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| Producer Tom Hambridge Gets Third Grammy Nomination Imagine the feeling when you learn a record you've produced makes it to a Grammy nomination. While American Producer, Songwriter and Musician Tom Hambridge has actually had that feeling before – twice, to be exact – this time it's got an extra special buzz about it. He collaborated with the Legendary Buddy Guy on Sony/Zomba's "Skin Deep, " which has now been nominated for Best Traditional Blues Album for the 51st Annual Grammy Awards. The story started when Hambridge and the legendary blues great Buddy Guy began a fruitful and mutually rewarding association. Guy had a definite idea of what he wanted for this new project. His vision was an album of all original tunes, something he'd never done before. His label, Sony/Zomba, was fully supportive of the concept from the start. The challenge was finding just the right producer for the record. When Buddy came upon American producer Tom Hambridge, a light bulb switched 'ON' over his head. Buddy thought " … this guy's got both the chops and the fire to pull it all off." Skin Deep proves Guy's instincts were spot on. Hambridge, whose credits include two prior Grammy nominations as a producer (Johnnie Winter's I'm a Bluesman and Susan Tedeschi's smash Just Won't Burn) was up for the challenge. He's also known for penning countless hit records for the who's-who of American popular music including Lynyrd Skynyrd, Keith Anderson, Montgomery Gentry, Delbert McClinton, George Thorogood and Billy Ray Cyrus. Their subsequent collaboration resulted not only in Guy's first CD of all-original tunes, but also into a collection of songs co-written by both musical craftsmen that entered the Billboard Blues Charts in the #1 spot and also at #68 on the Billboard 200 charts. This is Buddy Guy's highest charting record of all time. He said, "the songwriting collaboration with Tom was one of the most enjoyable parts of this project. This is my first record with 100 percent new material … something that makes me proud." About 'Skin Deep', Mark Kemp of Rolling Stone said: "From the dirty haw-haw riffs and stinging leads of 'Best Damn Fool' to the raw country blues of 'Out in the Woods, ' Guy, at 72, shows no signs of fatigue. With a slew of guests - Susan Tedeschi, Derek Trucks, (Robert Randolph) and Eric Clapton - Guy is better when he's ripping out the kind of grungy, distorted licks that inspired Hendrix to redefine the electric guitar." The critically acclaimed record has been featured in virtually every news outlet in the world due to the powerful songs, "A Player" performances, and outstanding production under Hambridge's leadership and vision. AP critic Michael McCall said: "the real inspiration for Guy seems to be the band assembled by producer and drummer Tom Hambridge. With rock veteran Willie Weeks on bass, Hambridge and Little Feat's Richie Hayward on drums, Texas kingpin David Grissom on rhythm guitar and Stevie Ray Vaughan sideman Reese Wynans on keyboards, Hambridge's core band gives Guy and his guests a deep, solid foundation. Guy responds by ripping inspired solos every chance he gets, fighting mortality with every ferocious note." Of this entire project, Hambridge humbly said: "Buddy's the man, pure and simple. All I did was help channel his genius into an outcome that stands the test of time, just like the classic records we still love 30 plus years later. I loved every second of this project and having the 'Skin Deep' single come at a period like this in America, the timing could not have been better." And of Hambridge, Buddy simply said: "Tom, I was like a Christmas tree without lights when you showed up…. And now, I'm all lit up like Rockefeller Center!" Tom Hambridge's has three Grammy nominations to his credit, an ASCAP Songwriter of the Year Award and he's penned hundreds of hit singles written for many of the biggest selling– and critically acclaimed - names in American music. Hambridge is also a managing partner and co-founder of Superstar Factory Productions providing experiential event entertainment worldwide. Along with co-founder John Heithaus, the company runs experienced-based programs including the Superstar Fantasy Experience, where people actually live out their 15 minutes of fame as a genuine rock star, performing with many of the biggest – and most successful - names in American music. The program is custom produced at corporate, motivational, charitable and educational events around the globe. write your comments about the article :: © 2008 Jazz News :: home page |