Justin Patterson recieved his first guitar lesson at the age of six, and from a person who was more than qualified to give it. Gene Gasaway, a touring member of the legendary Bob Will's Texas Playboys, had set up a rehearsal space inside a vacant, one-room barbershop in Fort Smith, AR, and took Justin on as a client, despite his youth. With a seasoned professional as a mentor, and a small, red Harmony guitar in hand, Justin began his passionate journey toward a decades long obsession with writing and performing.
His talents first drew notice from the written press in the mid-1990's through his songwriting contributions to, and performances with the Florida roots/rock band The WoodyBrothers:
woody brothers
The Woody Brothers were formed in the summer of 1994 through a chance meeting of three singer/songwriters at the North Shore Grill in Atlantic Beach, FL. Jason Chase, a veteran of the Jacksonville Beaches music scene, and new arrivals Chris Mucci and Justin Patterson each shared a passion for the acoustic ("wooden ") rock of the early 1970's. They combined their songwriting talents with the guitar prowess of friends Steve Carey and Tom Kuhn to form a band that would become a popular staple on the Florida music circuit.
With the help of Twelfth House Records producer Craig Spirko, the Woody Brothers recorded their self-titled debut album in Jacksonville, FL in the spring of 1996. The pure acoustic rock sound of the record was unique, yet familiar, as their songs were compared in print media to those of the early Eagles, Poco, Firefall, Jonathan Edwards, and Gram Parsons (see "Archives"). Through the promotional efforts of many, especially Doug Goodrich of The Arrow 100.7 FM in Jacksonville, tracks from the record were regularly played on commercial radio throughout the fall of 1996.
The addition of veteran guitarist Billy Bowers, and guest appearances by many notable area musicians created a more diverse sound for the band's 1999 followup disc "Driftwood". The eclectic, roots/rock of this record also garnered favorable reviews (see "Archives"), and the Woody Brothers continued to be one of the most popular live draws in North Florida until their breakup in late 2000. Their recordings are still available today through Twelfth House Records.
