Wood

Led by singer-songwriter James Maddock (b. Leicester, England), Wood is another UK rock act which has found success easier to come by across the Atlantic than in their native country. Maddock, the son of a part-time jazz musician, was besotted from an early age by the mellow sounds of US west coast rock. He moved to London at the age of 20, playing in covers bands on the gruelling pub circuit for several years. Gradually the nucleus of Wood emerged, with Maddock joined by Bill Newsinger (guitar), Jim O’Malley (bass), and Steve Jackson (drums). The quartet’s country-tinged roots rock sound was ignored in the mid-90s rush to sign Britpop bands, but America was more receptive and a major label recording contract with Columbia Records followed. Their polished 1999 debut, Songs From Stamford Hill, was boosted by the inclusion of ‘Stay You’, already well known through its inclusion on the soundtrack to hit television series Dawson Creek.