John Paul Hammond (born November 13, 1942) is an American singer and musician. He is the son of record producer John H. Hammond, and is sometimes referred to as John Hammond Jr. in order to distinguish the two.

Early life and education

Hammond is a son of record producer and talent scout John H. Hammond and his first wife, Jemison McBride, an actress. He is a descendant of

Cornelius Vanderbilt Cornelius Vanderbilt (May 27, 1794 – January 4, 1877), nicknamed "the Commodore", was an American business magnate who built his wealth in railroads and shipping. After working with his father's business, Vanderbilt worked his way into lead ...

, the patriarch of the prominent

Vanderbilt family The Vanderbilt family is an American family who gained prominence during the Gilded Age. Their success began with the shipping and railroad empires of Cornelius Vanderbilt, and the family expanded into various other areas of industry and philanth ...

, through his paternal grandmother Emily Vanderbilt Sloane Hammond. He has a brother, Jason, and a stepsister, (Esme) Rosita Sarnoff, the daughter of his father's second wife, Esme O'Brien Sarnoff. Hammond's middle name, Paul, is in honor of a friend of his father, the actor

Paul Robeson Paul Leroy Robeson ( ; April 9, 1898 – January 23, 1976) was an American bass-baritone concert artist, actor, professional American football, football player, and activist who became famous both for his cultural accomplishments and for h ...

. The younger Hammond was raised by his mother and saw his father only a few times a year while growing up. He began playing guitar in high school, partially inspired by the album '' Jimmy Reed at Carnegie Hall''. He attended

Antioch College Antioch College is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Yellow Springs, Ohio, United States. It was founded in 1850 by the Christian Connection and began operating in 1852 as a non-secta ...

for one year but dropped out to pursue a music career. By the mid-1960s he was touring nationally and living in

Greenwich Village Greenwich Village, or simply the Village, is a neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 14th Street (Manhattan), 14th Street to the north, Broadway (Manhattan), Broadway to the east, Houston Street to the s ...

. He befriended and recorded with many electric blues musicians in New York, including

Jimi Hendrix James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American singer-songwriter and musician. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential guitarists of all time. Inducted ...

Eric Clapton Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English Rock music, rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s l ...

, Levon Helm's New Hawks (later known as

the Band The Band was a Canadian-American rock music, rock band formed in Toronto, Ontario, in 1957. It consisted of the Canadians Rick Danko (bass, guitar, vocals, fiddle), Garth Hudson (organ, keyboards, accordion, saxophone), Richard Manuel (piano, d ...

Mike Bloomfield Michael Bernard Bloomfield (July 28, 1943 – February 15, 1981) was an American blues guitarist and composer. Born in Chicago, he became one of the first popular music stars of the 1960s to earn his reputation almost entirely on his instrume ...

, Dr. John, and Duane Allman.

Career

Hammond usually plays acoustically, choosing

National Reso-Phonic Guitars National Reso-Phonic Guitars is a manufacturer of resonator guitars and other resonator instruments including resonator mandolins, tenor instruments, and resonator ukuleles.barrelhouse style. Since 1962, when he made his debut on

Vanguard Records Vanguard Recording Society is an American record label set up in 1950 by brothers Maynard and Seymour Solomon in New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the so ...

, he has made thirty-four albums. In the 1990s he began recording on the Point Blank Records label. His 1963 debut album, ''John Hammond'', was one of the first blues albums by a white artist. Hammond has earned one

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

and been nominated for four others. He also provided the soundtrack for the 1970 film '' Little Big Man'', starring

Dustin Hoffman Dustin Lee Hoffman (born August 8, 1937) is an American actor. As one of the key actors in the formation of New Hollywood, Hoffman is known for Dustin Hoffman filmography, his versatile portrayals of antiheroes and emotionally vulnerable charac ...

. Although critically acclaimed, Hammond has received only moderate commercial success. Nonetheless, he enjoys a strong fan base and has earned respect from John Lee Hooker,

Roosevelt Sykes Roosevelt Sykes (January 31, 1906July 17, 1983) was an American blues musician, also known as "the Honeydripper". Career Sykes was born the son of a musician in Elmar, Arkansas. "Just a little old sawmill town", Sykes said of his birthplace. The ...

, Duane Allman,

Rory Gallagher William Rory Gallagher ( ; 2 March 1948 – 14 June 1995) was an Irish musician, singer, and songwriter. Regarded as "Ireland's first rock star", he is known for his virtuosic style of guitar playing and live performances. He has sometim ...

, Willy Deville,

Robbie Robertson Jaime Royal Robertson (July 5, 1943 – August 9, 2023) was a Canadian musician of Indigenous and Jewish ancestry. He was the lead guitarist for Bob Dylan's backing band in the mid-late 1960s and early-mid 1970s. Robertson was also the ...

and Charlie Musselwhite, all of whom have contributed their musical talents to his records. In addition, he is the only person who ever had both

and

in his band at the same time, if only for five days in the 1960s, when Hammond played The Gaslight Cafe in New York City. To his regret, they never recorded together. It has been suggested that Hammond deserves some credit for helping boost

The Band The Band was a Canadian-American rock music, rock band formed in Toronto, Ontario, in 1957. It consisted of the Canadians Rick Danko (bass, guitar, vocals, fiddle), Garth Hudson (organ, keyboards, accordion, saxophone), Richard Manuel (piano, d ...

to wider recognition. He recorded with several members of The Band in 1965 and recommended them to

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan; born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Described as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture over his nearly 70-year ...

, with whom they undertook a famed and tumultuous world tour. John Hammond JR

Hammond hosted the 1991 UK television documentary '' The Search for Robert Johnson'', detailing the life of the legendary Delta bluesman

Robert Johnson Robert Leroy Johnson (May 8, 1911August 16, 1938) was an American blues musician and songwriter. His singing, guitar playing and songwriting on his landmark 1936 and 1937 recordings have influenced later generations of musicians. Although his r ...

. Hammond has had a longstanding friendship with the songwriter

Tom Waits Thomas Alan Waits (born December 7, 1949) is an American musician, composer, songwriter, and actor. His lyrics often focus on society's underworld and are delivered in his trademark deep, gravelly voice. He began in the American folk music, fo ...

and has performed Waits' songs on occasion. In 2001, he released ''Wicked Grin'', an album consisting entirely of Waits compositions, with one exception, the traditional spiritual, "I Know I've Been Changed". Waits played guitar and sang backing vocals on the album and was also its producer. In 2003, he released ''Ready for Love'', produced by David Hidalgo of

Los Lobos Los Lobos (, Spanish for "the Wolves") is a Mexican American rock group, rock band from East Los Angeles, California. Their music is influenced by rock and roll, Tex-Mex, country, zydeco, folk, R&B, blues, brown-eyed soul, and traditional ...

. It included a

Mick Jagger Sir Michael Philip Jagger (born 26 July 1943) is an English musician. He is known as the lead singer and one of the founder members of The Rolling Stones. Jagger has co-written most of the band's songs with lead guitarist Keith Richards; Jagge ...

and

Keith Richards Keith Richards (born 18 December 1943) is an English musician, songwriter, singer and record producer who is an original member, guitarist, secondary vocalist, and co-principal songwriter of the Rolling Stones. His songwriting partnership wi ...

song, " The Spider and the Fly". His 2009 album, entitled ''Rough & Tough'', was a 2010 nominee for the Grammy Award for Best Traditional Blues Album. In 2011, Hammond was inducted into the

Blues Hall of Fame The Blues Hall of Fame is a music museum operated by the Blues Foundation at 421 S. Main Street in Memphis, Tennessee. Initially, the "Blues Hall of Fame" was not a physical building, but a listing of people who have significantly contributed to b ...

of the Blues Foundation.

Personal life

Hammond married his first wife, Dana McDevitt, a daughter of John Burke McDevitt, on October 21, 1967. They later divorced. In 1981, Hammond married his second wife, Peggy Spoerri. They later divorced. His third wife was Marla.

Discography

* 1963 ''John Hammond'' (

Vanguard The vanguard (sometimes abbreviated to van and also called the advance guard) is the leading part of an advancing military formation. It has a number of functions, including seeking out the enemy and securing ground in advance of the main force. ...

) * 1964 ''Big City Blues'' (Vanguard) – includes the first blues-rock cover of Willie Dixon's " Back Door Man", later made famous by

the Doors The Doors were an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1965, comprising vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, guitarist Robby Krieger and drummer John Densmore. They were among the most influential and controversial rock acts ...

. * 1965 ''Country Blues'' (Vanguard) * 1965 '' So Many Roads'' (Vanguard) * 1967 ''Mirrors'' (Vanguard) – reissued on Real Gone Music in 2016. * 1967 ''I Can Tell'' (

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the Age of Discovery, it was known for se ...

) * 1968 ''Sooner or Later'' (Atlantic) – reissued on Water Music in 2002. * 1969 ''Southern Fried'' (Atlantic) – reissued on Water Music in 2002. * 1970 ''The Best of John Hammond'' (Vanguard) compilation * 1971 ''Source Point'' ( Columbia) * 1971 ''Little Big Man / Original Soundtrack'' (Columbia) * 1972 ''I'm Satisfied'' (Columbia) * 1973 ''

Triumvirate A triumvirate () or a triarchy is a political institution ruled or dominated by three individuals, known as triumvirs (). The arrangement can be formal or informal. Though the three leaders in a triumvirate are notionally equal, the actual distr ...

'' – with

and Dr. John (Columbia) * 1975 ''Can't Beat the Kid'' ( Capricorn) – reissued on Polygram in 1997. * 1976 ''John Hammond: Solo'' ive(Vanguard) * 1978 ''Footwork'' (Vanguard) * 1979 ''Hot Tracks'' – with The Nighthawks (Vanguard) * 1980 ''Mileage'' ( Rounder) * 1982 ''Frogs for Snakes'' (Rounder) * 1983 ''John Hammond Live'' (Rounder) * 1984 ''Spoonful'' (Edsel) – compilation * 1988 ''Nobody but You'' (

Flying Fish The Exocoetidae are a family (biology), family of Saltwater fish, marine Actinopterygii, ray-finned fish in the order (biology), order Beloniformes, known colloquially as flying fish or flying cod. About 64 species are grouped in seven genus, ge ...

) – reissued on Point Blank/Virgin in 1996. * 1992 ''Got Love if You Want It'' ( Point Blank/Virgin) * 1993 ''You Can't Judge a Book by the Cover'' (Vanguard) – compilation * 1994 ''Trouble No More'' (Point Blank/Virgin) * 1996 ''Found True Love'' (Point Blank/Virgin) * 1998 ''Long As I Have You'' (Point Blank/Virgin) * 2000 ''The Best of the Vanguard Years'' (Vanguard) – compilation * 2001 '' Wicked Grin'' (Point Blank/Virgin) * 2003 ''At the Crossroads: The Blues of Robert Johnson'' (Vanguard) – compilation * 2003 ''Ready for Love'' ( Back Porch/Narada) * 2005 ''In Your Arms Again'' (Back Porch/Narada) * 2006 ''Live in Greece'' ec. 1983( Dynamic/MSI) * 2007 ''Push Comes to Shove'' (Back Porch/Narada) * 2009 ''Rough & Tough'' ( Chesky) * 2014 ''Timeless'' ive( Palmetto) * 2019 "You Know That's Cold" b/w "Come To Find Out" ranslucent Blue 7" Single(Need To Know) * 2020 "My Baby Loves To Boogie" and "Told You Once In August" (featuring Rory Block) with Dion from '' Blues with Friends'' * 2024 '' Bear's Sonic Journals: You're Doin' Fine'' (Owsley Stanley Foundation) – recorded June 2 & 3, 1973

References

External links

John Hammond Biography, Live Performance Video, Interview

Official website for John Hammond

*

2007 Interview with NPR's Scott Simon
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hammond, John P. 1942 births American blues guitarists American blues harmonica players American blues singers American male guitarists American people of Dutch descent Antioch College alumni Chesky Records artists Contemporary blues musicians Grammy Award winners Guitarists from New York City Living people Palmetto Records artists Singers from New York City American slide guitarists John Paul Hammond 20th-century American guitarists 20th-century American singers 20th-century American male singers 21st-century American guitarists 21st-century American singers 21st-century American male singers