Celia Woodsmith (born in 1985 in

Tryon, North Carolina Tryon is a town in Polk County, on the southwestern border of North Carolina, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 1,562. Located in the escarpment of the Blue Ridge Mountains, today the area is affluent and a center ...

) is a New England–based bluegrass, blues and folk musician.

Profile

Since January 2011, Woodsmith, has been the lead singer, rhythm guitar player, washboard player, and songwriter for Della Mae. In 2013, Della Mae won the

International Bluegrass Music Association The International Bluegrass Music Association, or IBMA, is a trade association to promote bluegrass music. Formed in 1985, IBMA established its first headquarters in Owensboro, Kentucky. In 1988 they announced plans to create the International ...

's Emerging Artist of the Year award in 2013 and was nominated for a best bluegrass album at the

56th Grammy Awards The 56th Annual Grammy Awards presentation was held on January 26, 2014, at Staples Center in Los Angeles. The show was broadcast on CBS at 8 p.m. ET/PT and was hosted for the third time by LL Cool J. The show was moved to January to avoid compe ...

. Della Mae has worked with the

US Department of State The United States Department of State (DOS), or simply the State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs o ...

as cultural diplomats and, as such, in 2012 travelled to

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a landlocked country primarily in Central Asia, with a European Kazakhstan, small portion in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the Kazakhstan–Russia border, north and west, China to th ...

Kyrgyzstan Kyrgyzstan, officially the Kyrgyz Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Asia lying in the Tian Shan and Pamir Mountains, Pamir mountain ranges. Bishkek is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Kyrgyzstan, largest city. Kyrgyz ...

Tajikistan Tajikistan, officially the Republic of Tajikistan, is a landlocked country in Central Asia. Dushanbe is the capital city, capital and most populous city. Tajikistan borders Afghanistan to the Afghanistan–Tajikistan border, south, Uzbekistan to ...

Turkmenistan Turkmenistan is a landlocked country in Central Asia bordered by Kazakhstan to the northwest, Uzbekistan to the north, east and northeast, Afghanistan to the southeast, Iran to the south and southwest and the Caspian Sea to the west. Ash ...

and

Uzbekistan , image_flag = Flag of Uzbekistan.svg , image_coat = Emblem of Uzbekistan.svg , symbol_type = Emblem of Uzbekistan, Emblem , national_anthem = "State Anthem of Uzbekistan, State Anthem of the Republ ...

. Woodsmith is a founding member of the Boston rock band Say Darling, co-founded with

Chris Hersch Chris Hersch (born 1982, in Orefield, Pennsylvania) is a Boston-based guitarist. From 2000–2004, Hersch attended the New England Conservatory of Music, where his teachers included John Abercrombie, Ben Monder, Jerry Bergonzi, John McNeil, and ...

the former guitar player for Girls, Guns and Glory in 2016. She plays an Aged Tone OM Bourgeois guitar made in

Maine Maine ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the United States, and the northeasternmost state in the Contiguous United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and ...

Dana Bourgeois Dana Bourgeois (born 1953) is a luthier, writer, lecturer and is considered one of the United States' top acoustic guitar makers. Bourgeois's innovations in design and voicing techniques have earned him worldwide acclaim for his acoustic guitars fr ...

Personal Life

Celia Woodsmith went to Hanover High School, in

Hanover, New Hampshire Hanover is a New England town, town located along the Connecticut River in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 11,870. The town is home to the Ivy League university ...

, and graduated class of 2003. Her father, Frank Woods, died when she was 25 of

glioblastoma multiforme Glioblastoma, previously known as glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), is the most aggressive and most common type of cancer that originates in the brain, and has a very poor prognosis for survival. Initial signs and symptoms of glioblastoma are nons ...

, a type of brain cancer. Her mother, Sybil Smith, is a poet and writer who lives in

Norwich, Vermont Norwich is a town in Windsor County, Vermont, United States. The population was 3,612 at the 2020 census. Home to some of the state of Vermont's wealthiest residents, the municipality is a commuter town for nearby Hanover, New Hampshire acros ...

. Woodsmith attended the

University of Vermont The University of Vermont and State Agricultural College, commonly referred to as the University of Vermont (UVM), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Burlington, Vermont, United States. Foun ...

from 2003 to 2007, where, with Avi Salloway, she began performing as the folk duo

Avi & Celia Avi & Celia are an Americana duo from Cambridge, Massachusetts. History Avi & Celia met at The University of Vermont their first week of first year in 2003. They began performing as a duo in Burlington, Vermont and quickly gained a fan base in ...

. From 2008 to 2010 she was part of the

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

-based "washboard rock n' roll" group Hey Mama. She currently lives in

Kittery, Maine Kittery is a town in York County, Maine, United States, and the oldest incorporated town in Maine. Home to the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard on Seavey's Island, Kittery includes Badger's Island, the seaside district of Kittery Point, and part of ...

with her husband.

Discography

Avi & Celia

*''Off The Floor'' (2007) *''Let It Rise'' (2008)

Hey Mama

*''Hey Mama'' (2009) *''Dubl Handi Suite'' (2010)

Della Mae

*''I Built This Heart'' (2011) *''This World Oft Can Be'' (Rounder Records, 2013) *'' Della Mae'' (Rounder Records, 2015) *'' Butcher Shoppe EP'' (Rounder Records, 2018) *'' Headlight''(Rounder Records, 2020) *'' Family Reunion'' (Self Release, 2021)

Say Darling

*''Say Darling'' (2017) *''Before & After'' (2021)

Solo

* ''Cast Iron Shoes'' (2018) * ''Like Wine b/w Wounded Love + No Angel (single)'' (2018)

References

External links

www.celiawoodsmith.com

www.dellamae.com

www.saydarling.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Woodsmith, Celia 1985 births Living people American bluegrass guitarists American women country singers American country singer-songwriters American women songwriters American songwriters People from Tryon, North Carolina 21st-century American women singers musicians from Vermont 21st-century American women guitarists 21st-century American guitarists 21st-century American singer-songwriters Singer-songwriters from North Carolina