Miscellaneous

So I?m driving home from work one evening, listening to WWOZ. It?s a blues show. And as I hit Lee Circle, this amazing acoustic number comes out of the speakers. The song is ?No One Can Forgive Me But My Baby.? The words are arresting. The guitar playing is like nothing I?ve ever heard?a deep musical exploration of a simple, traditionally structured blues song.

I had to know who this artist was. Trouble is, WWOZ generally plays song after song after song, with no talking in between for maybe a 15-minute stretch or longer. So I got home before they announced who played the last several songs.

I got inside, got upstairs, and turned on the radio. One more song, and then, finally, the DJ. The DJ said that the guy singing ?No One Can Forgive Me But My Baby? was John Hammond. Now of course I?ve heard of John Hammond?he?s hardly obscure. But I?ve never really heard any of his music before, until now.

Anyway, I must get the album with this song on it. A little bit of searching, and I find it on Got Love If You Want It. Point, click, order. It arrived the day before yesterday, and hasn?t left my car stereo since. It?s the deepest, most involved, most committed blues I?ve heard in a long time. I?m going to have to get me more stuff by this guy.