John Hammond on record: An autobiography

Anyone interested in the history of American music should know about John Hammond. Certainly a person of his time, he lived during a period when music meant something and had to be experienced in person. The list of musicians he helped is mind-blowing: Billie Holiday, Mildred Bailey, Benny Goodman, Count Basie, Teddy Wilson, Lionel Hampton, Aretha Franklin, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and others. The list is truly amazing!Hammond's stories about these and other musicians would be enough for me, but I also appreciated his telling about his causes for racial equality. His concern and commitment in racial matters nearly equals that of his music pursuits. As a music teacher myself, I have seen over and over how music plays a vital part of social change. In that regard, Hammond knew what he was doing and certainly affected the breakdown of racial barriers.Information about his personal life is also discussed. It was evenly presented, and he did not "dish" any solicitous dirt like many show business related autobiographies. He alludes to some personal and professional friction with certain people, but in my mind he took the high road and did not use the opportunity to "trash" anybody.To me, few people have been able to effect pop music like John Hammond. It's hard to imagine our music heritage without one of his findings. In today's field of music entertainment there seems to be little desire to develop talent. Everybody is chasing the next hit or chart position. Unfortunately, music has become a disposable commodity. The true test will be time; as the years accumulate we'll see as a culture who we still listen to and/or use as musical touch points.

This book is a fraud. There is an entire section of missing pages on Bob Dylan. Absurd! Bad quality blackish pages were put in at the bindery and the pages are even mixed up.

Good service, but why couldn't the seller post it to me in London? The book itself is extremely interesting.My son brought it over to me in England.John Hammond was a really good guy who helped many musicians.

The colleague/editor could have tightened the apparently dictated prose. Hammond was a good man, a great friend of jazz and a writer of standard ability.

Old but not a bad read. Just way out of date.

Probably a good factual account of many facets of John Hammond's life, but for me it seemed dry and hard to stay interested in.

John Henry Hammond who wrote this book discovered among many other folks Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen when he was hardly a kid. But wait! This man began as a jazz reviewer and organizer putting on various shows in an attempt to bridge jazz and blues white and black. His outspoken criticism of the horrible and insulting treatment of black people and other ethnicities is woven through this book which is a compendium of jazz groups starting back in the 30’s. Along with the internet one can now hear virtually every person that he mentions and there are many. His son is a giant in the music business by the same name - a blues singer and himself a legend. Pleasure to read how this man who probably did not have to work spent his life searching out talent which probably would have gone undiscovered. He was able to write and say what he believed in spite of being threatened with his job if he attempted to integrate all-Black or all-white bands. He was independently wealthy as an heir to a famous family fortune which he went to great effort to hide- but all the same he was able to tell certain bosses to shove it! A great and talented man. Good read indeed!

The history of modern USAmerican music is obscure for many music lovers. As are the roots of Blues, R & B, and Jazz. This autobiography is an essential introduction to our modern musical history. Told from the perspective of John Hammond, Talent and Acquisition specialist for Columbia records, who loved the earliest Blues and Jazz before most USAmericans heard Blues or accepted jazz as real music.John Hammond built a long career as a "talent scout" and producer out of his personal passion for African-American music. When we say he "discovered talent", what we really mean is he had the influence to turn white audiences on to the talent hidden in Harlem and the Mississippi Delta. From Robert Johnson and Billie Holiday to Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen...imagine the span of the generations...John Hammond persistently hunted for the best unrecognized musicians and brought them to the attention of Columbia Records, Carnegie Hall, and the various media that could make mainstream America pay attention.John Hammond, a well-motivated giant, had his imperfections. He may have been obsessive to the exclusion of ones he loved. His assumptions about "pure" Blues and Jazz may have been rigid. Indeed he offended some who deserved his respect. But what he did for Blues, Jazz, and Rock & Roll is so significant it's no exaggeration to say his cultural influence was heroic.This book is an amazing journey through the broad landscape of America's modern musical history. Told by the one person who had the most influence over what USAmericans listen to today.Douglas Pratt

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