Jamie Wood is a blues vocalist whose sound draws on Chicago, Kansas City and West Coast blues, as well as 1940s jazz and post-war swing. Her style is rooted in a small-combo rhythm-section approach, and her repertoire and influences place her within blues, swing and boogie traditions.

Background and style

Wood’s singing is shaped by what is described as her southern heritage and by a stage presence suited to blues performance. Her influences include Ella Mae Morse, Ernestine Anderson, Anita O’Day, Big Mama Thornton, Dinah Washington, Helen Humes, Julia Lee, Jimmy Rushing and Louis Jordan. More contemporary influences include William Clarke, Junior Watson, Kim Wilson, Rick Estrin, Hollywood Fats, Charlie Musselwhite and the Mighty Flyers.

Recording and band projects

She first records in 1990 and works with a rotating group of blues and jazz musicians over the years. Her band has included Martin Gagnon, Nathan James, Carl Sonny Leyland, Tyler Pedersen, Johnny Morgan, Hal Smith, Johnny Rover, Jeff Peterson, Ron Dziubla, Bill Churchville, Jim Klingler, Colin Perry, Costa Zafiropoulos and Ben Caissie.

With her husband, pianist Martin “Daddy-O” Gagnon, she forms Jamie Wood & the Good Rockin Daddys. That group includes Henry Carvajal on guitar, Hank Van Sickle on stand-up bass and Ed Mann on drums.

Releases

Wood appears on the Pacific Blues Recording Co. compilation That Left Coast Is Swingin in 1999 alongside Kid Ramos, Lynwood Slim, Rick Holmstrom and San Pedro Slim. In 2001, Flyin’ High appears on Bluestime Records in Brazil. Her album Ain’t No Doubt About It appears on Pacific Blues in the United States in 2003 and is also distributed in Europe through Crosscut Records, Red Lick, El Toro and Bertus. Hollywood Confidential follows in 2005 and adds saxophone, trumpet and clarinet on selected tracks, with Ron Dziubla, Bill Churchville, Anita Thomas and jazz drummer Hal Smith among the featured players.

Live work and recognition

In 1996, Wood appears at BB King’s in Universal City, California, as one of three women representing female blues vocalists at a Willie Dixon Foundation event organised by the Southern California Blues Society. In 2001 she becomes the first female performer to front a band at the 13th annual Battle of the Blues Harps in Southern California.

She performs at a number of festivals in 2003, including the Doheny Blues Festival, the Bakersfield Smooth Jazz & Cool Blues Festival, the North Hollywood Blues Splash, the CHOC Ride & Blues Festival and the 15th Annual Battle of the Blues Harps, alongside artists such as Buddy Guy, John Hammond, Jonny Lang, Jimmie Vaughan, Dr. John, James Harman, the Jazz Crusaders, Wayman Tisdale, Little Charlie & the Nightcats, Rod Piazza, Paul Oscher, Eric Burdon & the Animals and Eric Sardinas.

She divides her time between the United States and Quebec, Canada from 2005 to 2008, performing with Quebec blues and jazz musicians including Colin Perry, Costa Zafiropoulos, Ben Caissie, Mike Reilly, Peter Mika, Frankie Thiffault and Kim Richardson. During that period she also appears at France’s Bay Car Blues Festival. In 2006 she is nominated for the Lys Blues Award, and in 2008 she is inducted into the Los Angeles Blues Hall of Fame.

In 2009, Wood and Martin Gagnon perform at the Marco Fiume Blues Passion Festival in Italy with Marco Pandolfi, Anthony Stelmaszack and Eric Thievon.