Woody Woodmansey’s first introduction into the world of drumming was at the age of 5. Apparently the neighbours had complained to his parents about the noise Woody was making ‘banging on the drums’, ironically he did not have any drums. So his uncle went out and bought him a snare drum and said “go for it kid”… and he did!
After that moment, Woody didn’t encounter music again until he was 15 years old. One of his friends at school had a brother who was in an R&B band in Driffield (the small Yorkshire town where Woody was born.) One day whilst kicking a football outside his friend’s house, Woody bent down to collect the ball which had rolled to the door of ‘The Cave’, the room where the band rehearsed. He was taken by the live music and pestered the band members to let him watch them rehearse. Within a week he had formed his own band called ‘The Mutations.’ The next few years he spent practicing and doing local gigs at pubs, clubs and church halls. The genre was early R&B, think Bo Didley, Smokestack Lightening and Dust My Broom. As with many great bands, The Mutations did end up parting ways and Woody joined the ‘Roadrunners’ – a band who performed R&B as well as Progressive Rock inspired by Cream, Jeff Beck, Free etc.
At the time, Woody was inspired by incredible drummers including Mitch Mitchell, Ginger Baker, Keith Moon, Sandy Nelson and John Bonham. His love for drumming was no longer just a hobby or something ‘fun’ to do… He was getting more serious about pursuing this as a career. So he joined one of the best local bands at the time, called The Rats led by Mick Ronson, a brilliant guitarist. They played mostly Hendrix, Zeppelin, Beck, Cream and blues.
The gigs were definitely better than he had performed before, usually supporting major acts that were playing in the UK at the time.
In 1969, Mick Ronson left Hull to join David Bowie in London. A short time later Bowie phoned Woody and said “Mick says you’re a great drummer, I want you to come and join us.” How could he say no? He moved to the big city and embarked on the greatest musical adventure with David Bowie. The band started out as The Hype, later known as the legendary Spiders from Mars. “It was an adventure beyond my wildest dreams” said Woody. Along with Mick Ronson and Trevor Bolder they helped catapult Bowie to the status of ‘superstar’. “We worked hard and played hard but above all it was fun, I am proud to have helped create such incredible music.” After an incredible time creating albums and touring the world, Woody left the Spiders.
After this period, Woody formed a band called U-Boat. He then moved on to work on a ‘Spiders’ album with Trevor Bolder (the other half of the Bowie rhythm section). And then worked on many musical projects with Dexys Midnight Runners, Art Garfunkel, Paul McCartney, Edgar Winter, Nicky Hopkins, Rita Ora and more.
In 2007, Woody and his sons, Nick and Danny formed a band called 3-D, the unique concept that 3 drummers could be at the forefront of music. They recorded an instrumental drum album called ‘Future Primitive’ which they performed at live shows and festivals.
In 2013, the Latitude Festival dedicated a set to Bowie. Woody and a roster of other musicians joined together to perform ‘The Man Who Sold the World’ album, as it had never been played live before. A year later, the band became more permanent and Tony Visconti (Bowie’s producer and bass player) joined the band playing his own bass parts and reuniting him with Woody, the two original musicians who worked on the album. The band toured the UK, Ireland, Japan and USA performing this incredible album to Bowie fans.
After a 2 year hiatus, due to the pandemic, Woody is still drumming and working on his own musical projects as well as collaborations with fantastic artists.
