Body Language

Given his vast experience and passion for his work, a more accomplished practitioner of Mississippi Delta blues than John Paul Hammond would be hard to find.

His peers have recognized his enormous talent, nominating his last three albums for Grammys.

And he’s even better live.

Using voice, harmonica and an assortment of acoustic and National steel guitars, the veteran bluesman makes enough beautiful noise to pass for a quartet. He creates the percussion parts by tapping the body of his guitar with an open hand and stomping.

Performing allows Hammond to become totally immersed in the moment, and he relishes every chance to lose himself.

“When I get up on stage, I just let the things that are coming through me come through me--unfiltered,” he said by phone from his home in Jersey City, N.J. “I don’t know exactly how to explain that, but it’s like my body is the vehicle through which it all comes.

“Most of my set is spontaneous in that I don’t use a set list. I go with how I feel at that moment, and that can change by whatever vibe I’m picking up on as the night wears on. It’s quite unpredictable, which is scary and wonderful at the same time.”

On his best nights, as in an opening show last year for Leon Redbone at the Coach House, Hammond takes his audience on a predominantly dark, emotionally charged journey through the explosive terrain of heartbreak, betrayal and even murder. Expressive body language, gritty vocals and often spooky bottleneck guitar playing mark his performances.

Sharing a bill with the Duke Robillard Band, with which he’s toured on and off for several years, Hammond returns to Orange County on Friday night with a concert at the Irvine Barclay Theatre.

Though he’s the son of the deceased John Henry Hammond, the Columbia Records executive who discovered Billie Holiday, Count Basie, Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen, among others, John Paul grew up away from the music industry. After his parents’ divorce, when he was 5, he lived with his mother.

Hammond got hooked on the blues as a teenager, listening to the radio long after he should have been asleep.

“It was my evening joy, having that transistor radio under my pillow,” Hammond recalled. “This great station, WLAC in New York, played all the heavy hitters. . . . Howlin’ Wolf, Little Walter, Little Milton, Muddy [Waters]. I’d go and order all these blues albums from Randy’s Records in Gallatin, Tenn., and then wait for my gems to come in the mail.”

Once he had his high school diploma, Hammond left the East Coast for Los Angeles, guitar in tow, and has been playing professionally ever since. Always an interpreter rather than a composer, he’s all but reinvented songs by Son House, Willie McTell, John Lee Hooker and his hero, the enigmatic Robert Johnson.

“Some people aren’t familiar with the country blues tradition, and it isn’t for everyone or every taste,” Hammond said. “But in capturing the human condition, the blues are as relevant today as they were 70 or 80 years ago. I mean, for those who want to look at things more honestly, this is a genre that looks at all the realities of life, from the sad and angry to more hopeful and happy times.”

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Hammond, 56, has had his share of good and bad times. Except for such notables as B.B. King, Eric Clapton and, of late, Buddy Guy, most blues players make a modest living. But, Hammond says, the love of the music keeps their spirits up.

“It’s not something where, if you do it well, you’re necessarily going to get rewarded. I do work enough to support myself and my family, although I’ve probably had to work harder than most at it.”

Hammond performs as many as 250 nights a year, all over the world.

“I got into this as my life’s work because it’s what I love, come what may,” he said. “I’ve been very willing to go and play, to do it on any level. I have had my taste of success here and there and have hung out with some movers and shakers in my time.”

Among the artists with whom he has shared the stage in his 36 years of playing are Howlin’ Wolf, Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon, Son House and Mississippi John Hurt. Hammond cherishes the kindness and support of those guys, particularly Howlin’ Wolf, the primal Chicago bluesman who died in 1978.

“These legends would constantly encourage me, and that meant a lot when I was younger and learning the ropes,” he said. “Wolf would tell me, ‘Don’t ever stop what you’re doin’, man.’ He was especially personable to me. I was flabbergasted that he would take the time to talk at length about his early days, who he admired and how he liked to do things. I will always remember his warmth and friendliness.”

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* John Hammond and the Duke Robillard Band perform Friday at the Irvine Barclay Theatre, 4242 Campus Drive. 8 p.m. $20-$24 (714) 854-4646.