John Hammond didn't buy his first guitar until he turned 18, but that was it—he'd found his calling. Dedicating his life to the tradition of the solo blues artist, he has spent the past four decades perfecting a style that existed long before his birth and stamping it with his own intense vision. A Grammy Award winner with more than 25 albums to his name, John is also a multiple W.C. Handy Blues Award winner who has played with the likes of Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon, John Lee Hooker, and Howlin' Wolf.

Known for his passionate commitment to the acoustic blues tradition, John is famed for his great interpretations of the classics, but is perhaps best known for his acclaimed 2001 album, Wicked Grin, on which he re-imagined the gritty songs of Tom Waits. He followed that up recently with the CD Push Comes to Shove (Back Porch Records).