Richard Hammartson after 66 years hasn’t changed his tune.
He is still feeling blessed.
Perhaps that is why it is no surprise the name of his first solo album is “This Blessed Life.”
The retired public school music teacher — who spent the last 27 of those 40 years as Sierra High’s music instructor before retiring in 2025 — is staging an album release party on Monday, Aug. 24, at the Deaf Puppy in the 100 block of North Main Street in downtown Manteca.
Doors open at 5 p.m. with the release party starting at 5:30 p.m.
“I hope that as people listen to these songs, they can hear and feel my faith: in God, in people, in family, in myself; and that I believe my life is truly blessed — in smooth times, in rough times, at all times,” Hammarstrom said.
The gospel genre might strike some as a departure for Hammarstrom who built his proverbial chops on jazz.
That said, they will detect more than a touch of jazz influence at times as they listen to the 13 different songs on the album.
They run the gamut from faith to real life experiences as well as a love song Hammarstrom wrote for his wife Suzzane at their wedding in 2022.
“I think for me, music sticks with me,” Hammarstrom said when asked why decades ago he selected music as the venue to express himself. “It runs through my head and is in my heart.”
The album is not all a direct tie into faith per se.
The song he named “Forgive” and almost chose as the name of his album doesn’t reference God once.
It in praise of forgiving others and one’s self drawing on real life experiences.
“Forgive” is the first song of the album.
It was a finalist in the 2022 edition of the Great American Song contest in the Inspirational Music category.
The feedback he received from judges regarding “Forgive” indicated “Right out of the box, the upbeat musicality entertains. In conjunction with the positivity message and well-centered song-defining hook, this song stands out.”
“Music is such a big way with how I interact with others,” Hammarstrom shared.
Besides teaching music as a vocation over the years Hammarstrom has performed in various bands.
Hammarstrom, over the years before retiring, had tried to produce an album but time constraints got in his way.
Now that he is retired, the songwriter/composer has several projects planned over the coming years including a Christmas extended play, an album of original jazz, and “The Blessed Life — 2.”
“I want people to feel uplifted,” Hammarstrom said of his current and future albums.
The album will be available initially on bandcamp.com. The album will be available on bandcamp both as a physical CD and as a digital download, including lyrics, studio musician credits, and each song’s back story.
Those interested in following Rick will find him on these platforms:
*Bandcamp: rickhammarstrom.bandcamp.com/follow_me (bandcamp will notify followers when the album drops)
*Instagram: www.instagram.com/music_by_rick/
*YouTube: www.youtube.com/@MusicByRick
Facebook: www.facebook.com/rick.hammarstrom.7/’
He can also be reached by email: musicbyrickh@gmail.com.
Hammarstrom is a family man — father to 6 children, step-father to 2, and grandfather to 10. He and his wife Suzanne live in Manteca.
To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com
