He started off playing with the band The Mystics before founding Muscle Shoals Sound Studio and producing songs for the likes of Cher and Willie Nelson. Hood has played bass as a session musician for artists including Cat Stevens, Boz Scaggs, Bob Seger, Paul Simon, The Staple Singers, Traffic, John Hiatt, Frank Black, Percy Sledge, and Etta James. David’s son Patterson Hood is the lead singer for the band Drive-By Truckers.