Bonnie Raitt, George Thorogood & more pay tribute to blues musician John Hammond

Bonnie Raitt, George Thorogood and Hot Tuna’s Jorma Kaukonen are among the artists paying tribute to blues singer and guitarist John Hammond, who passed away Feb. 28.

The Grammy-winning Hammond, who over the years played with such artists as Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Levon Helm, Duane Allman and Stevie Ray Vaughan, was the son of record producer and talent scout John H. Hammond Jr., who signed artists like Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen to Columbia Records.

In a post on Instagram, Raitt revealed that the younger Hammond “was the inspiration for teaching myself blues guitar and learning how to sing these songs we loved so much. He made it cool and all right.”

“Not only was he a virtuoso on guitar, harp, singing and choosing songs, to me it felt like he was totally possessed by the blues,” she added. “I’ve never witnessed anyone as swept up and away as John playing his music live.”

Thorogood called Hammond “an icon, a professional role model and, most importantly, a friend.” He added, “While we mourn his passing, we celebrate what the man and his music meant to us, and to so many.”

Kaukonen wrote a long tribute to Hammond on Instagram, describing their first meeting at Antioch College.

“As an artist, John seemed to have sprung full grown from the womb. He might have been inspired by tradition but he was never a replicator… he always did things his way,” he wrote. “As a blues singer, he was always nonpareil. You can recognize John’s voice anywhere, any time! I know a lot of great guitar players but no one, and I mean no one, played like John!”

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