Milestones

DIED. John H. Hammond, 76, jazz and blues enthusiast and legendary musical talent scout who helped popularize, among others, Benny Goodman, Count Basie, Bessie Smith, Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen; in New York City. An heir to the Vanderbilt fortune, Hammond haunted night clubs and jazz joints for some 50 years, unearthing and promoting his musical discoveries, who also included Billie Holiday and Lester Young, mostly for Columbia Records.