Fannie B. Woods was thought to be a pseudonym for Charles L. Johnson until 2005 when it was revealed that the composer of Sweetness was indeed a real person. She was born in Kentucky to John Lloyd Woods and Cora Lucinda Scott. John was a Kentucky native who made a living as a carpenter, and Cora came from Indiana. For the 1900 census the Woods family was shown as residing in Louisville, Kentucky, with Fannie's older brother James D. (10/1886) and younger sister Edna (6/7/1894-1904). Fannie grew up in Louisville where she was educated in music, specifically piano and organ. By the age of 18 she was working in a music store as a clerk according to the 1910 census, and possibly as a song demonstrator. Her sister Edna, 15 at this time, was listed as a music teacher in the enumeration, while Cora was listed cryptically as a "home demonstrator."

At the age of 20 Fannie composed Sweetness, the publication of which may well have been facilitated by Louisville publisher Al Marzian, who had recently had his own Angel Food Rag issued by Forster Music Publishers in Chicago. Woods further had the enthusiastic backing of the Herman Strauss & Sons Company department store, also based in Louisville. They featured her as a local celebrity, allowing her to play Sweetness and other pieces in their store on several occasions in 1912. Fannie evidently signed copies of the piece as well. According to a receipt the family provided she received a total of $75 for the rag from Forster.

Fannie at her favorite instrument, the organ.

Sweetness is dedicated on the inside to W.J. Mansfield. Woods would marry William Johnston Mansfield on December 12, 1912, and take that name for the rest of her life. This further reinforces her role as the true composer of Sweetness.

Fannie was not only a fine pianist but also a well-regarded organist, spending over four decades playing for the Parkland Baptist Church, and three decades for Pearson's Funeral Home. Between 1914 and 1927, she and her husband had three daughters, Mildred Louise (8/27/1914), Mary Edna (4/26/1922) and Jean (11/1927) and a son as well, William Johnston, Jr. (8/1925). The family was shown in the 1920 census residing at 1233 Cypress Street with Fannie's parents living in the same home and William listed as a bookkeeper.

For the 1930 enumeration the Mansfields were temporarily living in a different location on 26th Street, with Cora who had been widowed in the 1920s. William was now a credit manager for a plumbing manufacturer. For the 1940 census the entire family was still together, back at the Cypress Street home, with William continuing his work as a credit manager, and if Fannie was teaching piano she did not list it. Mr. Mansfield died suddenly at the age of 60 on November 10, 1947. Their son, William, a talented violinist, became a dentist in Louisville, and died there on July 24, 2012. The 1950 census showed Fannie as the head of the household, now officially listed as a piano teacher.

Fannie retired from performance by the mid-1950s, but continued to teach piano and organ to younger students nearly to the end of her life. Fannie and Edna also enjoyed performing Sweetness and other pieces as a two-piano duet from time to time. In January, 2013, a family recording of one of these sessions from 1962 was posted to YouTube with Fannie playing the treble and Edna playing the bass for Sweetness, and a lively rendition of Scott Joplin's classic Maple Leaf Rag played by Fannie alone.

Fannie Mansfield died in Louisville December 28, 1974 at age 83. The only other compositions that may have been attributed to her were available locally in Louisville, and were likely church related. A couple of mentions of possible compositions show up in various recital or concert programs published in area newspapers, but publication cannot be confirmed.