2021 Obit: Tim Wood (UK)

Subject: Obit: 2021 Tim Wood (UK)
From: Tony Rees
Date: 15 Nov 21 - 04:46 PM

I heard via Facebook from a mutual friend, Jon Strong from Leeds, that Tim Wood, singer & songwriter from the north of England, passed away early morning Sunday 14th November. I remember seeing Tim a number of times while I was at Leeds studying in the mid 70s, also in the early 80s in London I think. A fine performer and writer of his own material, including one song "Freeman" that became quite well known via performances by Kieran Halpin, see this other mudcat thread. I haven't been in the UK since '86 but he is certainly one of the performers I remember. (No other personal connection, but a loss to the local scene).

He recorded one album "Getting Your Own Back" on Celtic Music in 1982 featuring Tom McConville and others that I have, also another one "The Whisper" on Dogwood Music in 1985, that I have not heard... I am sure that others who know more about Tim and his music can comment further.

Regards from Australia and condolences to his family and friends - Tony Rees

Subject: RE: Obit: 2021 Obit: Tim Wood (UK)
From: Felipa
Date: 15 Nov 21 - 06:11 PM

I'm sorry to read this news, Tony. I have one Tim Wood lp (which includes the song Freeman) and I happened to think of him just Sunday when I listened to a video of Chris Wood singing. Are they related?

Subject: RE: Obit: 2021 Obit: Tim Wood (UK)
From: Tony Rees
Date: 15 Nov 21 - 08:30 PM

Hi Felipa - RE Tim Wood <> Chris Wood being related... I don't know, sorry.

Meanwhile a couple of pics of Tim Wood that I put up on Wikimedia Commons a year or so back:

1981-2 at the Packhorse, Leeds (?), with Jon Strong

1982 at the Leeds Folk Festival, Temple Newsam House as I recall.

I don't know who made his guitar but it looked and sounded beautiful.

Regards - Tony

Subject: RE: Obit: 2021 Obit: Tim Wood (UK)
From: Tony Rees
Date: 15 Nov 21 - 08:51 PM

Just done a little searching on youtube... most or all of his first album is uploaded via this user's channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnR2cnL_79z3oc9vL4Z8saA

Plus a very few live clips, I will add the links to this thread when I have some more time.

- Tony

Subject: RE: 2021 Obit: Tim Wood (UK)
From: Tony Rees
Date: 16 Nov 21 - 01:03 AM

I found out that Tim released at leased one further CD, "The Obvious Rhyme", around 2002, after an absence from playing for some years (possibly due to illness??). Meanwhile here are the other Youtube clips I have located:

several songs (11+ minutes) live at "Folk Fairport" Cafe (Amsterdam??), 1983 - "Long Distance Love" + more

"Jesus" from "The Whisper"

"Mexico" from "The Obvious Rhyme", with accompanying montage of various images

- then a bit of chronological gap...

next: "Folk Fairport Revival 2013 Kieran Halpin, Paul Stephenson, Tim Wood and Jon Strong" - 16 mins+ - includes Tim from around 8.00 mins in (and possibly elsewhere)

then 8 songs at a 2014 concert labelled "Fairport Reunion", maybe Holland again -uploads courtesy of Spike Ricketts:

013, 014, 015, 016, 017, 018, 019, 020,

Plus another set, same festival:
048, 049, 050, 051, 052

I have not checked the titles of the clips shown above, others may like to do so!

So a bit more than I was expecting to find... maybe I will download the Dutch clips and splice them together to make a couple of seamless sets for my own future reference. Anyway, in all a nice tribute to Tim's songwriting and performance skills.

Subject: RE: 2021 Obit: Tim Wood (UK)
From: Tony Rees
Date: 16 Nov 21 - 01:41 AM

Sorry, forgot the link to the mini-doco "Folk Fairport Revival 2013 Kieran Halpin, Paul Stephenson, Tim Wood and Jon Strong" - it is here.

- Tony

Subject: RE: 2021 Obit: Tim Wood (UK)
From: Waddon Pete
Date: 16 Nov 21 - 11:04 AM

Sad news. I have added Tim to the "In Memoriam" thread and send my thoughts to all those who know and love him. RIP

Subject: RE: 2021 Obit: Tim Wood (UK)
From: Tony Rees
Date: 16 Nov 21 - 04:41 PM

Jon's original post (with many FaceBook comments from friends and acquaintances) is at https://www.facebook.com/jon.strong.7/posts/10226633183639722 - not sure if you have to be Jon's FaceBook friend to see it, though... perhaps others will let me know. If it is not publicly accessible, I can repeat at least the main post here.

Regards - Tony

Subject: RE: 2021 Obit: Tim Wood (UK)
From: Johnny J
Date: 17 Nov 21 - 05:29 AM

That's sad news.
I saw Tim perform a few times in the eighties. "Free man" was a classic song.

Subject: RE: 2021 Obit: Tim Wood (UK)
From: Tony Rees
Date: 11 Dec 21 - 03:38 AM

Just found out who made Tim's beautiful cutaway dreadnought acoustic guitar, the one he used all of the time in the mid 70s to 1980s to my knowledge, as seen in several images (including my photo on Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tim_Wood,_Leeds_Festival_1982.jpg): a maker called Dexter Johnson in Oregon, who according to the internet, in the 1970s "built around 100 flat top guitars and carved style mandolins". Dexter seems to have made some very fine instruments, as a google images search will attest...

Now there is something I always wondered about!

- Tony

Subject: RE: 2021 Obit: Tim Wood (UK)
From: Tony Rees
Date: 11 Dec 21 - 04:04 PM

Correction to my last post: calling Tim's guitar a "dreadnought" (as per Martin dreads) is a bit incorrect, probably "jumbo" would be better since it has proportions more like a Gibson jumbo, though not as pronounced, see my other photo at https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tim_Wood_and_Jon_Strong,_Leeds_1981-2.jpg (Tim is on the left)... From what I recall, the tone was also something between that of a nice Martin and a Gibson, therefore also very nice!

- Tony

Subject: RE: 2021 Obit: Tim Wood (UK)
From: Tony Rees
Date: 11 Dec 21 - 11:50 PM

Continuing the availability of Tim's works... the whole of "The Whisper" album from 1985 can be heard on Youtube here :)

Regards - Tony

Subject: RE: 2021 Obit: Tim Wood (UK)
From: GUEST,Tony Mannion
Date: 24 Oct 24 - 12:43 PM

Will never forget Tim Wood's songwriting ability to paint a situation, a moment, as happens in ordinary life ,with the deepest insight and it's atmosphere.The Greatest Undiscovered lyricist and musician in my humble opinion.The supreme "artist of the bar"

Subject: RE: 2021 Obit: Tim Wood (UK)
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 01 Nov 24 - 07:39 AM

I remember Tim. For a while he was friends with Roger Brain - Sunjay's Dad back in the 70's.
At Roger's recommendation I went to see his gig at Dave and Ruth Coopers old Robin Hood club in Brinsley. I remember being immensely impressed by Tim's good humoured presentation and musicianship. I suppose like a lot of other people, England's dwindling club scene must have given Tim pause for thought about basing a career on it.

I'm sorry. We lost track of a great talent.