John Hammond

John Hammond, Jr. ranks among the limited number of white blues artists active at the outset of the initial blues revival during the mid-1960s. Sparked by fresh enthusiasm for folk music across the country, that resurgence helped elevate the careers of numerous legendary classic blues figures such as Mississippi John Hurt, Rev. Gary Davis, and Skip James. Certain reviewers have likened Hammond to a white Robert Johnson, and he honors the tradition through forceful guitar and harmonica work paired with emotive singing and a composed stage demeanor. During his opening ten years as a performer he carved out an entirely personal role as the lone guitarist with a harmonica in a neck rack, reviving classic blues material from the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s. Nevertheless, several mid-1990s Point Blank releases reveal his skill as a bandleader delivering strong electric guitar, evident on Found True Love and Got Love If You Want It, both issued by Point Blank/Virgin.

Born November 13, 1942, in New York City as the son of famed Columbia Records talent scout John Hammond, Sr., Hammond did not live with his father after his parents separated during his early childhood, though the two met several times annually. He first picked up guitar at a private high school, drawn especially to slide technique, and an Apollo Theater appearance by his idol Jimmy Reed left a permanent impression.

After spending one year at Antioch College in Ohio on scholarship, he departed to launch a blues career. By 1962, amid the rising folk revival, he had built a following on the coffeehouse circuit by performing in the style of the classic country blues singers he admired. At age twenty he already qualified as a national act, having been profiled in The New York Times ahead of an East Coast festival show.

While residing in Greenwich Village in 1966, Hammond encountered a young Jimi Hendrix seeking employment, assembled a band for him, and secured gigs for the group at the Cafe Au Go Go. With coffeehouses declining in popularity, bars and electric guitars associated with folk-rock gained traction, and Chas Chandler offered to take Hendrix to England for recording; Hammond urged acceptance of the proposal. “The next time I saw him, about a year later, he was a big star in Europe,” Hammond recalled in a 1990 interview. Throughout the late 1960s and early 1970s he sustained work with electric blues groups, collaborating with Band guitarist Robbie Robertson and other members of Levon Helm & the Hawks, Duane Allman, Dr. John, harmonica specialist Charlie Musselwhite, Michael Bloomfield, and David Bromberg.

Like Dr. John and fellow blues musicians who have issued more than two dozen albums, Hammond possesses numerous strong recordings that introduce his catalog effectively. His Vanguard debut has been reissued on compact disc by the Welk Music Group, while additional noteworthy titles available on vinyl or compact disc encompass I Can Tell, recorded with Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman, Southern Fried from 1968, Source Point from 1970 on Columbia, and the early- and mid-1990s Point Blank/Virgin sequence that includes Got Love If You Want It and Trouble No More, both produced by J.J. Cale, along with Found True Love.

Although unaware of it at twenty and perhaps still unaware, Hammond merits recognition for sustaining many classic blues songs. As Dr. John has frequently noted regarding his own music and that of others, audiences who encounter these numbers through Hammond often seek the original versions. Despite his versatility, Hammond has never claimed to be a songwriter; early on he focused on exposing classic, occasionally overlooked material to broader listeners. More than fifty years later he maintains that mission, touring extensively throughout the U.S., Canada, and Europe from his northern New Jersey home. He has continued releasing albums in the new millennium, issuing three discs on the Back Porch label: Ready for Love in 2002, produced by David Hidalgo of Los Lobos, In Your Arms Again in 2005, and Push Comes to Shove in 2007. Rough & Tough appeared in 2009, followed by the live solo recording Timeless, captured in spring 2013 and released in early 2014. Whether leading a band or performing solo, Hammond demonstrates complete command, and live appearances convey that further strong work lies ahead from this dynamic blues artist.