Woody Simmons, best known for her unique banjo style, began her career writing and singing radio commercials in Seattle. Woody first appeared on Olivia Records playing banjo on Cris Williamson's Changer and the Changed (Olivia 1975) and subsequently toured the west coast with Ms. Williamson's band, playing guitar, banjo, piano, and singing background vocals.

Woody's first album, Oregon Mountains (Deep River) debuted in 1977 and her second album Woody Simmons (Deep River) was released in 1980. In 1988, FRETS Magazine named Oregon Mountains one of 12 landmark banjo albums. Albums were chosen "to highlight banjo albums that influenced the evolution of the instrument in other directions".

In 1978, Woody became a staff engineer at John Altmann Recording in San Francisco, and worked on projects that included Diane Lindsay (Open Up 1984), Alix Dobkin (Never Been Better 1985) Ancient Future, Malvina Reynolds, Roy Loney and The Phantom Movers, and Robinflower among others. Woody recorded her first two albums there, assisting with engineering and mixing Woody Simmons (1980). During those years, Woody also toured the United States extensively playing at colleges, clubs and music festivals as part of the feminist music network.

In 2006, Woody appeared with Cris Williamson at the Herbst Theatre in San Francisco and in Seattle celebrating the 30th anniversary of Changer and The Changed.  In January of 2008, Woody along with 14 other women musicians performed at the Brava Theatre in San Francisco to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Oregon Mountains, as well as the release of Woody’s newest CD, Mile by Mile.

Between 2002 and 2012 Woody recorded with many artists in her studio The Vu  including Kitty Rose, Greatest Hits (2007), Marca Cassity,  Deeper (2006),  and Jen Todd.

In February of 2010, Woody was part of a group of artists to raft down the Grand Canyon. Ed George filmed the trip and the subsequent film ‘Chasing the Light’ was completed in 2011. Woody wrote and performed the music for the film and also mixed the sound track in her studio in Pacifica. The film was an official selection in the Banff Mountain Film Festival 2011. Woody worked on two other films with Ed, ‘Trout Grass’ (2005) and a documentary on wildlife photographer, Tom Mangelsen. Ed George passed away in March 2016.

Mile by Mile (Deep River 2008) and newly remastered BanjoRama (Deep River 2001), a collection of banjo instrumentals spanning  2 1/2 decades, are available through CDBaby.com.  

For more information on Woody’s  film, cd and television credits, see Disco.