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Special Guests The son of the legendary Columbia A&R man, the younger John Hammond has become a legend in his own right. To hear him sing and play his piercing harmonica and slide guitar is to know that his distinct style follows the early blues roots players but has evolved into a style all his own. Hammond began playing guitar at age 16 after hearing the music of traditional country blues artist Robert Johnson and recorded his first album four years later in late 1962. He has collaborated with John Lee Hooker, Bill Wyman from the Rolling Stones, The Band's Robbie Robertson, Dr. John, Charlie Musselwhite, Eric Clapton, and many others-when guitarist Jimi Hendrix was "discovered" by Chas Chandler, he was playing in a band Hammond had put together at the club Café Au Go Go. Hammond has had a lifelong devotion to Delta blues and was chosen as an on-screen guide for a British documentary called The Search for Robert Johnson. His newest album is a celebration of the blues called Found True Love (Pointblank/Virgin), produced by John Hammond and guitarist Duke Robillard. Images and additional information about Hammond are available at Rosebud Agency and on his site at Virgin Records. Marie McLaughlin is one of the world's leading operatic sopranos. She opened this season as Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni with the Lausanne Opera. This past season, she appeared as Blanche in Mahagonny at the Op&egrav;ra de Paris Bastille, and in Cosi fan tutte: as Dorabella with the Los Angeles Opera and then at the Pacific Music Festival, and as Despina at Chicago's Ravinia Festival. Future performances include Cosi fan tutte at the Metropolitan Opera and in the Netherlands; The Magic Flute in Toulouse; and Mahagonny at the Bastille. McLaughlin can be heard on three Hyperion Records recordings, accompanied by pianist Graham Johnson: Volumes 13 and 14 of the Hyperion Schubert Edition and Songs by Richard Strauss. Mezzo-soprano Susanne Mentzer is a familiar face at the Metropolitan Opera, Covent Garden, the Vienna State Opera, and other prestigious houses. She has worked repeatedly with conductor Riccardo Muti, most notably as Zerlina in Don Giovanni, a role that she first performed at La Scala in 1989 and later recorded with Muti for Angel/EMI Records. She has also worked with noted conductors Neville Marriner, Pierre Boulez, Daniel Barenboim, Kurt Masur, Sir Georg Solti, Zubin Mehta, Kent Nagano, Giuseppe Sinopoli, John Nelson, Seiji Ozawa, and Bernard Haitink-with whom she recorded the Bruckner Te Deum (Philips). This coming January, Mentzer returns to the Opéra de Paris Bastille as Melisande in Pelléas et Mélisande. In May and June she tours Japan with the Metropolitan Opera as Dorabella in Cosi fan tutte. One of the a cappella groups that originated the New York City street sound, The Persuasions are a quartet made up of Jerry Lawson, Joe Russell, Jayotis Washington, and Jimmy Hayes. The group first formed in Brooklyn, New York and, in 1968, performed a cappella on their first recording, done on Frank Zappa's Straight label. Zappa had heard the group over his telephone-the Persuasions were singing in the garage of a friend, who called Zappa and held up the phone to see what he thought. Two weeks later, they were in California signing with Zappa's record label. The Persuasions' name has Biblical roots-it comes from Christ's constant struggle to persuade people to follow religion. As a nod to their gospel ties and, says Lawson, "to keep their mothers happy," the group still includes a gospel cut on every album, including their latest release, Sincerely (Bullseye Blues). |
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An Interview with Heather Masse
In a 2009 interview, Heather Masse tells us about her earliest influences, auditioning in a women's bathroom, and a few memorable moments from A Prairie Home Companion.
Old Sweet Songs: A Prairie Home Companion 1974-1976
Lovingly selected from the earliest archives of A Prairie Home Companion, this heirloom collection represents the music from earliest years of the now legendary show: 1974–1976. With songs and tunes from jazz pianist Butch Thompson, mandolin maestro Peter Ostroushko, Dakota Dave Hull and the first house band, The Powdermilk Biscuit Band (Adam Granger, Bob Douglas and Mary DuShane).
