Ham1, based in Athens, GA, was founded by singer/songwriter and guitarist Jim Willingham, a reading teacher. Willingham, a former member of the bands Harey Carey and Crown Vic, was a self-described "wounded veteran of the Athens hard rock scene of the mid-'90s." He moved to Florida for a year to recover from those wounds, and while living there became interested in easy listening and soundtrack music being played on a local radio station. Returning to Athens, he formed an instrumental band, the Prince Rondavels, with another teacher, Chris Sugiuchi, who played trombone and percussion. They later formed Ham1, using various local musicians as guests. At one of their shows, they were seen by drummer and organist Eric Harris of the band Olivia Tremor Control, and he became the third permanent member of Ham1. The trio self-released its self-titled debut album on November 15, 2005. The Captain’s Table, Ham1’s second album, was released by Orange Twin in 2007. By the time the LP The Underground Stream was released by Infinity Cat Recordings in 2008, the group had expanded to a quartet with the addition of Jacob Morris on cello, keyboards, and vocals. They also had recorded with and backed Liz Durrett and served as Vic Chestnutt’s touring band. ~ William Ruhlmann