[1] Woodyard was largely an autodidact on drums and played locally in the Newark, New Jersey, area in the 1940s.

[1] He performed with Paul Gayten in an R&B group, then played in the early 1950s with Joe Holiday, Roy Eldridge, and Milt Buckner.

[1] After his time with Ellington, Woodyard worked with Ella Fitzgerald, then moved to Los Angeles.

[1] In the 1970s, he played less due to health problems, but he recorded with Buddy Rich,[1] and toured with Claude Bolling.

In 1983, he belonged to a band with Teddy Wilson, Buddy Tate, and Slam Stewart.