PRESS KIT

Bio

Mitch Woods and His Rocket 88s have been the torchbearers of a great American blues musical heritage, not for two years but two decades.

Taking their inspiration from the great jump n’ boogie outfits of the late 40s and early 50s, they breathe fresh life into the music that gave birth to rock n’ roll. Woods styled his group after the jumpin’ n’ jivin’, shoutin’ n’ honkin’, pumpin’ n’ poundin’ bands of Louis Jordan, Wynonie Harris, Joe and Jimmy Liggins, Amos Milburn, and Roy Milton. Adding a healthy dose of New Orleans rhythm and blues, piledrivin’ piano, and some of his own contemporary playful lyrics, Woods and His Rocket 88s forge their own brand of music they call “rock-a-boogie.”

Booking Information

Mitch Woods & his Rocket 88s are available for private parties, corporate events, concerts, festivals and clubs. We will be glad to talk to you about customizing the band for your event requirements, from solo to big band.

Bookings & Questions to Mitch Woods:
Mitch Woods & His Rocket 88s
P.O. Box 545
Mill Valley, CA 94942
Mobile: (415) 606-1882

e-mail: info@mitchwoods.com

Photos

All images below are high-resolution images and available for download.
To Download: click the thumbnail to view a larger version, right click this larger version and select ‘Save Image As’. You may then select the folder where you’d like to save the image to and proceed normally from there.

Musician Mitch Woods and his 1953 Cadillac

Reviews

“It’s not easy to play that Professor Longhair piano lick – those rippling rumba triplets in the right hand against a driving, eight-to-the-bar boogie in the left – but San Francisco’s Mitch Woods plays it as well as anyone outside New Orleans ever has… This may be complicated music to play, but it’s very easy music to hear. There’s something about the syncopated bounce of boogie-woogie that lifts one’s spirits even as it shifts one’s shoulders and hips.”
— Geoffrey Himes, Washington Post

“Mitch Woods…give heart and soul to jump blues… Woods sings with smooth ebullience and hammers the piano keys with the unchecked gaiety of mentors Professor Longhair and Amos Milburn.”
— Frank-John Hadley, Downbeat

“One of the top boogie/blues piano men around…”
— Dan Aquilante, NY Post

“’Keeper Of The Flame has to be one of the most uplifting recordings to have vibrated my woofers in a long time…it’s like witnessing one of those breathtaking moments of music where the unspoken communication and the resulting musical dialogue can raise a goose bump or two. .It has the power to charm and to entertain the power to inspire and to motivate. …Definitely do not miss out.”
— Maureen DelGrosso, Blues Revue

“Your music was great as always! That last set I thought the floor was going to cave in so many people were really dancing their hearts out. You added a great spirit to the evening and everyone enjoyed your music so very much. Thank you and thank you again.”
— Charlene Telford-Tims, Event Chair, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art

Discography

Steady Date with Mitch Woods & His Rocket 88s (1984) – Blind Pig

Mr. Boogie’s Back in Town (1988) – Blind Pig

Solid Gold Cadillac (1991) – Blind Pig

Shakin’ the Shack (1993) – Blind Pig

Keeper of the Flame (1996) – Lightyear

Jump for Joy! (2001) – Blind Pig

Big Easy Boogie (2006) – Club 88 Records

Jukebox Drive (2008) – El Toro

Gumbo Blues (2010) – Club 88 / Vizztone

Blues Beyond Borders, Live in Istanbul (2012) – Club 88 Records / Vizztone

Jammin’ On The High C’s (2015) – Club 88 Records

Promote a Live Date

We encourage you to download either of the two 8.5″ x 11″ PDFs to display at your venue. There’s room at the bottom to fill in the details of dates and times. Please let us know if there is anything we can do to help make the show a success.

Click on the image to open a PDF for download in a new tab.