Heading into the second week of December, World on Fire, an album by American band Stick Figure, registered its 11th-straight week at number one on the Billboard Reggae Albums chart. The man largely responsible for its success is Scott Woodruff.

The Massachusetts-born musician’s moniker is actually Stick Figure. He is the quintet’s creative force, playing a role similar to Jeff Lynne in the Electric Light Orchestra or Pete Townsend in The Who.

He produced World on Fire, which was released in August by Ruffwood Records. Woodruff also wrote its 15 songs — which he describes as “the most diverse Stick Figure album to date”.

“We are very humbled by the overwhelming response and support. It is truly satisfying to see all of the hard work that went into this album pay off, and we are so grateful to everyone who has listened,” he told the Jamaica Observer. “I tried to incorporate some new-age sounds in certain songs like Once in A Lifetime and All For You, along with the classic roots dub sounds I have been composing for years.”

According to Billboard statistics, World on Fire has sold 15,822 copies to be the publication’s top-selling reggae title for 2019. Despite another strong showing by the northern California-based band, they were overlooked by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences for a Best Reggae Album nod at next year’s Grammy Awards.

Woodruff is undaunted, and does not consider it a snub.

“While a Grammy nomination would have been an honour, winning a Grammy was never the motivation. Honestly, the Grammys rarely acknowledge reggae music from California, but hopefully, as the genre progresses, we will see more bands like Stick Figure being recognised for their work,” he said.

A multi-instrumentalist who is influenced by Bob Marley, Paul Simon, Barrington Levy and Sublime, Woodruff formed Stick Figure in 2006 in Massachusetts. Their first album, The Sound of my Addiction, was released that year; World on Fire is their seventh album.

Woodruff’s bandmates are KBong (keyboards), Kevin Offitzer (drums), Tommy Suliman (bass) and Johnny Cosmic (keyboards, backing vocals and guitar).

Like most of the American bands who have dominated their country’s reggae scene for the past 10 years, Stick Figure has earned a massive following, touring the United States to promote their music.

While the album is considered obsolete to many in contemporary music, Woodruff is still excited about producing a full-length project.

“There is always something special about unwrapping a new album and listening to it from start to finish. Writing a great song is one thing, but creating an album that flows from track to track and is fluid and diverse is its own work of art,” he said.

Stick Figure continues its promotion of World on Fire with back-to-back dates (December 27-28) at Belly Up Tavern in Solano Beach, California.