From April 17th to May 10th, Colin James will be touring the USA with Matt Andersen and Terra Lightfoot. For all ticket links and more information, visit […]
Thanks so much to our good friend Jeff Topham for coming out and getting these awesome shots of the Little Big Band shows at the Commodore Ballroom last month. What a blast! ... See MoreSee Less
Yesterday, the great guitar player, singer, and blues stylist John Paul Hammond passed away in NYC. I started listening to his records after seeing him demolish the stage at the Winnipeg Folk Festival in the early eighties. The way John played a resonator guitar while singing and playing the harmonica rack was something to behold. Like nobody else. I had the pleasure of meeting John Hammond in Regina, Saskatchewan many years back when I was asked if I wanted to introduce him before he took the stage as people were aware of how much of a fan I was. So, I was given his room number at a local hotel and I was to phone and ask if it was ok with him. I was very nervous to speak to him but I found the courage to ask if I could meet him for breakfast and perhaps ask his advice about getting into music as a full time career. He was so kind to say yes and was such a gent to me as he let me ask questions about the 60’s and New York and all the famous blues players he had played with, what gauge of strings he used, and what open tunings etc. I would run into him later in Austin and later still where I got to share the stage with him and play some mandolin on a tribute concert that was celebrating the music of The Mississippi Sheiks. He was an incredibly talented, kind and thoughtful person and I will miss that a lot. His records Mileage and Frogs for Snakes shaped a lot of my early teens and provided me a road map and song list for life. RIP John Hammond. ... See MoreSee Less