Originally published in DoSavannah
Even as a child, John Hammond gravitated toward the blues.
“I was a blues fanatic since I was 7 years old,” Hammond says. “I got into the music buying records and being a fan and learning songs without playing anything.
“I went out to hear the music in the ’50s when I was in my teens. Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, Josh White, Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee — I loved the music.
IF YOU GO
What: John Hammond
When: 8 p.m. Feb. 21
Where: Mars Theatre, 106 Laurel St., Springfield
Cost: $35
Info: www.marstheatre.com
“When I was 18, I bought a guitar,” he says. “When I was 19, I was playing professionally.”
One of the world’s best acoustic blues artists, the Grammy Award-winning Hammond was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 2011. He will perform Feb. 21 at Mars Theatre in Springfield.
Hammond taught himself to play.
“I still play by ear,” he says. “I don’t read music. It’s been an adventure.”
In 1962, Hammond started playing in nightclubs in Los Angeles.
“It went over really well right from the beginning,” he says. “I came back east in late November of ’62, when I auditioned for Gerde’s Folk City, the club for blues in New York. I was held over for a week.
“A representative of Vanguard Records was in the audience one night and signed me to a contract. I recorded in December 1962.
“I was playing shows all over the Northeast and Midwest,” Hammond says. “I was invited to play the Newport Folk Festival in 1963 and was on with John Lee Hooker and other idols of mine.”
When Hammond and the others played the show, the audience went crazy.
“I got a big write-up in the New York Times,” he says. “That was my first big break.
“I was going to be doing it no matter what, but that was my first acknowledgement. I got an agent, a manager who started to book me all over U.S. and Canada.”
While Hammond loved the music of many artists, some of them actually influenced his work.
“My first inspiration was the music of Robert Johnson, who seemed to be the synthesis of all that era of players,” Hammond says. “Charley Patton, Blind Boy Fuller and blind Willie McTell — there were so many phenomenal musicians who got to record in the 1930s.
“That music was really inspirational to me. As I started to play professionally, I was on with Howlin’ Wolf and Muddy Waters. There were a lot of Chicago-based players who had moved up from the deep South.
“In 1964, a lot of old-time players were being rediscovered and playing shows and clubs all over the U.S., and I got to be on shows with all of them,” Hammond says. “It was like I found my niche. I was being accepted by so many great players.”
There have been many highlights in Hammond’s career.
“I’ve had so many chances to record with people I really admired,” he says. “I’ve been in the right place at the right time so many times.”
That includes playing with both Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton.
“They sat in with me with my little band in 1966-67,” Hammond says. “I had met Eric over in England. He came to New York to play with Cream.
“Hendrix had come back from his time in Europe and England. Both were hanging out and saw I was playing at the Gaslight Cafe in New York.
“I had one on either side of me for a week,” Hammond says. “Every person who was there that night and is still alive has come up to me and said, ‘I saw you play with Hendrix and Clapton.’”
A son of the famed record producer and talent scout John Henry Hammond Jr., Hammond is a descendant of Cornelius Vanderbilt, the business magnate and philanthropist who built his wealth in railroads and shipping in the 19th century.
Hammond provided the soundtrack for the 1970 film, “Little Big Man.” His latest album, “Timeless,” was released a year ago and marks his 50th year as a recording artist.
In Savannah, Hammond will be “doing what I do.”
“I have a whole bunch of songs and material that I really love,” he says. “In the last few years, I’ve got a few of my own songs.
“I’ve got a wealth of songs that I know and pretty much play as it comes to me,” Hammond says. “There are some tunes I play every night. I can play anything from any era.”
During his career, Hammond has recorded more than 30 albums.
“It’s amazing to have so much history and background,” he says. “Now I get up on stage and reflect on the old days.
“Everyone says I should be a storyteller or write a book, but I’m not ready yet,” Hammond says. “I’m still playing gigs and enjoying them.”
Over the years, Hammond has played Savannah several times.
“I love Savannah,” he says. “My friend, Tim Coy, and I used to go to the Night Flight Cafe on River Street. It was iconic.
“I always enjoyed Savannah and Tim, having grown up there, knew all the things that were going on in Savannah. I always felt a kindredness.
“I’m so happy to be playing in that area again,” Hammond says. “I’m in Florida right now and have three shows in Florida before we come toward Savannah and Atlanta.”
From Atlanta, Hammond will head north to perform in Detroit.
“It’s a little chilly up there,” he says. “We’re enjoying the warmth here.”
Originally published on February 18, 2015.
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