Smokey wood & his wood chips riding to glory

“Got money in my pocket/whiskey on my mind.“ So sings country swing pianist Smokey Wood on his “Sweet Little Girl of Mine.“ And this bit of lyric goes a long way in spelling out Wood’s honky tonk ethos of fun, liquor, and good music. He hit his prime for a brief period in the late ’30s, fronting a band that can be counted alongside Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys as one of the earliest of the western swing bands to emerge in Texas and all across the West around World War II. Known as the Houston Hipster, after the city he made his mark in, Smokey Wood might not be one of the best-known country figures, but he certainly is one of the most undeniably enjoyable to listen to.