Alexa Woodward was born in the state of Alabama, but later on moved with her family to be raised in South Carolina and Virginia. She attended college at Gordon College in Wenham, Massachusetts and was a law student for three years in New York. She made the transition into music after finding an old banjo her father, documentary film maker Stan Woodward, had bought but had never taken much interest in. In an interview, she spoke of the moment of inspiration saying (quote), "It really wasn't until I found the banjo that I got serious about it. I was home one Christmas and I found this banjo under the bed. I just started playing it and fell in love with it." The banjo's make was a Gibson from the early 1960s, and Woodward describes it as her main instrument she writes (her music) on "exclusively".

Music career[edit]
The early roots of Woodward's career began in Boston, where she performed her first shows in Cambridge and Somerville. However, personal issues conflicting her new music career led to her moving to New York and applying for law school there. After settling down in a community house in Manhattan, she started performing at small-time gigs around town. The "Sidewalk Cafe" restaurant/bar was where she frequented and participated in the open mic nights held there. She later ventured out to perform at other public venues such as Banjo Jim's, the American Folk Art Museum, Pete's Candy Store, and The Living Room.