Albert Hammond

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Albert Hammond (born 18 May 1942, London, England) is a singer-songwriter, whose family came originally from Gibraltar.[1]

Contents

[edit] Birth and success

Hammond was born in London, due to a war-time shift in family circumstances; the family returned to Gibraltar just months after his birth. He started in music with Gibraltarian band 'The Diamond Boys', of no real commercial success, but which played a part in Spain's introduction to popular music, which at the time was under a very conservative dictatorship. The Diamond Boys performed at the first nightclubs in Madrid to stage modern bands alongside Spanish rock and roll pioneers, such as Miguel Rios. In 1966 Hammond co-founded the British vocal group, Family Dogg scoring a UK Top 10 hit with "A Way of Life" in 1969.

[edit] Later life

He later moved to the United States, where he continued his professional career as a musician. He is known for his hits of the 1970s, released on Columbia subsidiary Mums Records, such as:

  1. "It Never Rains in Southern California"
  2. "The Free Electric Band" (the only single of his to chart in the UK)[2]
  3. "I Don't Wanna Die in an Air Disaster"
  4. "I'm a Train"
  5. "Down by the River"

He has also written songs for others with frequent collaborator Mike Hazelwood, including "Little Arrows" for Leapy Lee, "Make Me An Island" for Joe Dolan (which Hammond himself re-recorded in 1979, in a Spanish disco-style version), "Gimme Dat Ding" for The Pipkins in 1970 (itself a cover from the Freddie and the Dreamers album, Oliver in the Overworld), and "The Air That I Breathe" which was a hit for The Hollies in 1974.

Hammond also collaborated with Diane Warren on "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" a transatlantic No. 1 in 1987 for Starship and "I Don't Wanna Live Without Your Love," a hit for Chicago, which peaked at No. 3 in the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1988. Hammond also wrote "One Moment in Time," the theme song to the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea, as performed by Whitney Houston. With Hal David, Hammond co-wrote "To All The Girls I've Loved Before", a hit in 1984 for Julio Iglesias and Willie Nelson.

He wrote some hits for Tina Turner, (including "I Don't Wanna Lose You," "Be Tender With Me Baby," "Way of the World" and "Love Thing") and who also recorded the original version of Hammond/Warren's "Don't Turn Around," a UK No. 1 for Aswad in 1988, and a hit for Ace of Base five years later. Along with Carole Bayer Sager, Hammond wrote the song "When I Need You." The song was first recorded by Hammond on his 1976 album When I Need You. Produced by Richard Perry, Leo Sayer's version made #1 on the UK Singles Chart for two weeks in February 1977, after three of his earlier singles had stalled at #2. A hit worldwide, it reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for a week in May 1977.

Hammond has also released albums in both English and Spanish, and recorded many of his songs in both languages.

In 2005 he released his first UK album in many years, Revolution of the Heart (where Todd Sharpville was his music director), and the single "This Side of Midnight."

His son, Albert Hammond, Jr. is a successful solo musician and also a member of The Strokes.

[edit] Other songwriting credits

[edit] Compilation album

It Never Rains In Southern California (Golden Classics album)
  • Released: 5 November 1996
  • Tracks: "Listen to the World," "If You Gotta Break Another Heart," "From Great Britain to L.A.," "Brand New Day," "Anyone Here in the Audience," "It Never Rains in Southern California," "Names, Tags, Numbers and Labels," "Down by the River," "The Road to Understanding," "The Air That I Breathe," "Smokey Factory Blues," "The Peacemaker," "Woman of the World," "Everything I Want to Do," "Who's for Lunch Today?" "The Free Electric Band," "Rebecca," "The Day the British Army Lost the War," "For the Peace of All Mankind," "I Think I'll Go That Way," "Half a Million Miles from Home," and "I'm a Train,"

Session Personnel (partial listing):

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Friends of Gibraltar Heritage Society Newsletter No 70 November 2004
  2. ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums, 19th, London: Guinness World Records Limited, p. 242. ISBN 1-904994-10-5. 

[edit] External links