Albert Hammond
- Music Department
- Composer
- Writer
Pop/rock singer, songwriter and guitarist Albert Louis Hammond was born
on May 18, 1944 in London, England. He was the second of three
children. His father was a firefighter. Hammond grew up in Gibraltar
and learned how to fluently speak both English and Spanish. Albert sang
in the church as a kid and was a choir boy. In 1958 Hammond and his
friend Richard Cartwright began performing as a duo in both Spain and
Gibraltar. In 1960 Albert joined the band The Diamond Boys, who
performed at nightclubs in Madrid. Hammond subsequently dropped out of
school to pursue a career in music. In 1966 Albert co-founded the
British vocal group Family Dogg, who had a Top 10 UK radio hit with "A
Way of Life" in 1966. It was during this time that Hammond met fellow
musician and future songwriting collaborator Mike Hazelwood. In 1972
Albert scored a massive international smash with the fine and touching
song "It Never Rains in Southern California;" the song peaked at #5 on
the US pop charts and sold a million copies worldwide. Such equally
excellent follow-up songs as "The Free Electric Band," "Down by the
River," "I'm a Train," and "I Don't Wanna Die in an Air Disaster"
likewise did well. Among the many artists Hammond has co-written songs
for are The Hollies ("The Air That I Breathe"), Johnny Matthis ("99
Miles from LA"), Leapy Lee ("Little Arrows"), Joe Dolan ("Make Me an
Island," "You're Such a Good Looking Woman"), The Pipkins ("Gimme Dat
Ding"), Chicago (""I Don't Wanna Live Without Your Love"), Johhny Cash
("Smokey Factory Blues"), Willie Nelson and Julio Iglesias ("To All the
Girls I've Loved Before"), Leo Sayer ("When I Need You"), Tina Turner
("Love Thing," "I Don't Wanna Lose You"), Ziggy Marley & The
Melodymakers ("Give a Little Love"), and Starship ("Nothing's Gonna
Stop Us Now"). In the late 70's Albert recorded a bunch of Spanish
language singles and albums that were extremely successful in Spain. In
1988 Hammond wrote "One Moment in Time," which was performed by Whitney
Houston at the Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea. More recently
Albert released the album "Revolution of the Heart" in 2005. His son
Albert Hammond, Jr. is a member of the popular garage rock band The
Strokes. Albert Hammond was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame
on June 19, 2008.
