Mar 2, 2026 9:58 PM
In Memoriam: John Hammond Jr., 1942–2026
John P. Hammond (aka John Hammond Jr.), a blues guitarist and singer who was one of the first white American…
Aretha Franklin (1942-2018)
(Photo: DownBeat Archives/Atlantic Records)
Ndugu Chancler (1952-2018)
(Photo: Suzette Niess)
Eddy Clearwater (1935-2018)
(Photo: Courtesy of the Artist)
Bob Dorough (1923–2018)
(Photo: Courtesy bobdorough.com)
Roy Hargrove (1969–2018)
(Photo: Mark Sheldon)
Hugh Masekela (1939-2018)
(Photo: DownBeat Archives)
Otis Rush (1935–2018)
(Photo: Kirk West/DownBeat Archives)
Tomasz Stańko (1942-2018)
(Photo: Andrzej Tyszko)
Cecil Taylor (1929-2018)
(Photo: Hyou Vielz)
Randy Weston (1926-2018)
(Photo: Udo Salters)
Nancy Wilson (1937–2018)
(Photo: DownBeat Archives)From jazz trumpeters and blues guitarists to genre-defining soul singers and avant-garde soothsayers, DownBeat presents a look back at some of the talented performers who passed away during 2018. DB
• Eddie C. Campbell (1939–2018)
• Ndugu Chancler (1952-2018)
• Eddy Clearwater (1935-2018)
• Bob Dorough (1923–2018)
• Aretha Franklin (1942-2018)
• Roy Hargrove (1969–2018)
• Hugh Masekela (1939-2018)
• Randy Weston (1926-2018)
• Nancy Wilson (1937–2018)
• Otis Rush (1935-2018)
• Tomasz Stańko (1942-2018)
• Cecil Taylor (1929-2018)
Hammond came to the blues through the folk boom of the late 1950s and early 1960s, which he experienced firsthand in New York’s Greenwich Village.
Mar 2, 2026 9:58 PM
John P. Hammond (aka John Hammond Jr.), a blues guitarist and singer who was one of the first white American…
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