John Hammond, known for his incredible work as a blues musician, has passed away at the age of 83, Billboard reports. He died on Feb. 28 of cardiac arrest
The news was announced by Toronto artist Paul James, who revealed in a Facebook post that he received a call from Hammond’s wife with the news.
“Marla Hammond called me yesterday with the heartbreaking news that my dear friend John Hammond has passed away. The blues world has lost a giant. I’ve lost my best friend,” the post read. “I’ve just been going through the photos we’ve shared over the years — from the Horseshoe Tavern to Albert’s Hall in Toronto, from London to Montreal, to Edmonton to Ottawa — and each picture tells a story of great music, great people, and unforgettable nights. He was such an inspiration to me, I’ll miss him terribly.”
Tributes Pour In For John Hammond
“John Hammond was purely magnificent. Saw him in concert about 40 years ago or 20 years after his rise. Charismatic, dazzling, powerful beautiful, dedicated to one thing: blues music. What a purposeful true life. RIP,” one person posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“We’re heartbroken by the news that the blues great John Hammond passed away over the weekend. He was always kind to us, and we will miss him. John was a frequent eTown guest, and we are grateful he shared his time and his songs with our community,” eTown radio shared.
“Rest in peace John . I will never forget how kind you were to me over the years. The first time I met him was on New Year’s eve in 1991 when he was opening up for Buddy Guy at Irving Plaza in New York. I was asked to sit in with Buddy that night. John handed me his 1930’s National guitar with 14 gauge strings on it and smiled while I struggled to get anything out of it. He was a musical troubadour, an ambassador of the blues, a brilliant musician, a documentarian, a legend and the son of a legend. This is a big loss for all of us in the Blues community,” Guitarist Joe Bonamassa wrote.
John Hammond Remembered As A ‘Passionate Performer’
GettyIn a post by Hammond’s longtime booking agent, Mike Kappus, shared a touching tribute.
“John Paul Hammond was a Grammy winner, Blues Hall of Fame inductee and a very influential artist who was the most passionate performer I ever knew. Typically performing solo, he was like a man possessed, playing guitar like two people at once, playing harmonica on a neck rack, and singing while adding percussion with his feet. He was totally dedicated to the deep Blues music he loved and made,” he wrote on Facebook (per Billboard).
“Offstage, John was a very kind and sophisticated gentleman. I booked some shows for him in the early/mid seventies before becoming his exclusive agent in 1977. We worked together until I retired from artist representation in 2014. A tireless worker, especially in his earlier years, we booked nearly 4,500 shows for him all over the world before he began to reduce his schedule. We remained very good friends throughout and ever since.”
