Beres Hammond
(born Hugh Beresford Hammond, 28 August 1955, Annotto Bay, Saint Mary, Jamaica) is a reggae singer from Jamaica who is known in particular for his romantic lovers rock. While his career began in the 1970s, he reached his greatest success in the 1990s.
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BERES HAMMOND & THE HARMONY HOUSE BAND TICKETS
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Career
Born the ninth of ten children; Hammond grew up listening to his father's collection of American
soul and
jazz music; including
Sam Cooke and
Otis Redding. He was further influenced by the native musics of
ska and
rocksteady, in particular
Alton Ellis.
Hammond began participating in local talent contests from 1972 to 1973, which led to his first
recording, of Ellis' "Wanderer". In 1975 he joined the
band,
Zap Pow, as lead
singer, leading to the
hit 1978
single, "The System" under the
Aquarius Records label. However, he simultaneously sought a
solo career, releasing his debut
album,
Soul Reggae
, in 1976. His solo
ballads "One Step Ahead" (1976) and
Joe Gibbs produced "I'm in Love" (1978), were both hits in Jamaica. He left Zap Pow in 1979 to pursue his solo career, and recorded two more albums in 1980 and 1981. He formed Tuesday's Children, a
harmony group that toured but never recorded.
Hammond formed his own record label, Harmony Records, in 1985 for the release of his
Make a Song
album, which had two Jamaican chart-toppers that were influenced by the emerging
dancehall style: "Groovy Little Thing" and "What One Dance Can Do". The latter,
produced by Willie Lindo, began to break Hammond into the international market. He scored another hit in 1986 with "Settling Down" on his eponymous release. He left his fame in Jamaica for
New York in 1987 after being tied up as thieves ransacked his house during a
home invasion. There he recorded
Have a Nice Weekend
and the duet single "How Can We Ease the Pain" with
Maxi Priest.
Hammond returned briefly to Jamaica to record
Putting Up Resistance
, which was significantly harder than his typical ballads, under Tapa Zukie, which spawned the hits "Putting Up Resistance" and "Strange." He signed with Penthouse Records in 1990 and returned to Jamaica permanently to record the dancehall smash "Tempted to Touch", with producer
Donovan Germain. This is perhaps his best known
song in the
United States and
United Kingdom, and set the foundation for the hits "Is This a Sign" and "Respect to You Baby" on the 1992
Love Affair
album. Now garnering interest from major
studios such as
Electra Records, Hammond recorded five more albums in the 1990s as well as several
compilations, establishing himself as one of the top
lovers rock artists. His first album of the new millennium was 2001's
Music Is Life
, which featured an appearance by
Wyclef Jean. The 2004 release
Love Has No Boundaries
, had guest spots by
Buju Banton and
Big Youth.
He returned to Jamaica to perform at the
Opening Ceremony for the
Cricket World Cup 2007.
2008 saw the release of yet another album "A moment in time" featuring the single "I feel good". It was released on the 11/11/08 under VP records.
See also
- List of roots reggae artists
- List of reggae musicians
- Music of Jamaica