Chas Chandler
John Hammond, Jr.
With a career that spans over three decades, John Hammond is one of handful of white blues musicians who was on the scene at the beginning of the first blues renaissance of the mid-'60s. That revival, brought on by renewed interest in folk music around the U.S., brought about career boosts for many of the great classic blues players, including Mississippi John Hurt, Rev. Gary Davis, and Skip James. Some critics have described Hammond as a white Robert Johnson, and Hammond does justice to classic blues by combining powerful guitar and harmonica playing with expressive vocals and a dignified stage presence. Within the first decade of his career as a performer, Hammond began crafting a niche for himself that is completely his own: the solo guitar man, harmonica slung in a rack around his neck, reinterpreting classic blues songs from the 1930s, '40s, and '50s. Yet, as several of his mid-'90s recordings for the Pointblank label demonstrate, he's also a capable bandleader who plays wonderful electric guitar. This guitar-playing and ensemble work can be heard on Found True Love and Got Love If You Want It, both for the Pointblank/Virgin label.
Born November 13, 1942, in New York City, the son of the famous Columbia Records talent scout John Hammond, Sr., what most people don't know is that Hammond didn't grow up with his father. His parents split when he was young, and he would see his father several times a year. He first began playing guitar while attending a private high school, and he was particularly fascinated with slide guitar technique. He saw his idol, Jimmy Reed, perform at New York's Apollo Theater, and he's never been the same since.
After attending Antioch College in Ohio on a scholarship for a year, he left to pursue a career as a blues musician. By 1962, with the folk revival starting to heat up, Hammond had attracted a following in the coffeehouse circuit, performing in the tradition of the classic country blues singers he loved so much. By the time he was just 20 years old, he had been interviewed for the New York Times before one of his East Coast festival performances, and he was a certified national act.
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When Hammond was living in the Village in 1966, a young Jimi Hendrix came through town, looking for work. Hammond offered to put a band together for the guitarist, and got the group work at the Cafe Au Go Go. By that point, the coffeehouses were falling out of favor, and instead the bars and electric guitars were coming in with folk-rock. Hendrix was approached there by Chas Chandler, who took him to England to record. Hammond recalls telling the young Hendrix to take Chandler up on his offer. "The next time I saw him, about a year later, he was a big star in Europe," Hammond recalled in a 1990 interview. In the late '60s and early '70s, Hammond continued his work with electric blues ensembles, recording with people like Band guitarist Robbie Robertson (and other members of the Band when they were still known as Levon Helm & the Hawks), Duane Allman, Dr. John, harmonica wiz Charlie Musselwhite, Michael Bloomfield, and David Bromberg.
As with Dr. John and other blues musicians who've recorded more than two dozen albums, there are many great recordings that provide a good introduction to the man's body of work. His self-titled debut for the Vanguard label has now been reissued on compact disc by the company's new owners, The Welk Music Group, and other good recordings to check out (on vinyl and/or compact disc) include I Can Tell (recorded with Bill Wyman from the Rolling Stones), Southern Fried (1968), Source Point (1970, Columbia), and his most recent string of early- and mid-'90s albums for Pointblank/Virgin Records, Got Love If You Want It, Trouble No More (both produced by J.J. Cale), and Found True Love.
He didn't know it when he was 20, and he may not realize it now, but Hammond deserves special commendation for keeping many of the classic blues songs alive. When fans see Hammond perform them, as Dr. John has observed many times with his music and the music of others, the fans often want to go back further, and find out who did the original versions of the songs Hammond now plays.
Although he's a multi-dimensional artist, one thing Hammond has never professed to be is a songwriter. In the early years of his career, it was more important to him that he bring the art form to a wider audience by performing classic -- in some cases forgotten -- songs. Now, more than 30 years later, Hammond continues to do this, touring all over the U.S., Canada, and Europe from his base in northern New Jersey. He continued to release albums into the new millennium with three discs on the Back Porch label, including Ready for Love in 2002, produced David Hidalgo of Los Lobos, In Your Arms Again in 2005, and Push Comes to Shove in 2007. Whether it's with a band or by himself, Hammond can do it all. Seeing him perform live, one still gets the sense that some of the best is still to come from this energetic bluesman.
~ Richard Skelly, All Music Guide
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Slade
Slade is an English band with many line-ups leading to present day. But more notably are the founding members Dave Hill (lead guitarist) and Don Powell (drums). Noddy Holder, although no longer an official member of the band, is the more recognised lead singer.
This group hailing from the Midlands dominated the charts in the 70s during the height of the glam rock movement.
Originally set up in the late-60s and donning Skinhead fashion, Slade went on to be mentored and managed by Chas Chandler of Jimi Hendrix Experience and Animals fame, who encouraged them to write their own material.
They are widely accepted as one of the most commercially successful bands in the UK. Between 1971 and 1976, Slade had seventeen consecutive Top 20 hits, including six #1s. Three of their albums also topped the charts in an 18-month spell between 1972 and 1974. No other UK act of the period enjoyed such consistency in the charts.
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The band’s attempts to crack the North American market mainly failed but there are many bands that cite Slade as a direct influence or paid homage with covers.
Slade's creatively spelled catalogue of hits are synonymous with the glam and metal era: Mama Weer All Crazee Now, Cum On Feel The Noize, Coz I Luv You, Skweeze Me Pleeze Me and Merry Xmas Everybody and still are heavily featured on any retrospective of the time.
Juanita Appleby
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JIMI HENDRIX
Discography:
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If there is one solo musician who defines the 60s, it has to be Jimi Hendrix: the clothes; the stage presence; the memorable performances at Woodstock, Monterey and the Isle of Wight; the innovative talent and the excesses of drink and drugs.
Born Johnny Allen Hendrix in November 1942, his father changed his name to James Marshall Hendrix. Hendrix was raised in Seattle but spent much of his childhood in Vancouver living with his grandmother.
Hendrix got his first guitar at the age of 15. He practiced constantly, observed other guitarists play and picked up tips from other players. He also drew on his blues and jazz influences when playing. Hendrix is also quite exceptional in that he played a right-handed guitar re-stringed and played left-handed, contributing to his unique sound.
Although he became famous in his own right first in the UK, Hendrix had earned his stripes as a session guitarist for the Isley Brothers and Little Richard during the early 60s.
Linda Keith, who was friends with The Rolling Stones, saw potential in Hendrix. She introduced him to Chas Chandler, then bassist with The Animals, who was particularly impressed with Hendrix’s version of ‘Hey Joe’. Chandler assembled the band The Jimi Hendrix Experience featuring Mitch Mitchell on drums and Noel Redding on bass.
Paul McCartney was instrumental in Hendrix’s success in the US, recommending that he played the Monterey International Pop Festival. It was on stage at Monterey that he set his guitar on fire. This now legendary performance was captured on film as part of the ‘Monterey Pop’ concert documentary.
Hendrix greatly admired The Beatles, so much so that he performed the title track from ''Sgt. Pepper’s 'Lonely Hearts Club Band'' just three days after the album was released. Perhaps taking a cue from his musical heroes, Hendrix made use of experimental recording effects and wah-wah and fuzz pedals.
After successful album releases such as ‘Are You Experienced?’ and ‘Electric Ladyland’, The Jimi Hendrix Experience disbanded when Redding left to form his own band. Mitchell was missing from the band line-up for Hendrix’s seminal performance at Woodstock in August 1969, made memorable by the improvised rendition of ‘Star Spangled Banner’.
Jimi Hendrix passed away in September 1970 at the age of 27, the same age as Jim Morrison and Janis Joplin when they died. The circumstances around his death have never been fully established, but the two most credible reasons involve drink and prescription drugs. He is buried in Greenwood Memorial Park in Washington State along with the remains of his father and grandmother. A carving of a Fender Stratocaster, Hendrix's chosen guitar, marks the site.
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THE ANIMALS
The Animals formed in 1963 after Eric Burdon joined the existing group of Alan Price Combo. The group performed R’n’B covers around Newcastle in the early Sixties. The group were brought to London by Ronan O’Rahilly but were soon being managed by Mickey Most.
The Animals had a series of successful hits starting with Bob Dylan’s “Baby Let me Take you Home” however, their most iconic track “The House of the Rising Sun” which was a cover of a song relating to a brothel, even now is the subject of acrimony as Alan Price managed to obtain all the royalties for this track, apparently excluding the other members of the band. Once the group had found fame and toured America, Alan Price left being unable to cope with the pressure and went on to form The Alan Price Set and tour with Georgie Fame. After a number of successful hit singles the band broke up in 1966. Chas Chandler went on to discover and manage Jimi Hendrix and Slade; while Eric Burdon went on to form The New Animals. There have been a couple of attempts to reform the band during the Seventies and Eighties but with little success.
Eric Burdon continues to gig and record around the globe.
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Members include Alan Price (born April 19, 1941, Fairfield, Durham, England), organ, piano; Eric Burdon (born May 11, 1941, Walker, Northumberland, England), vocals; Chas Chandler (born Byran Chandler, December 18, 1938, Heaton, Northumberland, England; died July 17, 1996, in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England), bass; John Steel (born February 4, 1941, Gateshead, Northumberland, England), drums; Hilton Valentine (born May 21, 1943, North Shields, Northumberland, England), guitar.
Other members include: Vic Briggs (born February 14, 1945, Twickenham, Surrey, England), guitar; Barry Jenkins (born December 22, 1944, Leicester, England), drums; Danny McCullough (born July 18, 1945, London, England), bass; Tom Parker, organ, piano; Dave Rowberry (born December 27, 1943, Newcastle, England), organ, piano; John Weider (born April 21, 1947, London, England), guitar.
Band formed as the Alan Price Combo, 1962; changed name to the Animals, 1962; released self-titled debut album, 1964; Price left the band, 1965; Steel left the band, 1966; the Animals disbanded, 1966; Eric Burdon & the Animals formed and released Animalization, 1966; band relocated to California, 1967; Burdon dissolved band, 1968; reunited for Before We Were So Rudely Interrupted, 1976; reunited for Ark and Rip It ToShreds: The Animals Greatest Hits Live, 1983-84.
Like several of their contemporaries, the members of the Animals didn't see very much of the money they earned from their success. When they broke up, Steel sold his publishing rights for 4,000 pounds, and was the only member to leave the band with any money. "We all carme out of the Animals relatively sane, because, although we were manipulated, we were never sheltered and protected like the Beatles," Burdon told Bob Hart in Rolling Stone.
Drummer Jenkins and singer Burdon decided to form a new version of the Animals within a few months. They quickly recruited bassist Danny McCullough and organist Tom Parker. In October of 1966, they released Animalization on MGM Records. The following year, they all moved to California and added guitarist Vic Briggs. But before their next album was recorded, Parker left the group.
Albums:
The Animals, MGM Records, 1964.
The Animals on Tour, MGM Records, 1965.
Animal Tracks, MGM Records, 1965.
The Best of the Animals, MGM Records, 1966.
Animalisms, MGM Records, 1966.
Animalization, MGM Records, 1966.
Help Me Girl, MGM Records, 1967.
The Best of Eric Burdon & the Animals, Vol. 2, MGM Records, 1967.
Winds of Change, MGM Records, 1967.
The Twain Shall Meet, MGM Records, 1968.
Every One of Us, MGM Records, 1968.
Love Is, MGM Records, 1969.
The Greatest Hits of Eric Burdon & the Animals, MGM Records, 1969.
Before We Were So Rudely Interrupted, Barn Records, 1976.
Ark, I.R.S. Records, 1983.
Rip It To Shreds: The Animals Greatest Hits Live, I.R.S. Records, 1984.
The Best of Eric Burdon & the Animals (1966-1968), Polydor Records, 1986.
Source: Sonya Shelton
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