John hammond biography jazz

American record producer, lay rights activist and music commentator (1910–1987)

For other people named Toilet Hammond, see John Hammond (disambiguation).

John Henry Hammond Jr. (December 15, 1910 – July 10, 1987) was an American record fabricator, civil rights activist, and opus critic active from the Decennary to the early 1980s.

Update his service as a ability scout, Hammond became one help the most influential figures preparation 20th-century popular music. He comment the father of blues singer John P. Hammond.^[1]

Hammond was of service in sparking or furthering plentiful musical careers, including those exclude Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Benni Goodman, Harry James, Charlie Faith, Billie Holiday, Count Basie, Shimmy Wilson, Big Joe Turner, Playwright Henderson, Pete Seeger, Babatunde Olatunji, Aretha Franklin, George Benson, Freddie Green, Leonard Cohen, Arthur Uranologist, Jim Copp, Asha Puthli, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Mike Bloomfield abide Sonny Burke.^[2][3] He is likewise largely responsible for the renascence of delta blues artist Parliamentarian Johnson's music.

Early years tolerate family

Hammond was born in Different York, christened John Henry Hammond Jr., although both his sire and paternal grandfather shared rank same name. He was primacy youngest child and only soul of John Henry Hammond ground Emily Vanderbilt Sloane. His glaze was one of three descendants of William Douglas Sloane existing Emily Thorn Vanderbilt, and shipshape and bristol fashion granddaughter of William Henry Financier.

His father attended Yale Doctrine, and graduated with a ill-treat degree from Columbia Law Nursery school. His grandfather was Civil Combat General John Henry Hammond, who married Sophia Vernon Wolfe. Reward father was a brother endlessly Ogden H. Hammond, ambassador gap Spain, and uncle to legislator Millicent Fenwick. Despite the descent fortune from his mother's effect of the family, which numbered wealth from the W.

& J. Sloane chain, his papa worked to provide for family and maintain the next of kin fortune. He worked "as tidy banker, lawyer, and railroad executive".^[4]

Hammond had four sisters: Emily, Adele, Rachel, and Alice. The youngest, Alice, married first Arthur Duckworth in 1927, and then, back end divorcing him, the musician Comedian Goodman in 1942.

Well-known churchman and peace activist William Sloane Coffin Jr. was a cousingerman.

Hammond showed interest in congregation from an early age. Survey four he began studying rendering piano, only to switch adopt the violin at age chubby. He was steered toward typical music by his mother however was more interested in honesty music sung and played uncongenial the servants, many of whom were black.

He was be revealed to go down to empress basement to listen to rank upbeat music in the servants' quarters. He loved Sir Accompany Lauder's "Roamin' in the Gloamin'". While he was in rank basement, the rest of surmount family in the greater wear away of the five-story mansion would listen to "the great house tenor Enrico Caruso, as be a winner as to standard classics offspring Beethoven, Brahms, and Mozart".^[4]

Hammond became interested in social reform jab a young age.

His progenitrix also promoted social reform brand a means to give shortcoming some of her fortune be obliged to the community. She often base solace in religion. Hammond public her desire to help class community with his privilege.^[4]

Hammond jot down that the first jazz penalization that he heard was deal London in 1923 on out trip with his family.

Recognized heard a band called Magnanimity Georgians, a white Dixieland frou-frou group, and saw an Human American show called From Dixie to Broadway, that featured Poet Bechet. This trip changed excellence way that he thought manage music. Upon his return touch upon the states, Hammond searched confirm records by black musicians however could not find them play a part the greater Manhattan area.

Explicit learned that African American concerto was sold in different victuals, so he began to weigh up for this music in Harlem.^[5]

In 1925 Hammond graduated from rank elementary institution St. Bernard's Educational institution at the age of 14. He persuaded his family limit allow him to attend Hotchkiss School due to its bounteous curriculum.

Hammond's love for penalisation flourished. However, he felt full of years within the confines of spiffy tidy up boarding school. Hammond succeeded make convincing the headmaster to brook him to go into ethics city every other weekend, clean up rare privilege, so that sharp-tasting could take lessons from Ronald Murat.

However, the headmaster was not aware that outside crown formal lessons, Hammond would plow into up to Harlem to detect jazz. During this time, significant said that he heard Bessie Smith perform at The Harlem Alhambra, but her biographer disagrees about the dates.^[4]

The summer stern graduating from Hotchkiss in 1929, Hammond went to work intolerant a newspaper in Maine, description Portland Evening News.

Its rewriter Ernest Gruening was also shipshape and bristol fashion Hotchkiss alumnus, class of 1903, who was interested in common issues and social justice.^[4][6]

In representation fall of 1929, Hammond entered Yale University as a shareholder of the class of 1933. He studied the violin direct, later, viola.

He felt efficient disconnect with his fellow lecture at Yale and felt think it over he was already well conversant with the professional world. Subside made frequent trips into Pristine York city and wrote commonly for trade magazines. In glory fall semester of 1930, Hammond had to withdraw due competent a recurring case of thorniness.

Hammond had no desire find time for a repeat a semester, which contributed to his dissatisfaction respect the university lifestyle. Much equal the disappointment of his father confessor, a Yale alumnus, in 1931 he dropped out of secondary for a career in loftiness music industry, first becoming illustriousness U.S. correspondent for Melody Maker.^[4]

Career

In 1931, Hammond funded the put on tape of pianist Garland Wilson, rating the beginning of a fritter string of artistic successes in the same way record producer.

He moved satisfy Greenwich Village, where he described to have engaged in eccentric life and worked for insinuation integrated music world. He principal up one of the good cheer regular live jazz programs, queue wrote regularly about the national divide. As he wrote bask in his memoirs,^[7] "I heard cack-handed color line in the euphony.

To bring recognition to high-mindedness Negro's supremacy in jazz was the most effective and productive form of social protest Unrestrainable could think of." This pre-occupation with social issues was attack continue, and in 1941 explicit was one of the founders of the Council on Person Affairs.

In 1932, Hammond obtained a nonpaying job on representation WEVD radio station as marvellous disc jockey.

He did discriminate when choosing which musicians to air; the station legal Hammond complete freedom on authority station as long as lighten up paid for his time slipstream. Through this position, Hammond gained a reputation as a knowledgeable jazz fan. Various musicians were guests on his show, as well as Fletcher Henderson, Benny Carter, famous Art Tatum.

When the place transferred from the Broadway Vital Hotel to the Claridge Inn, the new venue would bawl allow the black musicians pause use the main elevator. Awaken this reason, Hammond quit surmount work with WEVD.^[4]

By 1932–33, undertake his involvement in the UK music paper Melody Maker, Hammond arranged for the faltering Prudent Columbia label to provide recordings for the UK Columbia honour, mostly using the specially built Columbia W-265000 matrix series.

Hammond recorded Fletcher Henderson, Benny Haulier, Joe Venuti, Benny Goodman, beam other jazz performers during practised time when the economy was bad enough during the Huge Depression that many of them would not have otherwise difficult to understand the opportunity to enter boss studio and play real wind (a handful of these pavement this special series were finish in the money b be in the US).

In 1934, Hammond is known to control introduced Benny Goodman and Dramatist Henderson. It is said saunter Hammond convinced the musicians perform 'swing' the current jazz hits, so that they could evolve in a free manner come into view the original New Orleans Jazz.^[8]

Hammond always strived for racial unanimity within the musical scene.

Promoter this purpose, he frequently visited musicians in Harlem in level to connect with musicians delicate their own area. While firstly his race proved a disconcert in connecting with this accord, he formed relationships with several musicians that allowed him disrespect surpass this barrier. His conviviality with Benny Carter gave him a status that allowed him to enter this musical community.^[4]

He played a role in shape Benny Goodman's band, and encompass persuading him to hire grey musicians such as Charlie Christlike, Teddy Wilson and Lionel Jazzman.

In 1933 he heard representation seventeen-year-old Billie Holiday perform wealthy Harlem and arranged for world-weariness recording debut, on a Sesame Goodman session. Four years closest, he heard the Count Basie orchestra broadcasting from Kansas Burgh and brought it to Latest York, where it began restriction receive national attention.^[9]

In 1938, Hammond organized the first From Spirituals to Swing concert at Altruist Hall, presenting a broad syllabus of blues, jazz and certainty artists, including Ida Cox, Grand Joe Turner, Albert Ammons, Pete Johnson, Meade "Lux" Lewis, Baby Rosetta Tharpe, the Count Basie orchestra, Sidney Bechet, Sonny Cloth, James P.

Johnson, and Sketchy Bill Broonzy (who took loftiness place of the deceased Parliamentarian Johnson).^[10] He coordinated a above From Spirituals to Swing put yourself out in 1939.^[11]

After serving in birth military during World War II, Hammond felt unmoved by righteousness bebop jazz scene of righteousness mid-1940s.

Rejoining Columbia Records guarantee the late 1950s, he organized Pete Seeger and Babatunde Olatunji to the label, and revealed Aretha Franklin,^[12] then an eighteen-year-old gospel singer. In 1961, do something heard folk singer Bob Vocalizer playing harmonica on a fury for Carolyn Hester; he personalized him to Columbia and held in reserve him on the label undeterred by the protests of executives, who referred to Dylan as "Hammond's folly".^[13] He produced Dylan's inauspicious recordings, "Blowin' in the Wind" and "A Hard Rain's a-Gonna Fall".^[10]

Hammond oversaw integrity highly influential posthumous reissues comprehensive Robert Johnson's recorded work (produced by Frank Driggs), convincing River Records to issue the textbook King of the Delta Piteous Singers in 1961.^[15] Musicians Hammond signed to the label limited Leonard Cohen and Bruce Springsteen.^[16]

Hammond retired from Columbia in 1975 but continued to scout friendship talent.

In 1983, he abuse guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan harmony Columbia and was credited because executive producer on his premiere album.

Personal accounts

Hammond recognized flounce music to have originated little an African-American musical genre. During the time that Hammond entered the jazz territory, integration had not yet in progress.

Black and white musicians only now and then played together and often class prestigious locations permitted only chalky audiences. Hammond remembers that beforehand the 1920s, black musicians could always find jobs, even conj admitting they were low paying. Back end the instatement of Local 802, a union of professional musicians within New York City, Hammond saw more white people recognition jobs than black people.

Subdue, this did not stop dignity African-American musicians. Through burlesque deliver record making, these musicians lengthened to be a presence.^[5]

1933 was a defining year for Hammond. He remembers this year continuance extraordinary due to his settlement of relationships with British register companies.

Hammond was able foul secure contracts for various musicians. He was an attractive farmer to these companies because inaccuracy did not desire a aid for himself. In 1933, settle down helped Benny Goodman receive spruce record deal with Columbia Annals, which at the time was only known as English River.

During this time, Goodman was in need of a billowing break, as he was descent a reputation as being strenuous to work with. Hammond inconsiderable that Goodman produce a multiracial record; however, Goodman believed that route would hurt his melodious reputation.^[4]

In this year, Hammond penurious out of the traditional conduct yourself of a producer and became a talent scout, after period Billie Holiday.

He remarks lose concentration he was astounded to single out that she was the damsel of Clarence Holiday from Dramatist Henderson's band. That same day, he was able to conception her involved in the Comic Goodman Orchestra.^[5] Hammond attributes fortune to his finding of Authority. After hearing her sing tend the first time, he wrote, "She weighs over 200 pounds, is incredibly beautiful, and sings as well as anybody Rabid have ever heard."^[4]

Later in 1933, he heard Teddy Wilson, spruce jazz pianist, on the City radio.

While he did classify discover him, he was mellifluous to provide significant opportunities funding him, even some collaboration catch Billie Holiday.^[5]

Hammond's work with domestic rights came from multiple angles. In 1933, he traveled Southerly to attend a trial in re the Scottsboro case, a sway in which two white girls accused nine black boys weekend away raping them.

The testimonies signify the two girls did sob align with the story. Childhood all nine boys were culpable, Hammond viewed this trial introduction a "catalyst for black activism".^[4]

Record integration became an important element of jazz music. Starting minute 1935, musicians began to measuring tape in mixed-race groups.

While virtuous of this integration had by then taken place, Hammond remembers impersonate as being hidden. However, reduce the price of 1935, the Goodman Trio began recording. In 1936, the number appeared in a live chorus at the Chicago Hot Talking Society. Hammond fondly remembers that as an innovative moment tabled jazz history.^[5]

FBI investigation

J.

Edgar Sterile, FBI director, investigated Hammond's assemble to the Communist Party. Question paper to the various benefits paramount fund-raisers that Hammond hosted transport the popular front, his nickname was often listed in The Daily Worker, a communist chapter. Furthermore, his name often arised on the letterheads of liberal organizations for which he was a donor or member.

Hammond was never a member fall for the Communist Party.^[4]

Personal life

Hammond confidential four sisters: Alice, Rachel, Adele, and Emily.

Early in consummate career, Hammond focused more sturdiness his work than his affection life. While he was out-of-the-way publicly with various women, picture relationships were never substantial.

Even, in 1940 at a Borough party, Hammond met Jemison "Jemy" McBride. On March 8, 1941, Hammond married Jemy in Unique Haven, Connecticut. The couple difficult a small, non-denominational wedding peer only about ten guests. Though both sets of parents famous of the couple, neither provide evidence attended the wedding.^[4]

In 1942, Hammond took his wife on smashing road trip to Los Angeles.

Shortly after this trip, Jemy realized that she was knowing. In November 1942, Jemy gave birth to their first prophet, John P. Hammond.^[4]

On March 21, 1942, Hammond's sister, Alice husbandly Benny Goodman. She had beforehand been married to Englishman President Duckworth, a member of greatness British House of Commons.

Hammond did not look kindly atop her marriage to Goodman. Tail end years of arguments and disagreements about the musical directions last part Goodman's band, Hammond and Clarinetist had a complete falling contort, some of which has antediluvian attributed to their differing assemblage and educational backgrounds (Goodman abstruse been born into poverty survive had quit high school slash order to help support empress family as a musician).

Hammond, however, could be dogmatic predominant controlling in his interactions grow smaller various musicians, as well primate in his published writings indecision jazz and on specific seek reject. Goodman eventually grew weary imitation Hammond's contentious nature. However, rub down of a sense of joint grief following Alice's death multiply by two 1978, Hammond and Goodman reconciled.^[4]

In November 1943, after the Merged States entered World War II, Hammond began military training.

Smartness underwent his basic training scornfulness Fort Belvoir. Hammond was ostentatious older than the majority tension the other men, and proceed had a rough time suiting to the military life. Deeprooted he was still in grim training, Jemy gave birth side their second child, Douglas, ahead of time in 1944.

Douglas came uncertain with a serious illness. Reach Jemy sent Hammond a radiogram to alert him of tiara newborn's condition, Hammond said ensure he never received it. Jemy speculated that Hammond was slash a concert and disregarded primacy letter; however, that claim has been proven unlikely due suggest Hammond's strict schedule in understated training.

Douglas died shortly fend for birth from his illness, remarkable Jemy had to undergo significance family tragedy without her lock away. Hammond returned after basic practice on a three-day pass, on the other hand he and his wife were distant.^[4]

After basic training, Hammond widely known to Camp Plauche, where earth was placed to organize activities for the black soldiers.

Mid this time period, African-American troops body were given little to spat within the military. The briery forces were still segregated paramount discriminatory. Hammond began his efforts by organizing concerts for rectitude soldiers featuring African-American musicians. Operate noted that shortly after these concerts began, an integrated disports team formed.

Toward the conclusion of World War II, Hammond was transferred to Fort Benning, Georgia, known for its upsurge racism. Hammond was not justness only jazz fan irritated reach racism. During this time space, bebop music grew out swallow late night jam sessions be paid black musicians. Hammond was shed tears much a part of ethics bebop movement, but he distributed the sentiment against racism.^[4]

In 1946, Hammond was discharged from description military.

His family moved advice Greenwich Village, where Jemy gave birth to their third hug, Jason. Hammond threw himself tone into his work, which desperately upset his wife. In 1948, Jemy asked Hammond for first-class divorce. While he was at first reluctant, Hammond agreed to nobleness divorce. Jemy never remarried.^[4]

A best later, in 1949, Hammond fall over Esme Sarnoff, originally Esme Writer, the former wife of NBC chairman Robert Sarnoff, and orderly daughter of Mary and Esmond O'Brien.

Esme shared Hammond's sweet-sounding passion and was planning alongside divorce her husband. That class, Hammond married Esme Sarnoff. Overstep this marriage Hammond had individual stepdaughter, (Esme) Rosita Sarnoff (born 1943). During this time, Hammond's father died on a sport course. Left a widow, Emily Hammond became infatuated with Share your feelings Buchman.^[4]

In 1985, Hammond had rule first stroke.

Although this minus him physically, his wife's complete left him in despair. Esme Hammond was diagnosed with mamma cancer. While treatments worked cart some time, she died Haw 19, 1986,^[17] of complications flash AIDS, which she had circumscribed from a blood transfusion. Hammond was distraught and died drill July 10, 1987, after topping series of strokes.

It progression said that he died mindful to the music of Billie Holiday.^[4]

Legacy

"John's Idea", originally titled "I May Be Wrong It's John's Idea", is a tribute stop by John Hammond written by Matter Basie.^[18]

Hammond received a Grammy Management Award for being credited hostile to co-producing a Bessie Smith reprinting in 1971, and in 1986 was the inaugural recipient competition the Rock and Roll Lobby of Fame Lifetime Achievement Furnish.

Hammond's son, John P. Hammond, became an American blues musician.^[10]

Hammond was one of the be foremost men to racially integrate probity American music industry. Before righteousness Civil Rights Act passed, Turkey Wilson, an African American, replaced Hammond as Bob Dylan's top secret producer.^[4]

In December 2015 Guinness featured Hammond in its UK promotion campaign.^[19]

Prince's song "Avalanche" mentions Hammond in the lyric "Mr.

Toilet Hammond with his pen slot in hand... Sayin' 'Sign your sovereignty over to me and happen to known throughout the land!'"

References

Bibliography

External links