Overdrive Magazine | Trucking Business News & Owner Operator Info
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/904267
58 | Overdrive | November 2017 FAMILY FIRST guitars," Pat Woods says. Richard Woods' grandmother had a piano and organ at home and played at the church the family attended, and his grandfather led the singing. Save for the time he was away hauling for Hol- lywood, Woods has been active in his church's worship band since about 2004. He was inspired to play music at about age 13 and thinks the first song he learned was "Sweet Home Alabama." "I heard my dad play it, and I knew I wanted to play it, too," he says. "Learn- ing the chords to play that and learning how to pick it gave me a hunger for learning more and more." With so many musicians in the fam- ily, Woods didn't need a guitar of his own, but Uncle Pat's 12-string Ovation Standard Balladeer grabbed his attention early on. "It's like a sunburst color, and I think the design jumped out at me," he says. "I played it as much as I could when I was learning, and I just loved the sound. It's pretty bright." When it came time to purchase his own instrument, he chose the same model. During the summer before his senior year of high school, Woods was working for Fitch Oil Co. doing odd jobs such as cutting grass. He knew this was just enough to tide him over until he was old enough to be a truck driver. "My dad had trucks in my early years, and he farmed with my great-grandad and grandad," he says. "My grandad had a cotton gin in those years, so between the farm and the gin, my dad hauled a lot of cotton, cotton seed and grain. I always wanted to go with him, and I did as much as I was allowed." At 19, Woods got his commercial driver's license. He drove a propane delivery truck for Fitch Oil for a couple of years before working for his uncle on the family farm. Woods explored other opportunities, like driving for a John Deere hauler and then becoming an owner-operator with his own authority. Then he turned to movie industry hauling – an opportunity he learned about through his dad, who had done the same thing. Woods spent much of 2008-10 haul- ing onsite for movies and TV shows in New Mexico. He originally chose that work because he needed money to fix up At the Overdrive-Red Eye Radio's Trucker Talent Search finals, Richard Woods performed "Gran," a song he'd written in memo- ry of his great-grandfather, J.P. Woods. Woods says he wrote the song the night his great-grandfather died. "Our family got together at my grandad's house the afternoon Gran passed, and he was telling us about the arrangements, and he said whoever wanted to could get up and speak," he says. When Woods got home that night, he started writ- ing memories he thought he might like to mention at the service. Before he knew it, he was writing a song. "It was one of those songs that just jumped onto the paper," he says. "I don't know if it was just so close to my heart, or whatever the reason. In 30 minutes, it was done." He called his dad, Prentis Woods, set down the phone and played the song. When he picked the receiver back up, Woods said, "Dad told me I had to play the song at the service, so I did." SPECIAL MEMORIES OF 'GRAN' In the family's cotton field during the 1990s, from left: Ray Woods, Patrick Woods, Pat Woods, Tommy Woods, J.P. Woods and Richard Woods. Richard Woods owns three trucks: the one he currently drives, a 1999 Western Star; a 1994 cabover Peterbilt, which he bought in March and might hire someone to drive; and a 1988 cabover Freightliner, which he'd like to fix up and take to truck shows. Here is an excerpt: He wore overalls and button-down shirts, Except on Sunday when we went to church. He was a family man who loved us all, And he's the reason for this song. You know he was quite a man simply known as Gran He liked Ford trucks, his tractors were red, "International's the way to go now," is what he said. He was tough as nails and meek as a lamb, And always willing to lend a helping hand. And that's what made the man We all know as Gran