Char Ham

Char Ham is a journalist whose freelance pieces have been published in Blues Access and Southland Blues. She is currently a regular contributor for the Blues Web and the Southern California correspondent for the Delta Snake Daily News. Experience as a history major, researching Celtic Mythology, and reading classics were influential in giving her a discipline as a writer. Even before dating her photographer husband, Mike Williams, they shared a love for record collecting, and still enjoy combing the bins. They live with their two dogs and a cat.

Specialties: rock, blues, and jazz (in no particular order of "likes").

Desert Island Picks

King Sunny Ade Juju Music

Allman Brothers At Fillmore East

the Band Music from Big Pink

Beatles Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Band

Al Blake Mr. Blake's Blues

Blasters American Music

Blind Faith Blind Faith

Arthur Blythe Lenox Avenue Breakdown

Boston Boston

Charles Brown Someone to Love

Clifford Brown & Max Roach Study in Brown

Dave Brubeck Time Out

Buffalo Springfield Buffalo Springfield

John Campbell One Believer

Canned Heat Canned Heat

Chicago Greatest Hits

William Clarke Blowin' Like Hell

the Clash Combat Rock

Albert Collins, Robert Cray & Johnny Copeland Showdown!

John Coltrane Giant Steps

Chick Corea The Leprechaun

Cream Wheels of Fire

Miles Davis In a Silent Way

Miles Davis Kind of Blue

Derek & the Dominos Layla

Doors Doors

Eagles Hotel California

Fleetwood Mac Fleetwood Mac (1975)

Fleetwood Mac Rumours

Peter Gabriel So

Jerry Garcia, et. al. Old & in the Way

Go-Go's Beauty & the Beat

Dave Grisman Hot Dawg

Harmonica Fats & Bernie Pearl Blow, Fat Daddy, Blow!

Ben Harper Will to Live

Alvin Youngblood Hart Big Mama's Door

Jimi Hendrix Are You Experienced?

Jefferson Airplane Surrealistic Pillow

Elton John Captain Fantastic & the Brown Dirt Cowboy

Robert Johnson King of the Delta Blues Singers

Albert King King of the Blues Guitar

B.B.King Live at the Regal

Led Zeppelin IV

Mance Lipscomb Texas Songster (reissue of LP 1001 & 1026)

Living Colour Vivid

Doug MacLeod You Can't Take My Blues

Mighty Sam McClain Give It Up to Love

Mississippi Fred McDowell I Do Not Play No Rock 'n' Roll

Keb' Mo' Keb' Mo'

T.S. Monk Monk on Monk

Moody Blues Days of Future Passed

James Newton Echo Canyon

Oregon Out of the Woods

Paul Butterfield Blues Band East-West

Kelly Joe Phelps Roll Away the Stone

Rod Piazza & the Mighty Flyers Tough and Tender

Pink Floyd Dark Side of the Moon

Police Regatta de Blanc

Pretenders Pretenders

Red Hot Chili Peppers Mother's Milk

REM Monster

Linda Ronstadt Heart Like a Wheel

Otis Rush Right Place, Wrong Time

Satan & Adam Harlem Blues

Savoy Brown Shake Down

Smashing Pumpkins Mellon Collie & the Infinite Sadness

Smithereens Green Thoughts

Sting Dream of the Blue Turtles

Tina Turner Private Dancer

U2 The Joshua Tree

U2 Unforgettable Fire

Various Secret Policeman's Other Ball (1982)

Various Alligator Records Christmas Collection

Stevie Ray Vaughan The Sky Is Crying

T-Bone Walker The Complete Imperial Recordings: 1950-1954

Muddy Waters The Anthology: 1947-1972

Weather Report Heavy Weather

The Who Live at Leeds

Kim Wilson My Blues

Steve Winwood Arc of a Diver

Stevie Wonder Songs in the Key of Life

Neil Young Harvest