Musician John Hammond is now changing his tune

He now feels comfortable writing his own material.
By JOHN BENSON
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
For decades, blues guitarist John Hammond, 64, has run around in some pretty big circles with friends like Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Duane Allman, Michael Bloomfield, J.J. Cale, Tom Waits, The Band and more.
Yet ironically, it may be a somewhat underground Gen X musician that finally leads the New Jersey native to a larger audience with his latest effort "Push Comes To Shove."
"The label had suggested that I work with a producer that had some kind of profile in the business, and we were kind of struggling to think who might be in that range," said Hammond, calling from his home in the Garden State. "And my wife, Marla, suggested G Love, who has always been a fan. We've gotten to play some shows, and it just hit the right chord. We called him up and asked him if he was interested, and he flipped out."
Writing
Not only was change in the air for Hammond in utilizing a new producer, which colored his music in slightly different tones, but the singer-guitarist was also writing his own material. While the latter may seem, well, obvious for a musician, the lion's share of Hammond's career has revolved around performing other people's tunes.
Whether it's discovering his songwriting talent or rediscovering his ability, Hammond began penning his own material with one song on 2003's "Ready for Love" and three tunes on 2005's "In Your Arms Again." This time out, he has five original tracks on "Push Comes to Shove."
"When I started off many years ago, I wrote some songs but I didn't feel comfortable," Hammond said. "I knew so many great songs that I didn't feel that was my calling necessarily, so I just stayed within the traditional pocket. I knew so many guys who wrote great songs and sort of flowed through them. Maybe I was intimidated or just felt that it wasn't my thing, but things change as you get older with more perspective and experience, and now I feel comfortable."
Hammond, who has earned numerous Grammy Award nominations, can be seen Monday at B & amp;O Station in Youngstown.
While he long ago gave up any dream of fame and fortune, Hammond does hope his career gleans additional attention from his G Love connection. Quite simply, Hammond would love to tour with a band; however, at this moment the bottom line keeps him on the road as a solo artist.
He may not want to admit it, but Hammond appears to be a part of a dying breed of blues men who seemingly live gig to gig under the mainstream radar.
"No, blues is forever," Hammond said. "There will always be a new generation of blues players that come along and get acknowledged. It's a shame that the business end and the media don't really feature it that often, but it's always been that way, so it's a traditional art form that always gets a new shot of blood here and there."