BOBBY WOOD CELEBRATED AS “NASHVILLE CAT” AT COUNTRY MUSIC HALL OF FAME & MUSEUM

Garth Brooks was hardly surprised when keyboardist Bobby Wood, who has played on all his recording sessions, was honored as a “Nashville Cat” at the Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum on August 17.  But he was thrilled to attend the celebration where Wood received the much-deserved honor.

“I’m not sure there’s a player that’s played on bigger records than Bobby Wood,” Garth said, listing the huge hits graced with his remarkable touch on the keyboard—“Suspicious Minds,” “Hooked on a Feeling,” “Sweet Caroline,” and “The Dance,” to name a few.  

The Nashville Cats series shines a spotlight on the supremely talented musicians and session singers who have left their indelible mark on country music with every note, rhythm, and lick.   Through in-depth, one-on-one interviews, the honorees share their stories, accompanied by recordings, photos, and video clips.  Bobby Wood joined the ranks of other “Nashville Cats” including Harold Bradley, James Burton, Eddie Bayers, Lloyd Green, and Jerry Kennedy.

Born and raised in Mississippi, Bobby Wood moved to Memphis after high school to pursue a career in music.  While recuperating from a car wreck in 1964, he turned his attention away from being a recording artist and focused on session work and songwriting.  He became a member of the Memphis Boys, a group of studio musicians at American Sound Studio who recorded hit songs by Elvis Presley, Neil Diamond, Wilson Pickett, and Dusty Springfield.  The Memphis Boys played on 120 songs in the Top 100 of the Billboard charts between 1967 and 1971.

After he moved to Nashville, Wood recorded with luminaries including Willie Nelson, B.J. Thomas, Johnny Cash, Ronnie Milsap, Merle Haggard, Kris Kristofferson, Billy Joe Royal, Waylon Jennings, and Tammy Wynette.  He met Garth in 1989 and has been part of his studio band, the G-Men, ever since.  He was also a co-writer, with Garth and John Peppard, on “In Another’s Eyes.”

Bobby Wood is a two-time inductee to the Musicians Hall of Fame in Nashville.  He was inducted with the Memphis Boys in 2007 and with Garth and the G-Men in 2016.