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…
The International Songwriting Competition (ISC) has announced its 2005 finalists—individuals who were selected out of almost 15,000 entries from 80 countries and who represent the top 1.4 percent of all entries.
The fate of the finalists rest in the hands of ten record label presidents, and artists such as Loretta Lynn, Sonny Rollins, Tom Waits, Amy Ray (Indigo Girls), Steve Vai, and Darryl McDaniels (RUN DMC). The 50 winners of the competition will be announced in March, and the prizes include over $150,000 in cash and merchandise, including the top honors of ISC 2005 Overall Grand Prize winner.
The Grand Prize winner will receive a package put together especially for the benefit of their song-writing and career. The package includes $10,000 cash; a college radio promotion campaign; legal services from a music attorney; a CD Duplication Package; premium recording software and hardware; music and recording equipment.
The people will also be able to choose a winner through the 2005 People’s Voice, an online voting contest.
The songs can be found at www.songwritingcompetition.com/pvwelcome_2005.htm.
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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