Motown musician Willie Woods

[NHJM]

From the Detroit Free Press May 30, 1997

WILLIE WOODS, 60, the guitarist for Motown group Junior Walker and the
All-Stars, died of lung cancer Tuesday at Borgess Medical Center in
Kalamazoo. He also sang backup for Junior Walker, who died of cancer in
1995.
Mr. Woods started playing in local groups in Indiana in the mid-1950s
before moving to Michigan and forming the All-Stars, which recorded some
of Motown's most enduring hits, such as "Shotgun" "What Does It Take(To
Win Your Love), "How Sweet It Is", "Come See About Me", "RoadRunner" and
"Thses Eyes".
Walker and Mr.Woods hooked up musically in the mid-1950s, forming a
band called the Jumping Jacks that played around South Bend, Ind. After
moving to Battle Creek in the late 1950s, they found regular work at El
Grotto, a lounge credited with helping them get noticed.
The band signed with a small label that was taken over by Motown,
which issued the All-Stars' recordings on it's Soul in the USA subsidiary.
The group was said to have earned it's name when a fan jumped to
his feet during a show and shouted "These guys are all stars."
Mr. Woods in survived by his wife, Karen, five sons, and two
dasughters. A service is scheduled for Saturday at Mt. Zion African
Methodist Episcopal Church in Battle Creek.