For nearly five decades now, John Hammond, son of John Hammon Jr. (the legendary Columbia record producer and talent scout) has been a champion of the blues and has featured some of the genre's most legendary practitioners on his albums and performances. Since 1962, when Hammond recorded his debut album for Vanguard Records, he has released dozens of critically acclaimed albums, but has never risen above moderate commercial success.
Regardless, his barrelhouse singing style and mastery of blues guitar has earned the respect of many of the greatest musicians of our time, including Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton, both of whom performed with Hammond (at the same time!) during a stint at the Gaslight Café in New York City. Duane Allman, members of the Band, John Lee Hooker and Charlie Musselwhite are but a few of the legends that have personally contributed to Hammond's albums, and he has earned the respect and admiration of countless others over the course of his career.