SWAMPLAND MUSIC: John Hammond interview by Michael Buffalo Smith - January 2007 >>
So how does he continue to do it and do it with such passion? "Because I love it, that's how," he said. "It's my life." Blues doesn't get any better than this, in concept or execution. Stay on the road, John Hammond. We need your blues. -- BlueSpeak

From coffeehouses to concert halls, festivals and beyond, John Hammond has spent forty years entertaining blues, folk and rock audiences around the world, performing intense solo-acoustic blues. A Grammy Award winner and four time nominee, Hammond is also a multiple W.C. Handy award winner who has shared the stage and/or recorded with many of the masters, including Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon, John Lee Hooker and Howlin' Wolf. John has recorded over thirty albums and his passionate commitment to traditional blues made him the natural choice to host the BRAVO TV special and Sony Home Video, The Search for Robert Johnson. His latest album, Push Comes To Shove, was released in January 2007 to glowing reviews from Time Out New York, the Washington Post, American Songwriter and many more. The disc was produced by longtime Hammond fanatic G Love (Garret Dutton III) and features Stephen Hodges on drums, Marty Ballou on bass and Bruce Katz on piano and organ. Hammond wrote an unprecedented five original songs for the album, along with new renditions of tunes by Little Walter, Junior Wells, Tom Waits and more.

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Staples and John Hammond Honored With Top Album Awards In Australia's Rhythms Magazine 2007 Readers Poll
February 2008, Rosebud News

The annual Rhythms Magazine Readers Poll named Mavis StaplesRy Cooder produced, We'll Never Turn Back as Album of the Year and John Hammond’s Push Comes To Shove as International Blues Album of the Year. This is Staples’ first Rhythms Magazine Readers Poll Award and Hammond’s third, having also been honored in the same category for 2005’s In Your Arms Again and for Blues Album of the Year with 2003’s Ready For Love. Both Mavis Staples and John Hammond will be touring worldwide throughout 2008. - see tour dates >>

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Rosebud Artists Honored on Amazon's Best Music of 2007"
December 2007, Rosebud News

Amazon.com has released their annual picks for Best Music of the Year and Rosebud artists Bettye LaVette, Mavis Staples, John Hammond, Loudon Wainwright III and Bill Frisell are among those honored. Bettye LaVette's The Scene of the Crime was recognized as the #2 CD of the year in the R&B category, while Mavis Staples' We'll Never Turn Back (produced by Ry Cooder) was selected as the #5 CD of the year in the Gospel category. Mavis also makes an appearance with her family The Staple Singers on the #3 R&B CD of the Year The Stax 50th Anniversary Collection, which also features songs by Rosebud artist Booker T. Jones (of Booker T. & the MG's). Loudon Wainwright III's Strange Weirdos: Music From and Inspired by the Film Knocked Up was named the fifth Best Soundtrack of the year. And John Hammond's Push Comes To Shove and Richard Thompson's Sweet Warrior (Rosebud is booking Richard's 1000 Years Of Popular Music tour) made the Top Ten lists in the Blues and Folk categories, respectively. Bill Frisell's studio project Floratone (featuring Lee Townsend, Matt Chamberlain and Tucker Martine) was named the #5 Jazz CD of the year.

Congratulations to all. To purchase the CDs and help support Music In Schools Today at no extra cost, please click here.

Amazon.com: Best Music of the Year 2007 >>

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John Hammond Kicks Off 2007 With New G Love Produced CD, Push Comes To Shove
January 2007, Rosebud News

Grammy Award winning blues veteran, John Hammond, is set to release his new CD, Push Comes To Shove on Back Porch Records on January 23. Produced by G Love (Garret Dutton III), who counts Hammond as one of his own main musical influences, the CD features five John Hammond original compositions, a bold collaboration with Dutton in the hip hop-tinged blues of “Tore Down”, as well as a handful of personalized renderings of traditional blues numbers. Hammond gives major credit for the stellar sound and feel of the songs on the album to the musicians on the CD who also perform with him live when he is not performing solo. The band features Stephen Hodges on drums, Marty Ballou on bass and new addition Bruce Katz on piano and organ. A tireless live performer, watch for John to tour extensively worldwide in support of the new CD. see tour date >>

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Rosebud Artists Featured on Amazon.com's Best of the Decade (So Far) List
July 2006, Rosebud News

Amazon.com music editors have released their picks for the best releases of the decade (so far) and the list features Rosebud artists The Blind Boys of Alabama, Loudon Wainwright III and John Hammond. The Blind Boys were recognized in both the Popular Music and Christian/Gospel categories for their 2001 release Spirit Of the Century and 2002's Higher Ground, respectively. Loudon Wainwright III's Last Man on Earth (2001) was also recognized in the Popular Music category while John Hammond's collection of Tom Waits songs Wicked Grin (2001) was recognized as one of the best in the Blues Category. In the meantime, Charlie Musselwhite's Delta Hardware has been named one of the best blues CDs of 2006...so far. Be sure to catch live dates with The Blind Boys of Alabama, Loudon Wainwright III, John Hammond and Charlie Musselwhite throughout the year. ...see Rosebud Artists' Tour Dates >>

amazon.com: Best of the Decade ... So Far >>
amazon.com: Best Blues CDs of 2006...So Far >>

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John Hammond's In Your Arms Again Honored by Rhythms Magazine's 2005 Readers Poll as International Blues Album of the Year
February 2006, Rosebud News

John Hammond's In Your Arms Again has been named by readers of Rhythms Magazine, an Australian roots music monthly, as the International Blues Album of 2005. This is the second time John has been honored with this award as Ready for Love was named Blues Album of the Year in 2003. In Your Arms Again garnered several honors this year including a Blues Music Award nomination for Best Acoustic Album and a Grammy nomination, John's fifth, for Best Traditional Blues Album.
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Rosebud Artists Score Combined 13 Blues Music Award nominations• - Marcia Ball, Tommy Castro, Bettye LaVette, Mavis Staples, Charlie Musselwhite, John Hammond, Robert Cray and Muddy Waters Named
December 2005, Rosebud News

Rosebud Artists scored 13 nominations for the Blues Music Awards, formerly known as the W.C. Handy Awards. Marcia Ball is tied for most nominated artist overall this year with four nominations including Entertainer of the Year, Contemporary Blues Album of the Year, Contemporary Blues Female Artist of the Year, and Piano Player of the Year. Tommy Castro makes his first appearance in the Blues Music Awards with nominations for both Contemporary Blues Male Artist of the Year and Contemporary Album of the Year for his album Soul Shaker. Bettye LaVette was honored with a nomination for Soul Blues Female Artist of the Year for the third year in a row, as well as a nod for Soul Blues Album of the Year for her album I've Got My Own Hell to Raise. Last year's big winners Mavis Staples and Charlie Musselwhite were nominated again for Soul Blues Female Artist of the Year and Instrumentalist - Harmonica, respectively. John Hammond's album, In Your Arms Again, was awarded a nomination for Best Acoustic Album of the Year. Robert Cray's song "Twenty" was honored with a nomination for Song of the Year and the late Muddy Waters rounds out the Rosebud Agency honors with a nomination for Historical Album of the Year for the Album Hoochie Coochie Man: The Complete Chess Recordings, Volume 2, 1952 - 1958.

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Grammy Noms for Marcia Ball, John Hammond, Robert Cray and Mr. Watts' Other Band
December 2005, Rosebud News

Rosebud artists just nominated for Grammy Awards include Marcia Ball for Live! Down The Road and John Hammond for In Your Arms Again in the Best Traditional Blues category as well as Robert Cray for Twenty in the Best Contemporary Blues category. Rosebud artist Charlie Watts also scored a nomination with his other band, The Rolling Stones, for A Bigger Bang in the Best Rock Album category. The Grammys will be awarded in Los Angeles on February 8, 2006.

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