Rooted in Blues

John Hammond (1942–2026) was a professional musician for nearly sixty years. He released more than thirty-five albums, won one Grammy Award, and received eight additional nominations. He earned ten Blues Music Awards, performed over four thousand shows, and was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame.Marla Hammond is a New York City native and lifelong writer who developed a passion for music and the arts at an early age. She met John Hammond twenty years after first seeing him perform and accompanied him on the road for thirty years. John and Marla made a home in Jersey City, New Jersey.

"I first saw John Hammond in 1963 on a tip from his legendary father, who I met while recording for Columbia Records. He told me John was playing that very night at the Gaslight Cafe in Greenwich Village. But nothing could have prepared me for what I found there. John walked out onto the small stage with his harmonica wrapped around his neck and his National guitar in hand, and he started stomping on the floor with his cowboy boots. Then he started playing his National guitar and blowing that harp. I felt like I got hit by a freight train doing 150 miles an hour. That kid had the heart of Robert Johnson, the gravitas of Lightning Hopkins, the appeal of Jimmy Reed, and the ferocity of Howlin’ Wolf. He had all of that, all at once. If I were in charge, there’d be a national holiday dedicated to John Hammond, or I’d turn Fourth Street into John Hammond Way." - Dion, singer-songwriter, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee, and Grammy Hall of Fame inductee