Del Wood
Polly Adelaide Hendricks Hazelwood, known professionally as Del Wood, was born
on February 22, 1920, in Nashville, Tennessee. She began playing piano at age
five, influenced by local country music and ragtime. In her 20s, Wood performed
in bands and honky-tonk joints, becoming a staff pianist at WLBJ in Bowling
Green, Kentucky. Her breakthrough came with the release of her recording of
"Down Yonder", which became a national hit, selling over one million copies.
This success led to appearances on the Grand Ole Opry starting in 1952 and a
full-time gig there in 1953. Wood later sig...
