BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
Neil Woodward
BRIDGE
Neil Woodward is Michigan’s Troubadour. For over thirty years he has
shared folk music’s warmth and wisdom with Great Lakes audiences. In
such historic surroundings as Crossroads Village and Huckleberry Railroad,
Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village, and in schools and libraries lake-to-lake,
his vast repertoire, musical skills and enthusiasm bring to life the Michigan
experience for people from around the world.
In 2003 the Legislature of the State of Michigan officially named Neil Woodward
Michigan’s Troubadour in recognition of his life long commitment to
preservation of Great Lakes folk music and culture.
The Arts Foundation of Michigan (now ArtServe Michigan) with their Creative
Artist Grant Award recognized Neil’s own compositions as continuing
contributions to the troubadour’s tradition, an artistic chronicle
of significant individuals and events. His songs, recordings and concerts
have earned him nine Detroit Music Awards. His traditional recordings are
catalogued by the Library of Congress Office of Folklife, and by the Library
and the Archives of the State of Michigan.
Neil’s experience in performance, research, writing, arranging, theatre,
audio and video production, and his widely acknowledged skill with over
a dozen musical instruments offer a unique perspective to his many private
students. His school programs bring our culture into focus for pre-school
through college level. In venues as diverse as the Rock and Roll Hall of
Fame, Michigan Historical Center, Detroit Institute of Arts, Northern Michigan
campgrounds and lighthouses, and community schools of Davison, Detroit,
Kentwood and Alpena, Neil’s performances pay tribute to light keepers,
migrant workers, sailors, soldiers, teachers, mothers, fathers, lumberjacks,
railroaders, farmers, hobos and auto workers.
Discography
Recordings by Neil Woodward
Warm Winter Night, 2007
Way of the Rail, 2006
Michigan-I-A, 2005
Peace TROUBLES, 2001
Old Timers, 1999
A Cup of Kindness, music for the season of joy, 1997
In The Year Of The Dog, 1994
Life, Love and Food Songs, 1992
Dog Songs and Other Distractions, 1989
Crossroads Serenade, 1986
Professional Associations
American Federation of Musicians
Ann Arbor Federation of Musicians
North American Folk Music and Dance Alliance
Historical Society of Michigan
ArtServe Michigan
Michigan Historical Center
Michigan Humanities Council
Black
Dog Records and Tapes
P.O. Box 293
Cohoctah, Michigan 48816
© 2006 Neil Woodward