John Hammond has died at the age of 83.
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News of the blues guitarist and singer's death was confirmed on Sunday, March 1, in a Facebook post from fellow musician Paul Smith. PEOPLE reported that the cause of death was cardiac arrest.
"Marla Hammond called me yesterday with the heartbreaking news that my dear friend John Hammond has passed away," he wrote. "The blues world has lost a giant. I've lost my best friend. My heart goes out to Marla and the family. Rest easy, John."
He added, "I've just been going through the photos we've shared over the years — from the Horseshoe Tavern to Albert's Hall, 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...."
John Hammond Began Performing in High School
Performing under both John P. Hammond and John Hammond Jr., the guitarist was the son of producer and talent scout John Henry Hammond Jr.
He began playing guitar in high school and attended Antioch College in Ohio, leaving after a year to pursue music.
He said in an interview with the Colorado Springs Independent, "When I first heard blues, I was completely turned on to it, and it became larger than life. And then it became my life."
Hammond was then signed with Vanguard Records in 1963. His self-titled debut featured renditions of songs written by Muddy Waters, Lightnin' Hopkins, and Robert Johnson. He also covered the Chuck Berry hit, "Maybellene."
Hammond Was Also a Grammy Winner
Hammond had more than 30 albums under his belt. In 1985, he won a Grammy for his work on the compilation album Blues Explosion, recorded at the 1982 Montreux Jazz Festival. He then received another nomination for Best Traditional Blues Album for 2009's Rough & Tough.
Hammond also received Grammy nominations for his albums You Can't Judge a Book by the Cover (1993), Trouble No More (1994), Found True Love (1996), Long As I Have You (1998), and In Your Arms Again (1995).
In 2011, he was inducted into the Blues Foundation's Blues Hall of Fame.
