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…
BMG’s adult music division, The RCA Victor Group, has signed the contemporary instrumental supergroup Fourplay to the Bluebird label. Fourplay—Bob James (keyboards), Nathan East (bass), Harvey Mason (drums) and Larry Carlton (guitar)—are currently recording a new album to be released in summer 2002 and followed by a world tour.
Together and individually, Fourplay have been at the top of the pop, rock and jazz charts for the past three decades, earning an international reputation as “America’s Contemporary Jazz Supergroup.” The group’s members have collaborated with such artists as John Lennon, Eric Clapton, Phil Collins, Madonna, Michael Jackson, Barbra Streisand, Joni Mitchell, Elton John, James Taylor, Stevie Wonder, Seal, Babyface and Steely Dan, among many others.
“Bob, Harvey, Nathan and Larry are four of the most dazzling musicians we’ve ever had the privilege of working with,” commented David Weyner, Executive Vice President, General Manager of The RCA Victor Group. “Fourplay are a musical franchise and global market leaders who we are delighted to welcome to the Bluebird family. Everyone at BMG and RCA Victor Group look forward to a long creative and commercial future with our friends in Fourplay.”
For e-mail updates and information regarding Bluebird artists, promotions, tours, and repertoire, visit www.bluebirdjazz.com.
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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