“I was asked to sit in with Buddy Guy. John handed me his 1930s National and smiled while I struggled to get anything out of it”: Joe Bonamassa leads tributes for musical troubadour John Hammond, who has died aged 83

Joe Bonamassa has paid tribute to the late John Hammond, who recently passed away aged 83.

The news of Hammond’s death was confirmed by his long-time musical collaborator Paul James.

“The blues world has lost a giant. I’ve lost my best friend,” said James. “I’ve just been going through the photos we’ve shared over the years – from the Horseshoe Tavern to Albert’s Hall in Toronto, from London to Montreal, to Edmonton to Ottawa – and each picture tells a story of great music, great people, and unforgettable nights. He was such an inspiration to me, I’ll miss him terribly.”

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The prolific blues guitarist, Grammy-winning artist and legendary musical troubadour was a torchbearer of the Delta blues scene, releasing over 30 albums across his six-decade career and performing the music of Muddy Waters, Lightnin’ Hopkins, Robert Johnson, Chuck Berry and more along the way.

A celebrated songwriter in his own right, Hammond – who was also known as John P. Hammond and John Hammond Jr. – won a Grammy for his performance on Blues Explosion in 1985, receiving plenty more accolades and nominations along the way.

In 2011, he was inducted into the Blues Foundation’s Blues Hall of Fame. Two years prior to that, he received a Grammy nomination for Best Traditional Blues Album with Rough & Tough. A handful of his other records also received nods from the academy.

As a performer, Hammond was a passionate player of barrelhouse blues, primarily favoring a steel-bodied National resonator guitar in later years – though he had a killer flair and touch with an electric, too, known for his high energy and raw sound. He earned the respect and admiration of his peers, with the likes of Duane Allman, Rory Gallagher, Mike Bloomfield and more all becoming fans.

Hammond also famously crossed paths with Jimi Hendrix, and can be counted as the only bluesman to ever have both Hendrix and Eric Clapton sit in on his band.

"I met Jimi Hendrix in 1966 when he was hanging out in New York without a gig and without literally anything,” Hammond once told Colorado Springs Independent. “He was stranded in New York and I got to hang out with him, and he asked me if I could get him a gig.”

The pair struck up a friendship, and years later Hendrix asked Hammond if he could sit in on his gig. The only ‘problem’ was that Hammond received another request from another blues guitar great.

“The next day Eric Clapton was in New York to do his tour with Cream," he continues. "He was off that week, so he came down to check me out. And there was him and Jimi, and they both wanted to sit in. And so for a week, they sat in with my little group at the Gaslight Café."

Joe Bonamassa has led tributes to the late blues great, and in a post to social media recalled the first time he crossed paths with Hammond.

“Rest in peace John. I will never forget how kind you were to me over the years,” he writes. “The first time I met him was on New Year's eve in 1991 when he was opening up for Buddy Guy at Irving Plaza in New York. I was asked to sit in with Buddy that night.

“John handed me his 1930's National guitar with 14 gauge strings on it and smiled while I struggled to get anything out of it. He was a musical troubadour, an ambassador of the blues, a brilliant musician, a documentarian, a legend and the son of a legend. This is a big loss for all of us in the Blues community.”

Bonamassa is one of many music heroes to come out and pay tribute to Hammond’s legacy, with Bonnie Raitt writing on Instagram, “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. I’ve never witnessed anyone as swept up and away as John playing his music live.”

George Thorogood posted a tribute of his own, writing, “For more than 50 years, John Hammond, Jr. was an icon, a professional role model and, most importantly, a friend. While we mourn his passing, we celebrate what the man and his music meant to us, and to so many.”