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.
Tumbling Tumbleweeds
Del Wood Lyrics
We have lyrics for 'Tumbling Tumbleweeds' by these artists:
asleep at the wheel See them tumbling down Pledging their love to the ground Lon…
Billy And The HillBillies I'm a roaming cowboy riding all day long, Tumbleweeds around…
Bing Crosby I'm a roaming cowboy riding all day long, Tumbleweeds aroun…
Bing Crosby/John Scott Trotter and His Orchestra I'm a roaming cowboy riding all day long, Tumbleweeds around…
Bing Crosby/My Favorite Country Songs I'm a roaming cowboy riding all day long, Tumbleweeds aroun…
Bob Nolan See them tumbling down, Pledging their love to the ground! L…
Burl Ives I'm a roaming cowboy riding all day long Tumbleweeds around …
Dale Evans & Roy Rogers [feat. Sons Of The Pioneers] See them tumbling down Pledging their love to the ground! Lo…
Eddy Arnold See them tumbling down pledgin' their love to the ground Lon…
Frankie Laine See them tumbling down Pledging their love to the ground Lon…
Frankie Lane See them tumbling down Pledging their love to the ground L…
Gatlin Brothers See them tumbling down, Pledging their love to the ground! L…
Gene Autry See them tumbling down Pledging their love to the ground Lon…
Gordon MacRae I'm a roaming cowboy riding all day long, Tumbleweeds around…
Hank Snow See them tumbling down, Pledging their love to the ground! L…
Jo Stafford I'm a roaming cowboy riding all day long, Tumbleweeds around…
Larry Gatlin & The Gatlin Brothers See them tumbling down, Pledging their love to the ground! L…
Leo Kottke See them tumbling down Pledging their love to the ground L…
Leon Russell I'm a roaming cowboy riding all day long, Tumbleweeds around…
Marty Robbins See then tumbling down Pledging their love to the ground Lon…
Meat Puppets I keep rolling along Deep in my heart is a song Here…
Michael Martin Murphey I'm a roaming cowboy riding all day long, Tumbleweeds aroun…
Michael Nesmith See them rolling around Pledging their love to the ground …
Michael Nesmith & The First National Band See them rolling around Pledging their love to the ground He…
Michael Nesmith And The First National Band See them rolling around Pledging their love to the ground …
Moe Bandy I'm a roaming cowboy riding all day long, Tumbleweeds around…
Patti Page See then tumbling down Pledging their love to the ground Lon…
Perry Como See them tumbling down, Pledging their love to the ground! L…
Riders In The Sky I'm a roaming cowboy riding all day long Tumbleweeds around …
Roy Rogers See them tumbling down, Pledging their love to the ground! L…
Roy Rogers & The Sons of the Pioneers See them tumbling down, Pledging their love to the ground! …
Roy Rogers & The Sons Of The Pioneers with Ralph Edwards See them tumbling down, Pledging their love to the ground! L…
Roy Rogers and The Sons Of The Pioneers See them tumbling down Pledging their love to the ground! Lo…
Roy Rogers Dale Evans See them tumbling down, Pledging their love to the ground! L…
Slim Whitman Tumbling Tumbleweeds See them tumbling down Pledging their …
Snow Hank See them tumbling down, Pledging their love to the ground! L…
Sons of The Pioneers See them tumbling down Pledging their love to the ground! Lo…
Tennessee Ernie Ford See them tumbling down Pledging their love to the ground L…
The Gatlin Brothers See them tumbling down, Pledging their love to the ground! L…
The Pied Pipers I'm a roaming cowboy riding all day long, Tumbleweeds aroun…
The Pied Pipers & Jo Stafford I'm a roaming cowboy riding all day long, Tumbleweeds around…
The Sons Of The Pioneers See them tumbling down Pledging their love to the ground! Lo…
The Supremes See them tumbling down Pledging their love to the ground L…
The Westerns See them tumbling down, Pledging their love to the ground! …
Whitman Slim Tumbling Tumbleweeds See them tumbling down Pledging their …
Willie Nelson I'm a roaming cowboy riding all day long, Tumbleweeds around…
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Lawrence Calablaster
I just want to see the behind-the-scenes footage of getting a camera to stay inside of a tumbleweed.
Randomcat Meow
Lawrence Calablaster 😂😂😂 now you say it, i wanna see it too
tehguitarque
I sense zip ties were involved
Ryan Sawhill Aroha
Ditto.
Tien cupquake
zip ties and a go pro
Kennnnnn
I read this as "behind-the-scene footage of getting a camera MAN to stay inside" ROFL
JJ
Pretty cool, I've always assumed that tumbleweeds were just a clumped up variety of dead plants, not an actual plant on its own. :)
unpeeled potato
me, you, and 74 other people thought the same, and thought wrong; this mini documentary increased my vast knowledge, i really enjoyed it XD
ChainsawG0d
Wooow, that is s cool idea
Caleb Riggins
They look like one plant