Albert Hammond

Albert Hammond

Albert Hammond is a singer, songwriter and record producer born in London, United Kingdom, in 1944 and raised in Gibraltar after his family returned there following evacuation during the Second World War. He works in pop rock and soft rock, and is also active as a solo performer.

Career

Hammond begins his musical career in 1960 with the Gibraltarian group the Diamond Boys, who perform in early Spanish pop and rock venues alongside acts including Miguel Ríos. In 1966 he co-founds the British vocal group the Family Dogg, and the group reaches number 6 on the UK Singles Chart in 1969 with “A Way of Life”, taken from the album of the same name. He later moves to the United States in 1970, while also finding major commercial success in continental Europe.

In 1970 he also works with Steve Rowland as Steve & Albert, releasing “Follow the Bouncing Ball”, a single promoted in the UK but not charting. He is also a member of the vocal group the Family Dogg, and the entry lists Hammond and West as members.

Songwriting and collaborations

Hammond writes songs for a wide range of artists, including Celine Dion, Joe Dolan, Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, Diana Ross, Leo Sayer, Tina Turner, Glen Campbell, Julio Iglesias, Willie Nelson, Lynn Anderson and Bonnie Tyler, as well as groups such as Ace of Base, Air Supply, Blue Mink, Chicago, Heart, Living in a Box, the Carpenters, the Hollies, the Pipkins, Starship and Westlife.

He frequently collaborates with Mike Hazlewood on songs recorded by other artists. Their work includes “Little Arrows” for Leapy Lee, “Make Me an Island” and “You’re Such a Good Looking Woman” for Joe Dolan, “Gimme Dat Ding” for the Pipkins, “Good Morning Freedom” for Blue Mink, “Freedom Come, Freedom Go” for the Fortunes, and “The Air That I Breathe”, which becomes a hit for the Hollies. He also works with John Bettis, Hal David, Diane Warren, Holly Knight, Carole Bayer Sager and Roy Orbison.

Among the songs associated with Hammond are “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now” by Starship, “One Moment in Time” performed by Whitney Houston, “To All the Girls I’ve Loved Before” by Julio Iglesias and Willie Nelson, and “When I Need You”, which he writes with Carole Bayer Sager and first records before it becomes an international hit for Leo Sayer in 1977. He also contributes vocals to Michael Chapman’s album Wrecked Again and works with the Magic Lanterns.

Solo recordings

Hammond’s best-known solo single in the United States is “It Never Rains in Southern California”, which reaches number 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1972. Other recordings include “Down by the River”, “The Free Electric Band”, “I’m a Train”, “When I’m Gone”, “Half a Million Miles from Home”, “If You Gotta Break Another Heart”, “The Peacemaker”, “I Don’t Wanna Die in an Air Disaster” and “99 Miles from L.A.”

His studio albums include It Never Rains in Southern California, The Free Electric Band, Albert Hammond, 99 Miles from L.A., My Spanish Album, When I Need You, Mi Album de Recuerdos, Albert Louis Hammond, Al Otro Lado del Sol, Your World and My World, Comprenderte, Somewhere in America, Hamond and West, Best of Me, Coplas and Songs, Revolution of the Heart, Legend, Legend II, In Symphony, Body of Work and Christmas.

Later releases include Revolution of the Heart, which contains “This Side of Midnight”, and Legend, a collection of duets featuring artists including Elena Paparizou and Bonnie Tyler. He also works with Duffy and contributes to her album Endlessly.

Awards and honours

Hammond receives an Academy Award nomination, Golden Globe nomination and Grammy nomination for “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now”, co-written with Diane Warren and recorded by Starship. He wins an Emmy Award in 1988 for “One Moment in Time”, written with John Bettis for NBC’s coverage of the 1988 Summer Olympics. He is appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 2000, inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2008, receives the Ivor Novello Award for Outstanding Song Collection in 2015, and is awarded a lifetime achievement honour by the Ministry of Culture in 2023.

Personal life

Hammond marries Argentinian model Claudia Fernández in 1979. Their son, Albert Hammond Jr., is a member of the band The Strokes.