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Michael Woods is a Fingerpicking, Ragtime, Bottleneck & Blues guitarist who has been performing for about 33 years, inspired by the great country blues guitarists like Blind Blake, Blind Boy Fuller & Rev. Gary Davis.
His first floor spot was at the Big Jug folk club in Durham, England. He has guested in clubs across the UK, from Cardiff, Ashington, Gainford, Consett and Cramlington to more high profile appearances, sharing the stage with Dave Peabody & Brendan Power at the Blue Front Blues Room in the Forest of Dean, and with Jacques Stotzem at Cambridge Folk Club finishing the night at both the first Durham Blues Festival and the Cleethorpes Blues Festival in 2011. and performing at the Durham & Cleethorpes blues festivals for a second time in 2016.
His appearance at Cambridge, alongside J Stotzem, Woody Mann and John Renbourn was described as:
“two nights that will inspire any guitarist” (Guitarist, Nov 2000)
At the Colne Blues Festival (Jim’s cafe-1996), reviews included:
“…sensitive East Coast guitar blues … The stand out was a haunting Weeping Willow Blues from Blind Boy Fuller. Beautiful, Mike!”
(Acoustic Blues Magazine)
In 1998 he released his first CD “By a River”, ten original solo guitar instrumentals incorporating elements of country blues & ragtime. The title track has a more traditional flavour and earned him a place as one of only six finalists in the Acoustic Guitarist of the Year competition (1998), held at the National Music Show, Wembley Exhibition Centre where his performance was described as:
“full of lilting passion”. (Guitarist magazine)
“sounds like two guitarists” (Julia Hankin during a live interview on BBC Radio Newcastle)
