O n an island overpopulated with good song makers, Beres Hammond’s gritty vocalizing, as well as his incomparable production and songwriting skills, primarily detailing the vicissitudes of romantic relationships, have earned him a remarkable place in Jamaica’s lush musical landscape.
Born in 1955 in the island’s verdant garden parish of St. Mary, Hugh Beresford Hammond has for more than two decades been a consistent hitmaker on his native island. By age 11, Hammond began traveling from his home in the rural one-street town of Annotto Bay to Jamaica’s bustling capital city of Kingston to observe the singers who frequented the downtown record shops.
In 1975 Hammond joined the Jamaican fusion band Zap Pow as lead singer, remaining with the group for four years while simultaneously releasing solo records
The frustration of releasing hit records in Jamaica without proper monetary compensation, due to the island's chaotic music industry infrastructure, led Hammond to form his own record label/production company, Harmony House, in the early '80s.
Since the release of his first Harmony House single, “Groovy Little Thing,” in 1985, Hammond has sustained a succession of hit records on the reggae charts worldwide. His 1987 hit “What One Dance Can Do,” recorded for producer Willie Lindo, entered the pop charts in England and elicited a string of answer records including Hammond’s own “She Loves Me Now.” Both tunes solidly established Hammond’s name on the dancehall reggae circuit.
Greater success came in 1990, when Hammond joined forces with longtime friend Donovan Germain of Kingston’s Penthouse Records, laying vocals over a reggae rhythm track Germain had created. Though the singer barely remembered recording “Tempted To Touch,” the song shot to number one in Jamaica. Hammond’s subsequent Penthouse album A Love Affair spawned several hits, including duets with Buju Banton, the most popular dance hall DJ of a decade ago, The Hammond/Banton musical partnership commenced with the 1992 number one tune “Who Say” and later yielded “Pull It Up,” the 1999 reggae song of the year, an ode to Jamaican dancehall sessions of an earlier, more peaceful era.
