Biography
Woody Rock’s transition toward gospel music comes as little shock, given his background. A onetime participant in the chart-topping R&B ensemble Dru Hill, he absorbed frequent exposure to gospel sounds throughout his upbringing in Baltimore, MD, particularly through ensembles such as the Winans. Nurtured inside a rigorously faith-focused household, he was barred from secular recordings yet could not resist moving in rhythm with the energetic beats that filled his childhood home via gospel music.
As an adolescent he first encountered R&B, and during high school he joined his classmate Nokio to lay the groundwork for what became Dru Hill. The ensemble secured its recording contract following a showcase on the well-known television competition Live at the Apollo. Their initial commercial breakthrough arrived in 1996 with the song “Tell Me,” featured on the Eddie soundtrack; the album Enter the Dru appeared soon afterward, along with a contribution to the 1999 Wild Wild West soundtrack.
Despite the acclaim and popularity that accompanied this run of releases, Rock sensed an inner summons to reclaim his gospel origins. The impulse prompted his affiliation with the prominent gospel label Gospocentric Records and the arrival of his first gospel recording, Soul Music, in 2001.
As an adolescent he first encountered R&B, and during high school he joined his classmate Nokio to lay the groundwork for what became Dru Hill. The ensemble secured its recording contract following a showcase on the well-known television competition Live at the Apollo. Their initial commercial breakthrough arrived in 1996 with the song “Tell Me,” featured on the Eddie soundtrack; the album Enter the Dru appeared soon afterward, along with a contribution to the 1999 Wild Wild West soundtrack.
Despite the acclaim and popularity that accompanied this run of releases, Rock sensed an inner summons to reclaim his gospel origins. The impulse prompted his affiliation with the prominent gospel label Gospocentric Records and the arrival of his first gospel recording, Soul Music, in 2001.
Albums
