John Henry Hammond II (December 15, 1910 – July 10, 1987) was a record producer, musician and music critic from the 1930s to the early 1980s. Events 533 - Byzantine general Belisarius defeats the Vandals, commanded by King Gelimer, at the Battle of Year 1910 ( MCMX) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting Events 48 BC - Battle of Dyrrhachium, Julius Caesar barely avoids a catastrophic defeat to Pompey in Macedonia. Year 1987 ( MCMLXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link displays 1987 Gregorian calendar) In the Music industry, a record producer or music producer has many roles among them controlling the recording sessions coaching and guiding the musicians organizing The 1930s were described as an abrupt shift to more radical and conservative lifestyles as countries were struggling to find a solution to the Great Depression. The 1980s was the decade spanning from January 1 1980 to December 31 1989. In his service as a talent scout, Hammond became one of the most influential figures in 20th Century popular music. Artists and Repertoire ( A&R) is the division of a Record label that is responsible for talent scouting and artist development
Although he did not "discover" as many artists as is generally claimed, Hammond was instrumental in sparking or furthering numerous musical careers, including those of Benny Goodman, Charlie Christian, Billie Holiday, Count Basie, Teddy Wilson, Big Joe Turner, Pete Seeger, Babatunde Olatunji, Aretha Franklin, George Benson, Bob Dylan, Freddie Green, Leonard Cohen, Bruce Springsteen, Asha Puthli and Stevie Ray Vaughan. Charlie Christian (Charles Henry Christian ( 29 July 1916 &ndash 2 March 1942) was an American swing and Bebop Billie Holiday (born Eleanora Fagan; April 7 1915 – July 17 1959 was an American Jazz singer and songwriter William "Count" Basie ( August 21, 1904 &ndash April 26, 1984) was an American jazz pianist, Organist Theodore Shaw "Teddy" Wilson ( November 24 1912 &ndash July 31 1986) was a jazz pianist from the United States For the Ice hockey player see Joe Turner Big Joe Turner (born Joseph Vernon Turner Jr Peter "Pete" Seeger (born May 3 1919 is an American folk singer political Activist, and a key figure in the mid-20th century American Babatunde Olatunji ( April 7, 1927 – April 6, 2003) was a Nigerian Drummer educator social activist and recording Aretha Louise Franklin (born March 25 1942 Franklin has had a total of twenty number-one singles on the Billboard R&B Singles Chart, two of which became #1 hits on the George Benson (b March 22 1943, Pittsburgh Pennsylvania) is an American musician whose recording career began at the age of twenty-one Bob Dylan (born Robert Zimmerman, May 24 1941 in Duluth, Minnesota) is an American singer-songwriter author poet and painter who has been a major Freddie Green (baptized Frederick William Green March 31 1911 &ndash March 1 1987) was an American swing Jazz guitarist Leonard Norman Cohen CC GOQ (born September 21, 1934 in Westmount, Quebec) is a Canadian Singer-songwriter Asha Puthli is an Indian -born Singer, Songwriter, producer and Actress. Stephen "Stevie" Ray Vaughan ( October 3, 1954 August 27, 1990) was an American Blues-rock Guitarist
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Early years and family
Hammond was the only son of James Henry Hammond, son of General John Henry Hammond and Sophia Vernon Wolfe. James was a brother of Ogden Hammond, ambassador to Spain, and uncle to politician Millicent Fenwick. Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Millicent Hammond Fenwick ( February 25, 1910 – September 16, 1992) was an American Fashion editor Politician Hammond's mother was the former Miss Emily Vanderbilt Sloane, one of three daughters of William Douglas Sloane and Emily Thorn Vanderbilt. Emily Thorn Vanderbilt (1852 – 1946 was a member of the prominent United States Vanderbilt family. James Hammond and Emily Sloane were wed on April 5, 1899. They also had a daughter, Alice Frances Hammond, who married musician Benny Goodman.
Born in New York City to great wealth as the great-grandson of William Henry Vanderbilt, Hammond showed interest in music at an early age. The City of New York This article is about the railroad magnate For his grandson the governor of Rhode Island see William Henry Vanderbilt III. At age four he began studying the piano, only to switch to the violin at age eight. He was steered toward classical music by his mother, but was more interested in the music sung and played by the servants, many of whom were black. In his teens he began listening to black musicians in Harlem, who adopted him as a novel mascot,[1] and in 1927 heard Bessie Smith sing at the Alhambra Theater, a performance which influenced the rest of his life. Bessie Smith (July 9 1892 or April 15 1894&ndash September 26 1937 was an American Blues singer
In 1928 Hammond entered Yale University as a member of the class of 1933, where he studied the violin and, later, viola. The viola is a bowed String instrument. It is the middle voice of the Violin family, He made frequent trips into New York and wrote regularly for trade magazines. In 1931 he dropped out of school for a career in the music industry, first becoming the U. S. correspondent for Melody Maker. Melody Maker, published in the United Kingdom, was according to its publisher IPC Media, the world's oldest weekly Music Newspaper His sister Alice Hammond Duckworth married his friend Benny Goodman as her second husband.
Career
In 1931 he funded the recording of pianist Garland Wilson, marking the beginning of a long string of artistic successes as record producer. Garland Lorenzo Wilson ( 13 June 1909 &ndash 31 May 1954) was an American Jazz pianist born in Martinsburg He moved to Greenwich Village, where he claimed to have engaged in bohemian life and worked for an integrated music world. Greenwich Village (ˌgrɛnɪtʃ ˈvɪlɪdʒ often simply called the Village, is a largely residential area on the west side of downtown (southern Manhattan He set up one of the first regular live jazz programs, and wrote regularly about the racial divide. Jazz is an American Musical art form which originated in the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States As he wrote in his memoirs,[2] "I heard no color line in the music. . . . To bring recognition to the negro’s supremacy in jazz was the most effective and constructive form of social protest I could think of". It should be noted that Hammond was given to exaggeration when speaking of his own achievements, but he had much to be acclaimed for.
He played a role in organizing Benny Goodman's band, and in persuading him to hire black musicians such as Charlie Christian, Teddy Wilson and Lionel Hampton. Charlie Christian (Charles Henry Christian ( 29 July 1916 &ndash 2 March 1942) was an American swing and Bebop Theodore Shaw "Teddy" Wilson ( November 24 1912 &ndash July 31 1986) was a jazz pianist from the United States Lionel Leo Hampton ( April 20, 1908 &ndash August 31, 2002) was an American Jazz Vibraphonist, Percussionist In 1933 he heard the 17 year old Billie Holiday perform in Harlem and arranged for her recording debut, on a Benny Goodman session. Billie Holiday (born Eleanora Fagan; April 7 1915 – July 17 1959 was an American Jazz singer and songwriter Four years later, he heard the Count Basie orchestra broadcasting from Kansas City and brought it to New York, where it began to receive national attention. William "Count" Basie ( August 21, 1904 &ndash April 26, 1984) was an American jazz pianist, Organist
In 1938, he organized the first "From Spirituals to Swing" concert at Carnegie Hall, presenting a broad program of blues, jazz and gospel artists, including Ida Cox, Big Joe Turner, Albert Ammons, Meade "Lux" Lewis, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, the Count Basie orchestra, Sidney Bechet, Sonny Terry, James P. From Spirituals to Swing was the title of two influential concerts presented by John Hammond in Carnegie Hall on 23 December 1938 and 24 December 1939 The Blues is a vocal and instrumental form of Music based on the use of the Blue notes It emerged as an accessible form of self-expression Jazz is an American Musical art form which originated in the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States This article is about the canonical books of the New Testament Ida Cox (c 25 February 1896 &ndash 10 November 1967) was an African American Singer and Vaudeville performer For the Ice hockey player see Joe Turner Big Joe Turner (born Joseph Vernon Turner Jr Albert Ammons ( September 23 1907 — December 2 1949) was an American Pianist. Meade Anderson "Lux" Lewis ( September 3, 1905 – June 7, 1964) was a United States pianist and composer noted for his work Rosetta Tharpe ( March 20, 1915 – October 9, 1973) was a pioneering Gospel singer songwriter and recording artist who attained William "Count" Basie ( August 21, 1904 &ndash April 26, 1984) was an American jazz pianist, Organist Sidney Bechet ( May 14, 1897 &ndash May 14, 1959) was an American Jazz saxophonist, Clarinetist and Composer Johnson, and Big Bill Broonzy (who took the place of the murdered Robert Johnson). Big Bill Broonzy ( 26 June 1898 &ndash 14 August 1958) was a prolific American Blues Singer, songwriter Robert Leroy Johnson (May 8 1911 – August 16 1938 is among the most famous of Delta blues musicians
After serving in the military during World War II, Hammond felt unmoved by the bebop jazz scene of the mid-1940s. Bebop or bop is a form of Jazz characterized by fast Tempos and Improvisation based on Harmonic structure rather than Melody Rejoining Columbia Records in the late 1950s, he signed Pete Seeger and Babatunde Olatunji to the label, and also discovered Aretha Franklin, then an eighteen year-old gospel singer. Columbia Records is an American Record label founded in 1888 Columbia is the oldest surviving Brand name in pre-recorded sound being the first record company In 1961, he heard folk singer Bob Dylan playing harmonica on a session for Carolyn Hester and signed him to Columbia and kept him on the label despite the protests of executives, who referred to Dylan as "Hammond’s folly. Carolyn Hester (b 1937 Waco Texas was an important figure of the early '60s folk revival singing traditional material in the manner similar to that of later chanteuses such as " He produced Dylan's early recordings, "Blowin' in the Wind" and "A Hard Rain's a-Gonna Fall". " Blowin' in the Wind " is a Song written by Bob Dylan and released on his 1963 album The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan. " A Hard Rain's a-Gonna Fall " is a song written by Bob Dylan in the summer of 1962
John Hammond also oversaw the highly influential posthumous reissues of Robert Johnson’s recorded work (produced by Frank Driggs), convincing Columbia Records to issue the album "King of the Delta Blues Singers" in 1961. Robert Leroy Johnson (May 8 1911 – August 16 1938 is among the most famous of Delta blues musicians [1] Artists Hammond signed to the label included Leonard Cohen and Bruce Springsteen. Leonard Norman Cohen CC GOQ (born September 21, 1934 in Westmount, Quebec) is a Canadian Singer-songwriter
Hammond retired from Columbia in 1975, but continued to scout for talent. In 1983, he brought guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan to Columbia and was credited as executive producer on his debut album.
Legacy
Hammond received a Grammy Trustees Award for being credited with co-producing a Bessie Smith reissue in 1971, and in 1986 was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The Grammy Trustees Award is awarded by the Recording Academy to "individuals who during their careers in music have made significant contributions other than Year 1971 ( MCMLXXI) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the 1971 Gregorian calendar. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is a Museum located on the shores of Lake Erie in downtown Cleveland Ohio, United States
He died in 1987 after a series of strokes. He was the father of John P. Hammond (better known as John Hammond Jr. John P Hammond (born John Paul Hammond, 13 November 1942, New York) (often mistakenly known as "John Hammond Jr" which ), a noted blues musician and singer, and Jason Hammond.
References
- ^ Amazon.com: The Producer: John Hammond and the Soul of American Music: Books: Dunstan Prial
- ^ John Hammond On Record: An Autobiography, ISBN 0-671-40003-7
External links
Bibliography
- John Hammond with Irving Townsend (1977) John Hammond On Record: An Autobiography, Ridge Press - Summit Books, ISBN 0-671-40003-7
- Dunstan Prial (2006) The Producer: John Hammond and the Soul of American Music, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, ISBN 0-374-11304-1
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