Albert Hammond
Albert Louis Hammond OBE (born 18 May 1944) is a British-Gibraltarian singer, songwriter and record producer. A prolific songwriter, he also collaborated with other songwriters such as Mike Hazlewood, John Bettis, Hal David, Diane Warren, Holly Knight and Carole Bayer Sager. Hammond's son Albert Hammond Jr. is a guitarist in American rock band the Strokes.[1]
For other people named Albert Hammond, see Albert Hammond (disambiguation).
Hammond wrote commercially successful singles for 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, and bands Ace of Base, Air Supply, Blue Mink, Chicago, Heart, Living in a Box, the Carpenters, the Hollies, the Pipkins, Starship, and Westlife. Notable songs co-written by Hammond include "Make Me an Island" and "You're Such a Good Looking Woman" by Joe Dolan, "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" by Starship, "One Moment in Time" sung by Whitney Houston, "The Air That I Breathe", a hit for the Hollies, "To All the Girls I've Loved Before", a Julio Iglesias/Willie Nelson duet, and "When I Need You" by Leo Sayer. In 2015, he received the British Academy's Ivor Novello Award for Outstanding Song Collection. [2]
He is also a solo singer in his own right. His biggest (and only top 20) U.S. Billboard hit was "It Never Rains in Southern California", No. 5 in 1972. [3] Other songs of his include "Down by the River", "The Free Electric Band", "I'm a Train", and "When I'm Gone". For a time, he was part of the Family Dogg, a vocal band with whom he had the hit "A Way of Life". He has also produced for a number of other artists.
Early life and success[edit]
Hammond was born in London, after his family had been evacuated from Gibraltar during World War II.[4] Shortly after the war they returned to Gibraltar where he grew up.[4] In 1960, he started in music with Gibraltarian band The Diamond Boys, which had no real commercial success, but played a part in Spain's introduction to pop and rock music. The Diamond Boys performed at the first nightclubs in Madrid to stage modern bands, alongside Spanish rock and roll pioneers such as Miguel Ríos. In 1966, Hammond co-founded the British vocal band the Family Dogg, reaching number 6 on the UK Singles Chart with "A Way of Life" in 1969,[4][5] taken from the album of the same name.
Personal life[edit]
From his first marriage, Hammond has two children. In 1979, he married Argentinian Claudia Fernández, a former model.[6]
Awards and recognition[edit]
In 1987, Hammond's composition with Diane Warren "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" (recorded by Starship) was nominated for an Oscar, Golden Globe and Grammy Award.[13] In 1988, Hammond won an Emmy Award for the song "One Moment in Time", a song he wrote along with John Bettis.
In 2000, he received the Order of the British Empire (OBE).[4]
On 19 June 2008, Hammond was inducted in the Songwriters Hall of Fame.[14]
Half Man Half Biscuit paid tribute to Hammond in their 1986 track "Albert Hammond Bootleg" originally on The Trumpton Riots EP and later added to the 2003 re-release of Back in the DHSS.
In May 2015, Hammond collected the Ivor Novello award for outstanding song collection.[15]
In 2023 he received the Ministry of Culture Lifetime Achievement Award.
