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As a session bassist and a member of the famous Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section (with
Barry Beckett,
Roger Hawkins, and
Jimmy Johnson),
David Hood is widely admired for his craftsmanship and versatility working with an astounding range of musicians in his 40-year career. Born on September 21, 1943, in Sheffield, AL,
Hood played trombone in high school, becoming proficient on bass and guitar as well. While attending the University of North Alabama, he began working with a local group called the Mystics. He gravitated to
Rick Hall's Fame Studio in Muscle Shoals and made his first session appearance playing trombone on James & Bobby Purify's "I'm Your Puppet" in 1966. Switching to bass, he worked sessions at Fame for
Percy Sledge,
Etta James,
Clarence Carter,
Irma Thomas, and
Arthur Conley.
In 1969 the Fame house band began freelancing with producer
Jerry Wexler at Atlantic's New York studio, cutting sides with
Aretha Franklin,
King Curtis,
Wilson Pickett,
Solomon Burke, and
James Carr. With that promising track record the rhythm section left Fame that same year opening Muscle Shoals Sound in Sheffield as co-owners. Their move formally began the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section era. Dubbed "the Swampers" by Shelter Records' producer
Denny Cordell and given public recognition as such in
Lynyrd Skynrd's "Sweet Home Alabama," the MSRS was soon backing up a diverse range of artists at the new studio, including
Cher,
Laura Nyro, Linda Rondstadt,
Lulu,
Boz Scaggs, and
Sam & Dave, and even working in some jazz time with
Herbie Mann and future
Bee Gees producer
Arif Mardin on his Atlantic Records set
Glass Onion (1970). Through the mid-'70s the rhythm section worked constantly, backing
Rod Stewart,
J.J. Cale,
Bonnie Bramlett,
Jimmy Cliff,
Joe Cocker,
Leon Russell and
Wendy Waldman.
Hood also played bass on dozens of Stax recordings between 1970 and 1977, like the
Staple Singers' "I'll Take You There". The rhythm section joined
Steve Winwood's re-formed
Traffic in 1973, appearing on
Shoot Out at the Fantasy Factory and the live set
On the Road.
Paul Simon recorded
There Goes Rhymin' Simon with the MSRS, and their collaboration on
Still Crazy After All These Years earned
Simon two Grammy Awards in 1975.
In 1976
Hood stepped behind the board, producing albums by Southern rock bands
Blackfoot and Jackson Highway.
Hood's "country-soul" approach to bass adapted well to a host of country artists' projects including
Willie Nelson's consummate outlaw-country cycle
Phases and Stages (produced by
Jerry Wexler), as well as sides by
Alabama,
Eddie Rabbitt,
The Oak Ridge Boys, and
Ronnie Milsap. But
Hood's groove lent itself equally well to some deep soul recordings by
Eddie Hinton,
Bobby Womack,
Johnnie Taylor, and
Millie Jackson.
Muscle Shoals Sound was relocated to a larger facility in 1978, where during the 1980s
Hood anchored tracks by
James Brown,
Glenn Frey,
Levon Helm,
Dr. Hook,
Joan Baez,
Jerry Jeff Walker,
Carlos Santana,
Lou Ann Barton, and
Julian Lennon. In the late 1970s,
Hood played on several
Bob Seger albums, including
Stranger in Town and
Against the Wind.
Delbert McClinton and the MSRS recorded his classic LP The Jealous Kind at MSS. Muscle Shoals Sound was purchased by Malaco Records in 1985 (who resold it in 2005).
Hood's work with Malaco's soul roster includes tracks with
Bobby Bland and
Little MiltonHood has kept busy as a session bassist, working with
Dan Penn,
Gregg Allman,
Jimmy Buffett, and many others through the 1990s. He joined The Decoys (fronted by
Scott Boyer) in 1996, appearing on Shot From the Saddle; concurrently,
Hood worked with
Russell Smith (
Amazing Rhythm Aces) on
The End is Not In Sight. In 2005 he collaborated with Memphis producer
Jim Dickinson at Sun Studios recording
John Hiatt's album Master of Disaster. The same year,
Hood joined Muscle Shoals comrades
Dan Penn and
Spooner Oldham,
Steve Cropper, and
Reggie Young, to record
Frank Black's
Honeycomb and the expansive follow-up
Fast Man Raider Man. As one of the most respected and consistent of studio bassists Hood has rounded out his fourth decade as a consummate session player with no sign of slowing down. ~ Peter B. Olson & Steve Leggett