John Hammond (Producer)
John Hammond (Producer)
John Hammond (Producer)
For other people named John Hammond, see John down to his basement to listen to the upbeat music in the
Hammond (disambiguation).
servants quarters. He loved Sir Harry Lauders Roamin'
in the Gloamin'". While he was in the basement, the rest
John Henry Hammond II (December 15, 1910 July of his family in the greater part of the ve-story mansion
would listen to the great opera tenor Enrico Caruso, as
10, 1987) was an American record producer, civil rights
activist and music critic from the 1930s to the early well as to[1]standard classics by Beethoven, Brahms, and
Mozart".
1980s. In his service as a talent scout, Hammond became
one of the most inuential gures in 20th century popular Hammond became interested in social reform at a young
music.
age. His mother had a large interest in social reform as a
Hammond was instrumental in sparking or furthering means to give back some of her fortune to the community.
her
numerous musical careers, including those of Bob Dy- She often found solace in religion. Hammond shared
[1]
desire
to
help
the
community
with
his
privilege.
lan, Bruce Springsteen, Benny Goodman, Charlie Christian, Billie Holiday, Count Basie, Teddy Wilson, Big
Joe Turner, Pete Seeger, Babatunde Olatunji, Aretha
Franklin, George Benson, Freddie Green, Leonard Cohen, Arthur Russell, Jim Copp, Asha Puthli and Stevie
Ray Vaughan. He is also largely responsible for the revival of delta blues artist Robert Johnson's music.
Hammond was christened John Henry Hammond, Jr., although both his father and grandfather shared the same
name. He was the youngest child and only son of John
Henry Hammond. His father attended Yale University,
graduating with a law degree from Columbia Law School.
His grandfather was Civil War General John Henry Hammond, who married Sophia Vernon Wolfe. His father was
a brother of Ogden H. Hammond, ambassador to Spain,
and uncle to politician Millicent Fenwick. Despite the
family fortune from his mothers side of the family, his
father worked to provide for his family and maintain the
family fortune. He worked in various jobs as a banker,
lawyer, and railroad executive.[1]
withdraw due to a re-occurring case of jaundice. Hammond had no desire to a repeat a semester, which contributed to his dissatisfaction with the university lifestyle.
Much to the disappointment of his father, a Yale alum,
in 1931 he dropped out of school for a career in the music industry, rst becoming the U.S. correspondent for
Melody Maker.[1]
Career
In 1931, he funded the recording of pianist Garland Wilson, marking the beginning of a long string of artistic successes as record producer. He moved to Greenwich Village, where he claimed to have engaged in bohemian life
and worked for an integrated music world. He set up one
of the rst regular live jazz programs, and wrote regularly
about the racial divide. As he wrote in his memoirs,[4] I
heard no color line in the music.... To bring recognition
to the negros supremacy in jazz was the most eective
and constructive form of social protest I could think of.
This pre-occupation with social issues was to continue,
and in 1941 he was one of the founders of the Council
on African Aairs. Hammond was given to exaggeration
when speaking of his own achievements, but he had much
to be acclaimed for.
CAREER
3
Ray Vaughan to Columbia and was credited as executive nine boys were convicted, Hammond viewed this trial as
producer on his debut album.
a catalyst for black activism.[1]
Personal accounts
4 FBI investigation
J. Edgar Hoover, FBI director, investigated Hammonds
link to the Communist Party. Due to the various benets
and fund-raisers that Hammond hosted for the popular
front, his name was often listed in The Daily Worker, a
communist newspaper. Furthermore, his name often appeared on the letterheads of left-wing organizations for
which he was a donor or member. However, Hammond
was not a communist.[1]
5 Personal life
Hammonds work with civil rights came from multiple angles. In 1933, he traveled South to attend a trial regarding
the Scottsboro case, a case in which two white girls accused nine black boys of raping them. The testimonies
of the two girls did not align with the story. While the all
that Hammond was in a concert and disregarded the letter; however, that claim has been proven unlikely due
to Hammonds strict schedule in basic training. Douglas
died shortly after birth from his illness, and Jemy had to
undergo the family tragedy without her husband. Hammond returned after basic training on a three-day pass,
but he and his wife were distant.[1]
REFERENCES
Hammond was one of the original men to racially integrate the music industry. Before the Civil Rights Act
After basic training, Hammond reported to Camp passed, Tom Wilson, an African American, replaced
Plauche, where he was placed to organize activities for Hammond as Bob Dylan's record producer. There was
the black soldiers. During this time period, African- no uproar in regards to this replacement.[1]
American soldiers were given little to do within the military. There was still a large amount of racism in the military at this time. Hammond began his eorts by organizing concerts for the soldiers featuring African-American 7 References
musicians. Hammond noted that shortly after this these
concerts began, an integrated sports team formed. To- [1] Dunstan Prial (2006) The Producer: John Hammond and
ward the end of World War II, Hammond was transferred
the Soul of American Music, Farrar, Straus and Giroux,
to Fort Benning, known for its intense racism. HamISBN 0-374-11304-1
mond was not the only jazz aliate irritated with racism.
During this time period, bebop music grew out of late [2] John Hammond, An Experience in Jazz History, in
Dominique-Ren de Lerma, ed., Black Music in Our Culnight jam sessions of black musicians. Hammond was
ture: Curricular Ideas on the Subjects, Materials, and Probnot much a part of the bebop movement, but he shared
lems (Kent State University Press, 1970), pp. 4253.
[1]
the sentiment against racism.
In 1946, Hammond was discharged from the military.
His family moved to Greenwich Village, where Jemy gave
birth to their third son, Jason. Hammond threw himself
back into his work, which greatly upset his wife. In 1948,
Jemy asked Hammond for a divorce. While he was originally reluctant, Hammond agreed to the divorce. Jemy
never remarried.[1]
Just a year later, in 1949, Hammond met Esme Sarno,
originally Esme O'Brien, the former wife of NBC chairman Robert W. Sarno and a daughter of Mary and Esmond O'Brien. Esme shared Hammonds musical passion and was planning to divorce her husband. That
year, Hammond married Esme Sarno. By this marriage
Hammond had one stepdaughter, (Esme) Rosita Sarno
(born 1943). During this time, Hammonds father died
on a golf course. Left a widow, Emily Hammond became
infatuated with Frank Buchman.[1]
In 1985, Hammond had his rst stroke. Although this impaired him physically, his wifes death truly aected his [9] Show 31 Ballad in Plain D: An introduction to the Bob
mentality. Esme Hammond was diagnosed with breast
Dylan era. [Part 1] : UNT Digital Library
cancer. While treatments worked for some time, she
died May 19, 1986[13] of complications of AIDS, which [10] Gilliland, John (1969). E-J interview index (audio). Pop
Chronicles. Digital.library.unt.edu.
had been contracted from a blood transfusion. Hammond
died on July 10, 1987, after a series of strokes. It is said
[11] Blogs.smh.com.au
that he died listening to the music of Billie Holiday.[1]
Legacy
[12] Tobler, John (1992). NME Rock 'N' Roll Years (1st ed.).
London: Reed International Books Ltd. p. 239. CN
5585.
Johns Idea, originally titled I May Be Wrong Its [13] Esme Hammond, 66, A Prominent Socialite"; The New
York Times (May 22, 1986); Retrieved October 16, 2011.
Johns Idea, is a tribute to John Hammond written by
[14]
Count Basie.
Hammond received a Grammy Trustees Award for be-
Bibliography
Berger, Edward. Hammond, John (Henry, Jr.)".
The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz. Web.
Dunstan Prial (2006) The Producer: John Hammond
and the Soul of American Music, Farrar, Straus and
Giroux, ISBN 0-374-11304-1
John Hammond, An Experience in Jazz History,
in Dominique-Ren de Lerma, ed., Black Music in
Our Culture: Curricular Ideas on the Subjects, Materials, and Problems (Kent State University Press,
1970), pp. 4253.
John Hammond with Irving Townsend (1977) John
Hammond On Record: An Autobiography, Ridge
Press Summit Books, ISBN 0-671-40003-7
Swing. The Subject Is Jazz. WNBC. New York,
New York, 1958. Television.
External links
John Hammond on American Masters (PBS)
Induction to Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
John Hammond Papers at Yale University Music Library
John Hammond (producer) interviewed on the Pop
Chronicles (1969)
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