Biography
Raised in a strict Christian family, Woody was forbidden to listen to anything except gospel, and had to listen to R&B music in secret. He met future Dru Hill band-mate Mark Sisqó Andrews in middle school, and in 1995, he, Sisqo, Larry 'Jazz' Anthony, and 'Tamir Nokio Ruffin' founded the group and began performing around the Baltimore area. Originally a gospel group, Dru Hill soon moved into R&B, at the chagrin of Woody's mother, Joan Green, who promptly and literally pulled the 15-year-old out of the group. Only in reluctance did she allow Woody to rejoin the group, which was signed to Island Records in 1996.
Woody served as the group's primary songwriter during its early days, and has always been as the group's most spiritually-grounded member. While Dru Hill enjoyed mainstream success during the late-1990s, Woody felt uneasy about leaving gospel music behind. After the group had to dodge gunshots while on tour in Paris, France, Woody felt convinced that he needed to leave the group, and quit on the set of the music video shoot for Wild Wild West (1999), a Will Smith song which featured Dru Hill as guest vocalists.
Dru Hill tried to continue as a trio, but decided that they needed Woody back in the group. Newly reorganized Island Def Jam Records set up the "Dru World Order" project, allowing each member to record a solo album bare the next Dru Hill album was recorded in November 2000. Woody recorded his debut solo album, Soul Music',' but its release was continually delayed by Def Jam/ Def Soul, because of the success of Sisqó's Unleash the Dragon album and its singles.
Woody got a release from Def Jam for his solo deal, and issued Soul Music on Kirk Franklin's "Gospocentric Records" in May 2002. The album was moderately successful within the gospel scene, reaching #5 on the gospel charts. Soul Music was dedicated to the memory of Woody's mother, who died of cancer the year before, and features Woody's cover version of her favorite gospel song, "I Won't Complain".
After the release of Soul Music, Woody returned to Def Soul and re-joined Dru Hill for the Dru World Order LP. That album's "My Angel" is a dedication to his mother, and precedes "How Could You", the first gospel track to appear on a Dru Hill album.
