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.
Wichita Lineman
Del Wood Lyrics
We have lyrics for 'Wichita Lineman' by these artists:
Andy Williams I am a lineman for the county And I drive…
B.E.F. I am a lineman for the county and I drive…
Becki Biggins I am a lineman for the county And I drive the…
Cash I am a lineman for the county and I drive…
Celtic Thunder I am a lineman for the county. And I drive the…
Clouds I am the lineman for the county And I drive the…
Dan Navarro I am a lineman for the county And I drive the…
Dennis Brown I am a lineman for the county And I drive…
Dwight Yoakam I am a lineman for the county And I drive the…
Freedy Johnston I am a lineman for the county And I drive the…
Graham BLVD I am a lineman for the county And I drive…
Herbert Vianna I am a lineman for the county And I drive the…
Horst Jankowski I am a lineman for the county And I drive…
Horst Jankowski And His Studio Orchestra I am a lineman for the county And I drive…
Ituana I am a lineman for the county And I drive the…
Jack Greene I am a lineman for the county and I drive…
Jimmy Barnes & David Campbell I am a lineman for the county And I drive the…
Johnny Harris I am a lineman for the county And I drive…
José Feliciano I am a lineman for the county And I drive the…
Jose Feliciano I am a lineman for the county And I drive…
Kathryn Rose I am a lineman for the county And I drive the…
Kool & The Gang I am a lineman for the county And I drive…
Linda Bruner I am a lineman for the county And I drive the…
McGinty & White I am a lineman for the county And I drive…
Mendes Sergio He is a lineman for the county. And I drive the…
Optiganally Yours I am a lineman for the county And I drive the…
R.D. Shannon I am a lineman for the county and I drive…
Rita Wilson I am a lineman for the county And I drive…
Scud Mountain Boys I am a lineman for the county. And I drive the…
Sergio Mendes He is a lineman for the county And he drives the…
Sergio Mendes feat. Brazil '66 He is a lineman for the county. And I drive the…
Simone Kopmajer My man′s a lineman for the county And he drives the…
Smokey Robinson & The Miracles I am a lineman for the county And I drive…
Smokey Robinson and The Miracles I am a lineman for the county And I drive…
Tom Jones I am a lineman for the county, and I drive…
Tony Joe White I am a lineman for the county. And I drive the…
Torun Eriksen Wichita Lineman - Torun Eriksen I am a lineman for the…
Urge Overkill I am a lineman for the county and I drive the…
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
More Genres
No Artists Found
More Artists
Load All
No Albums Found
More Albums
Load All
No Tracks Found
Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Search results not found
Song not found