Friday Folk Coffeehouse at First Church Dedham Presents Lorraine and Bennett Hammond!

Friday Folk Coffeehouse at First Church Dedham
670 High Street, Dedham, MA
(781) 326-7463

Contact: Geoff Tegnell

First Church Friday Folk Coffeehouse presents its sixth concert of the 2022-2023 season featuring the Lorraine and Bennet Hammond att First Church and Parish Dedham 670 High Street, Dedham on Friday, March 17, 2023 at 7:30 pm in the Auditorium. There will be refreshments for purchase.  Tickets are $10 and are available online at Folk Coffeehouse | dedhamuu and at the door.  Doors open at 7:00 pm.

Lorraine Lee Hammond grew up in rural New England when ballads and barn dances were part of community life.  Her many credits as a traditional singer, songwriter, teacher, and multi-instrumentalist include two Appalachian dulcimer books with Yellow Moon Press, and numerous recordings. A former lecturer in American Folk Music and World Music at Lasell University in Newton, MA, she helped to launch the first UMass Boston, WUMB radio Summer Acoustic Music Week in 1996, and retired as music director at the close of 2022.  She and Bennett continue to teach in the program as they have done from its inception. Bennett Hammond is a superb finger-style guitarist and recent convert to the five-string banjo. He names “the three Bs,” Bach, the blues and Buddy Holly, as major influences.  Bennett’s songwriting gained traction during the pandemic with his “Mean ol’ Quarantine” blues.

Together, The Hammonds are versatile musicians, engaging entertainers, and fun teachers. Their warm stage presence is punctuated with wry humor, and their command of their instruments and musical genres is without flaw. The Boston Globe calls them “a dazzling, witty, eclectic, delightful duo.” The Hammond’s repertoire ranges in style from traditional Celtic and American songs and ballads through blues and contemporary music. They sing both traditional and original songs and can be heard on over thirty recordings as featured artists or enhancing the work of other performers. They make their home in Brookline, Massachusetts.

“The Hammonds are folk missionaries of the first order, devoted cultural activists, teachers, event organizers, and performers who love to introduce people to the joys of traditional music.” – Boston Globe

First Church and Parish Dedham Unitarian Universalist was first gathered in 1638 and is located in Dedham Center at 670 High Street. Its lively music program includes choir at Sunday services, the Parish Players theater troupe, and the Concerts at First Church Saturday classical concert series, in addition to our Friday Folk Coffeehouse events.