Beres Hammond perhaps the greatest reggae balladeer to record an album, particularly in the lovers rock genre. With vocal skills comparable to Gregory Isaacs, Dennis Brown, Freddie McGregor, and Glen Washington, he has been wooing reggae fans with his smooth voice and strong lyrics since the 1970s. His hit reggae albums Love From a Distance and Sweetness are definitive works in the lovers rock subgenre.

Beres Hammond began his career relatively quietly, working hard and gaining a small following of fans who appreciated his early R&B-influenced songs and participation in the reggae vocal group Zap Pow. Global audiences have only noticed his powerful vocals in recent years though, and his fame achieved new heights beginning in the 1990s when reggae producer Donovan Germain successfully blended Beres Hammond’s soulful romantic vocals with artistes from emerging dancehall reggae scene including Tony Rebel, Buju Banton and Cutty Ranks. Dancehall audiences loved his voice and his career took off from there.

Beres Hammond’s sound is influenced by his early exposure to Jamaican crooner Alton Ellis and is remarkable for his preference for live instrumentation and original songs, in contrast to the dub-influenced production methods of most lovers rock and dancehall artistes.

Beres Hammond biography

Hugh Beresford Hammond was born on August 28, 1955. He grew up with his large family in Annotto Bay in Saint Mary province, Jamaica. Like many early Jamaican reggae stars, he listened to many American jazz, soul, and R&B recordings, and claims direct influence by classic American soul singers Sam Cooke, Marvin Gaye, and Otis Redding. He was also influenced by ska and rocksteady music from Peter Tosh, the Heptones, and Ken Boothe – the precursors to Jamaican reggae and dancehall.

Beres Hammond’s career began with the 1973 release of his first track, a cover of Alton Ellis’s Wanderer. He briefly joined Jamaican band Zap Pow as the lead vocalist in 1975. He also debuted in 1976 with Soul Reggae, his first solo reggae album.

Hammond’s solo career quickly took off with the hit singles One Step Ahead (which topped the Jamaican music charts) and I’m in Love, which he released with legendary reggae producer Joe Gibbs in 1978. That same year Zap Pow released the hit single The System, but it was clear that Beres Hammond was more successful as a solo performer, so he left the band in 1979. In the following months he occassionally had to work as a session singer to cover his bills while waiting for royalty checks.

In 1980 he released Just a Man with Joe Gibbs again handling production. In 1981 he followed with Comin’ at You, this time produced by Willie Lindo.

Continuing his self-motivated career trajectory, Beres Hammond formed a new musical group Tuesday’s Children, but they never released an album. He went on to create his own Harmony Records label in 1985. He released Make a Song on Harmony Records tapping into the emerging Jamaican dancehall music sound to reach new audiences. Make a Song included 2 hit singles, Groovy Little Thing and What One Dance Can Do, which Willie Lindo produced and became his most successful Jamaican music release ever.

In 1986 Hammond continued his prolific career with the Beres Hammond album, which included the hit single Settling Down. In 1987 he moved to New York City and released his Have a Nice Weekend album and performed with Maxi Priest on the single How Can We Ease the Pain. He then released Putting Up Resistance which was notable for the singles Putting Up Resistance and Strange.

In 1990 Beres Hammond finally achieved the international recognition he’d been seeking when he released the dancehall single Tempted to Touch on Penthouse Records. Tempted to Touch was produced by Donovan Germain and became a hit in the US and UK, kicking off a new high in Hammond’s musical career. He followed up with the 1992 release of A Love Affair, another dancehall album that included the singles Is This a Sign and Respect to You Baby.

Hammond released 5 more albums in the 1990s: Sweetness in 1993 on VP Records, In Control in 1994 on Elektra Records, Love From a Distance in 1996 on his Harmony House label and distributed by VP, Getting Stronger in 1997 on Heartbeat, and A Day in the Life… in 1998 on VP. It cemented his position as one of the greatest lovers rock reggae singers in history. He followed that incredible schedule with several compilations of past hits, including Reggae Max and Forever Yours.

In 2001 Barres Hammond released Music Is Life and in 2004 released Love Has No Boundaries on VP Records, which included performances with Buju Banton and Big Youth.

Beres Hammond new reggae album

Beres Hammond’s most recent reggae album, A Moment in Time, was released on October 14, 2008 on VP records. It is a 2-disc set that includes a 16-track CD and a DVD.

A Moment In Time includes the hit single I Feel Good (produced by Donovan Germain), on VP Records. I Feel Good tells the story of a night dancing with a lover and blends a catchy melody with Hammond’s impeccable vocals. Additional tracks to note on the album include Can’t Say I Never Tried, the dancehall-inspired A Place For You, and Cry No More. Hammond procuded many of the tracks himself, and prereleased the album in digital format to coincide with a North American tour. You can read the official press release for Beres Hammond’s A Moment in Time pre-release here.

A Moment in Time’s track listing includes:

1. I Feel Good
2. No Goodbye
3. Picking Up the Pieces
4. Still Will Be Heaven
5. Can’t Say I Never Tried
6. Friends?
7. Give It All You’ve Got
8. I’ll Live Again
9. Talking Africa
10. Dark Clouds
11. I Surrender
12. A Place for You
13. Bring It On
14. Body & Soul
15. Cry No More
16. A Moment in Time

The DVD includes a music video for I Feel Good as well as footage from an interview and his 2007 Reggae Sumfest performance in Jamaica, which includes an incredible set list of 21 of his greatest hits.

Beres Hammond was recently honored with 2009 IRAWMA (International Reggae and World Music Awards) Awards for Entertainer of the Year and Songwriter of the Year for his performance on A Moment in Time.

Members related to Beres Hammond

Videos related to Beres Hammond

Music related to Beres Hammond