The Magic And Music Of Santa Cruz Woody

If you’re drivin’ down the road
You’ll miss the gnomes and the fairies
And you won’t get a chance
To eat the yummy blackberries.

So take a tip from me –
Throw away your keys –
Stop and feel the sun
And hear the whispering breeze.

Dave “Woody” Wood has been Singing For Peace (the name of his first album) and working for social justice most of his life. Whether in the Midwest and environs or out in sunny California, his sonorous voice, accompanied by acoustic folk guitar, bridges our common humanity and reaches our hearts with a message of love. In It’s Magic (above), he’s challenging us to take time to notice the miraculous beauty around us.

We first met Woody at a local fundraiser for Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich. My husband tapped this tall, bearded man in a wide-brimmed straw hat on the shoulder and said,

“You look like an interesting person!”

to which Woody responded,

“Thank you … can I sing you a song?”

And in that crowded Veteran’s Hall above the noise of enthusiastic political supporters, we were first introduced to Woody’s transformative music, a cappella.

Lyrics and melody hold prominent places in his work. Take his song (excerpt), Thank You, Mother:

Sparkling streams
Dancing butterflies
Red-headed woodpecker
Dashing through the sky.

Clouds so white
Skies sapphire blue
Winds caress the leaves
Whisper ‘I love you.’

Thank you, Mother
For giving me birth
Thank you, Mother
For all life on earth.

Thank you, Mother
For giving us birth
Thank you, Mother
For all life on earth.

Listen to the full song:

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Though he sings here of Mother Earth, at his mother’s recent memorial service, he personalized this for her, bringing tears to the eyes of all present. Each of his songs has a compelling story behind it that he shares with his audience wherever he performs.

Pinot noir grapes in Woody's Branciforte Creek Vineyard

Aside from singing and being an all-around-great person, Woody is a pre-eminent grape grower. His Branciforte Creek 2005 yield received the Double Gold Medal in the 2008 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition and highest national wine honors. One critic waxed lyrical in her description of this pinot noir:

His wine wants to dance in your mouth, swirling every color of scarf in the wind and turning the perfect pirouette, over and over again. The aromas are so earthy, with that hint of mushroom … plus lovely blackberries and strawberries.

So if you’re in Santa Cruz and happen to see a small blue mini-van with a bumper sticker reading:

I’M ALREADY AGAINST THE NEXT WAR

you’ll know it’s Woody … and you may even remember a few bars from his song about magic and

… the yummy blackberries.

Please contact: imagesforrenewal@gmail.com to purchase Woody’s CD.

If you enjoyed this, you’ll want to read Woody’s lyrics to Que Bonito El Mundo.

Tagged as: Branciforte Creek Vineyard, folk music, Mother Earth, peace, Santa Cruz Woody, social justice