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.
You Light Up My Life
Del Wood Lyrics
We have lyrics for 'You Light Up My Life' by these artists:
Ace Cannon So Many Nights I Sit By My Window Waiting For Someone To Sin…
Angeline Quinto So many nights I’d sit by my window Waiting for someone…
Anita Sarawak So many nights, I'd sit by my window, Waiting for someone…
Barbra Streisand You light up my life like sunshine in the morning You…
Bianca Ryan So many nights I sit by my window Waiting for someone To sin…
Boone Debby So many nights I'd sit by my window Waiting for someone…
Carola So many nights I sit by my window Waiting for someone…
Carole King You light up my life like sunrise in the morning You…
Debbie Boone So many nights I'd sit by my window Waiting for someone…
Eydie Gorme You light up my life like sunrise in the morning You…
Freya Lin So many nights I'd sit by my window Waiting for someone…
J-Brooks It's something very special Don't happen everyday The only d…
Johnny Mathis So many nights I sit by my window Waiting for…
Kacey Cisyk So many nights I'd sit by my window Waiting for someone To s…
Kasey Cisyk So many nights I'd sit by my window Waiting for someone…
Kenny Rogers So many nights I sit by my window Waiting for someone…
LeAnn Rimes So many nights, I'd sit by my window, Waiting for someone…
Mantovani You light up my life like sunrise in the morning You…
Matt Monro So many nights I sit by my window Waiting for…
Perry Como So many nights I'd sit by my window Waitin' for someone…
Robert Goulet You light up my life like sunrise in the morning You…
Roger Whittaker You light up my life Like sunrise in the morning You make…
Samantha Cole Joseph Brooks So many nights, I sit by my window…
Starlite Singers So many nights I'd sit by my window Waiting for someone…
Starsound Orchestra When I look in your eyes There I see Just…
Syaharani So many nights I'd sit by my window Waiting for someone to…
The Hit Crew So, many nights I'd sit, by my window Waiting, for someone T…
The London Starlight Orchestra and Singers So many nights I'd sit by my window Waiting for someone…
The Love Band So many nights, I'd sit by my window, Waiting for someone…
The Mantovani Orchestra You light up my life like sunrise in the morning You…
The New Country All-Stars A mystery: adrift on a lonely sea If felt like I…
The Romantic Strings & Orchestra You light up my life like sunrise in the morning You…
The Starlite Orchestra & Singers So many nights I'd sit by my window Waiting for someone…
Tori Amos so many nights, i sit by my window waiting for someone…
Various Artists Are you here just to pass the time of day Or…
Westlife So many nights, I'd sit by my window, Waiting for…
Westlife(웨스트라이프) So many nights, I'd sit by my window, Waiting for…
Whitney Houston So many nights I sit by my window Waiting for someone…
林凡 (FREYA LIM) I'd sit by my window, Waiting for someone to sing me…
쁨景콜.金薑뛰 whitney houston So many nights I sit by my window Waiting for someone…
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