) The Bells of St. Mary, Ah, hear they are calling, The youn…
Andy Williams The Bells of St. Mary's Ah, hear they are calling The youn…
Bing Crosby The Bells of St. Mary's Ah, hear they are calling The young…
Bing Crosby & John Scott Trotter & His Orchestra The Bells of St. Mary's Ah, hear they are calling The youn…
Bing Crosby & John Scott Trotter And His Orchestra The Bells of St. Mary's Ah, hear they are calling The young…
Bing Crosby John Scott Trotter And His Orchestra The Bells of St. Mary's Ah, hear they are calling The youn…
Bing Crosby; John Scott Trotter The Bells of St. Mary's Ah, hear they are calling The young…
Bob B Soxx The Bells of St. Mary, Ah, hear they are calling, The young…
Bob B. Soxx and the Bluejeans The Bells of St. Mary, Ah, hear they are calling, The young…
Clyde McPhatter & The Drifters The bells of St.Mary's I hear they are calling The young lov…
Connie Francis The bells of St. Mary's Ah! hear they are calling The youn…
Leo Sayer He used to play mouth-organ in a folk club In a…
Perry Como Ring out, ring out, Ring out sweet bells! The…
Perry Como & The Ray Charles Singers Ring out, ring out, Ring out sweet bells! The…
Phil Spector And Artists The Bells of St. Mary, Ah, hear they are calling, The young…
Sam Cooke The bells of St. Mary's I hear they are calling The young…
Sheryl Crow The bells Of St. Mary's Ah Here they Are calling The yo…
The Drifters The bells of St.Mary's I hear they are calling The young lov…
Vera Lynn The bells of St. Mary's Ah! hear they are calling The young…
クライド・マクファッター & The Drifters The bells of St.Mary's I hear they are calling The young lov…
We have lyrics for these tracks by Del Wood:
The lyrics are frequently found in the comments by searching or by filtering for lyric videos
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