The Wizzard of Rock'n'Roll: Roy Wood
Birthday salute to the brainiac co-founder of ELO and The Move
HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Roy Wood, one of my musical heroes and a man who wishes it was Christmas every day. On most lists of one-man-band do-it-yourself wunderkinds, the names Paul McCartney, Moby, Emitt Rhodes, Todd Rundgren and a few other geniuses usually appear. Add to that list Roy Wood, the singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer, Renaissance man, and British rock pioneer who co-founded The Move, Electric Light Orchestra, and Wizzard—with whom he scored big with the Phil Spector-fied “I Wish it Could be Christmas Everyday,” playing every season in the UK and Europe.
Every record Wood has made is a mind-bending journey—a fusion of Britpop, classical, folk, glam, jazz, progressive rock, psychedelia, and retro rock’n’roll.
Outside of his bands, Wood has released a string of solo LPs, of which MUSTARD (1975) and BOULDERS (1973)
are his touchstones. I’ve worn through multiple copies of BOULDERS, excitedly analyzing every detail as Wood topped off his eclectic musicality with love letters to gospel, Celtic, rockabilly, country, and a tribute to The Everly Brothers (Phil Everly later cameo'd on MUSTARD).
Wood also recorded with The Beach Boys, Bo Diddley, Jimi Hendrix, and KISS—and Wood was the last to record with John Bonham.
John Lennon was a big Wood fan, and Wood’s songs have been covered by Rundgren, Amen Corner, Blues Magoos, The Fall, The Flashcubes, Annie Haslam, Jellyfish, Nick Lowe, Marillion, Kylie Minogue, Nashville Teens, Nancy Sinatra, Status Quo, Wilson Phillips, and famously Cheap Trick (they’ve covered 4 Wood songs). Years ago, I did a workshop w/(Cheap Trick drummer) Bun E. Carlos, who told me he owned “the complete works of Roy Wood.” In this clip from 2018, Wood does 2 of his signature songs with Cheap Trick in Wood’s hometown of Birmingham.
Meanwhile, HB RW and thank you for your amazing and prolific run of incredible and exuberant music.
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