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Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular MusicA B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y ZHAMMOND, John(b John Paul Hammond, 13 Nov. '42, NYC) Blues guitarist, singer. Took up slide guitar mid-'50s; had scholarship to art college; switched to music, entirely self-taught. Began working solo, slavishly imitating trad. black singers of country blues; turned to electric band but has remained the most faithful of white musicians to pure blues, despite lack of financial success: he is probably the first of generations of revivalists who will play the original styles out of sheer love. Sang at Newport Folk Festival '63 while waiting for release of debut LP John Hammond on Vanguard; others on that label incl. Big City Blues '64, So Many Roads '65, Country Blues '66, Mirrors '67. Began playing electric blues with sidemen incl. later members of the Band (it was while working with Hammond that they met Bob Dylan), also briefly Jimi Hendrix. His earliest electric work was not released until a switch to Atlantic for I Can Tell '68, Sooner Or Later '69, Southern Fried '70 (with Duane Allman on some tracks). Contributed to soundtrack of Dustin Hoffman film Little Big Man '70, a Columbia picture: Clive Davis laid down that in order to do the film score Hammond had to become Columbia artist, so he switched to Columbia with co-operation of Jerry Wexler at Atlantic: his father (producer John Hammond; see above) didn't particularly want him there, but the chance to do the picture was too good to pass up. Columbia LPs incl. Source Point ('71, but recorded during late Vanguard period), I'm Satisfied '72, When I Need '73. Album by short-lived Triumvirate with Michael Bloomfield, Mac Rebennack; Spirituals To Swing '73 on Vanguard echoed his father's historic '38 project. Other LPs on various labels incl. Can't Beat The Kid and My Spanish Album '75, Factwork and Hot Tracks '78, Mileage '80, Frogs For Snakes '82; in UK Spoonful on Edsel, Live on Spindrift, Nobody But You '87 on Demon/Fiend; also Nobody But You '87 on Stoney Plain (Canada): Demon UK has solo and combo tracks incl. Gene Taylor from the Blasters. Sounding somewhat self-conscious (but intense) on his earliest recordings, by the time he signed with Pointblank/Charisma he was relaxed and confident on Got Love If You Want It '92, Trouble No More '94 and Found True Love '96, with various guests. |