Warm Winter Night is a live recording a January 2007 Neil Woodward concert at The Ark, Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Neil presents an action-packed evening with friends, neighbors and family to warm up a long northern night.

Featured performers include Neil's firey young proteges Cats & the Fiddler. Shortly after Shaun Richardson began studing with his music professor Neil Woodward, he formed a Bluegrass and Gospel band with his brother James and their cousin Carmen Gibes. They were all seven years old at the time. At the age of nine, the trio joined the regular cast of Neil's annual winter concert at The Ark. As very early teen agers, the Cats are presented on this album at the time of their second group release. Check out their latest work at their website www.catsandthefiddler.com

Contributing artists are also Neil's long-time musical parter Gary Weisenburg, local legendary actor Will Young, and the widely known traditional step dancer and teacher Sheila Graziano.

Neil Woodward Biographical Sketch

Neil Woodward is Michigan’s Troubadour.
For over thirty years he has shared folk music’s warmth and wisdom with Great Lakes audiences. In such historic surroundings as Crossroads Village, Grand Traverse Lighthouse and Greenfield Village, and in schools and libraries lake-to-lake, his vast repertoire and enthusiasm bring to life the Michigan experience for people from around the world.

In 2003 the Legislature of the State of Michigan officially named Neil Woodward Michigan’s Troubadour in recognition of his life long commitment to preservation of Great Lakes folk music and culture.

Neil is a course guest lecturer for Michigan, Eastern and Wayne State Universities. He is a Faculty and Presenter member teacher of Smithsonian Associates.

The Arts Foundation of Michigan (now ArtServe Michigan) with their Creative Artist Grant Award recognized Neil’s own compositions as continuing contributions to the troubadour’s tradition, an artistic chronicle of significant individuals and events. His songs, recordings and concerts have earned him nine Detroit Music Awards. His traditional recordings are catalogued by the Library of Congress Office of Folklife, Smithsonian Folkways, and by the Archives of the State of Michigan.

Neil’s experience in performance, research, writing, arranging, theatre, audio and video production, and his widely acknowledged skill with over a dozen musical instruments offer a unique perspective to his many private students. His school programs bring our culture into focus for pre-school through college level. In venues as diverse as the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Michigan Historical Center, Detroit Institute of Arts, Northern Michigan campgrounds and lighthouses, and community schools and libraries of Alpena, Ann Arbor, Brighton, Byron, Copper Harbor, Charlotte, Davison, Detroit, Flint, Hartland, Howell, Kentwood, Lansing, Montague, Ossineke, Paradise and Ypsilanti, Neil’s performances pay tribute to light keepers, immigrants, laborers, sailors, soldiers, teachers, mothers, fathers, lumberjacks, railroaders, farmers, hobos, auto workers, dancers, singers, musicians and dogs.

Neil may be the only person alive who played both banjo at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Jew’s harp at Lincoln Center.

Recordings by Neil Woodward on BLACK DOG RECORDS
Warm Winter Night, 2009
Way Of The Rail, 2007
Michigan-I-A, 2005
Peace TROUBLES, 2001
Old Timers, 1999
A Cup Of Kindness music for the season of joy, 1997
In The Year Of The Dog, 1994
Life, Love and Food Songs, 1992
Dog Songs and Other Distractions, 1989
Crossroads Serenade, 1986
Also featured as multi-instrumentalist:
Woody Guthrie’s American Song Original Cast Album

More about Neil Woodward: www.NeilWoodward.com www.MichigansTroubadour.com