Albert Hammond

Albert Hammond
Background information
Birth nameAlbert Louis Hammond
Also known asAlbert Hammond Sr.
Born (1944-05-18) 18 May 1944 (age 80)
London, England
OriginGibraltar
GenresPop rock, soft rock
Occupation(s)Singer-songwriter, musician, record producer
Instrument(s)Guitar, piano, vocals
Years active1960–present
Websitealberthammond.net

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]

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.

  1. ^ "Albert Hammond, Jr. – The Vogue". Retrieved 2 August 2023.
  2. ^ "60th Anniversary Ivor Novello Awards winners announced". www.prsformusic.com. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
  3. ^ "Albert Hammond It Never Rains in Southern California | Bogart Boogie Oogie". 3 May 2018. Retrieved 2 August 2023.