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…
Saxophonist Boots Randolph, whose 1963 hit “Yakety Sax” sprouted a successful session career, died Tuesday at 80 years of age. He was taken off a respirator after a June 25 cerebral hemorrage had put him in a coma.
Randolph played on many hits as a session man, including Elvis Presley’s “Return To Sender,” Roy Orbison’s “Oh, Pretty Woman” and Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree.” But his biggest solo effort was “Yakety Sax,” a tune that later became the theme song for the TV’s “Benny Hill Show.”
Following decades of session and club dates in Nashville, Tenn., and dozens of tours, Randolph released an album of jazz standards just last month.
Homer Louis Randolph is survived by his wife of 59 years, Dee Randolph; a son, Randy Randolph; and daughter, Linda O’Neal, all of Nashville; and four grandchildren.
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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In the relatively small pantheon of certifiable rock stars venturing into the intersection of pop music and jazz, the…
Vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater will be among the headliners at this year’s DC JazzFest.
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The first wave of artists scheduled to perform at the 2026 DC JazzFest have been announced. This year’s headliners…
Blindfold Test proctor Ted Panken, left, with the Grammy-winning Nicole Zuraitis.
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After earning the 2024 Best Jazz Vocal Album Grammy for her seventh album, How Love Begins (La Reserve), comprising 12…
“These days, with curated news, where people only get half the story, people can’t even speak to family members anymore,” Schneider laments.
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Maria Schneider is doing her part to try to fix what ails America. Which got her thinking about crows, specifically,…
