Beres Hammond is one of reggae's great soul singers though for much of his twenty years he has only been known for the most part in his native Jamaica. Hammond's style harkens back to the Rastafarian sounds of the '70s that center on a strong melody coupled with socially conscious lyrics and intricate harmonies.

He was born Beresford Hammond in the province of St. Mary in Annotto Bay. Early on, Hammond became intensely interested in the ska/reggae sounds of such performers as Peter Tosh and soulful singer Alton Ellis -- who would become one of the "father's" of rock-steady music. Following grade school, he dropped out. Already a talented singer, he found himself particularly drawn to the music of Leroy Sibbles of the Heptones and Ken Boothe, another favorite, after Ellis, his primary influence. Though island music was his prime inspiration, Hammond also loved the R&B, and jazz frequently played by his father who had an enormous and varied record collection. His favorite R&B singers included Sam Cooke, Otis Redding, and later Marvin Gaye.

Hammond got his own start between 1972 and 1973. His first break came when he wandered into auditions for a Merritone Amateur show. During the audition, Hammond sang about a dozen songs in radically different genres; he believed the judges liked his voice. This led him to record a soul version, in the style of Alton Ellis, of "Wanderer." Hammond became the lead singer of Zap Pow in late 1975. "The System," recorded on Mango in 1978, was their known single.

While with Zap Pow, he launched his solo career; his first solo album Soul Reggae was released in 1976 on the Aquarius label and produced by long-time friend Willie Lindo. It was a big success, but when the label suggested he release a single off it, Hammond insisted that they leave the album intact and so returned to the studio to cut a new track. The ballad "One Step Ahead," stayed at No. 1 for over 14 weeks. In 1978, Joe Gibbs produced Hammond's second single, "I'm in Love," and it too became a chart topper. By 1979, the strain of performing and recording with the group and managing his own career was too much so he left Zap Pow. Though he had two chart hits and a top-selling album by then, Hammond saw very little money from the sales. He decided to curtail his solo work concentrating instead on more profitable session work. He soon demonstrated a knack for singing and arranging harmony parts. Eventually he returned to Gibbs and cut the album Just a Man. It did well and produced a couple of hit singles, but again he made no money. It turned out, that while Gibbs was a fine producer, he had a reputation for flooding the market with the songs of one artist. Not wanting to continue the saturation, Hammond again stopped recording for one year. He recorded his next album in 1981 with Willie Lindo. It was first released on Dynamics and titled Comin' at You.

Around this time, he and four others formed Tuesday's Children. They never recorded, but audiences loved their close harmonies and the band was quite successful as a live act. Other group members included Calmon Scott (who wrote the reggae standard "One Teacher, One Preacher") and Ferris Walters. Hammond also continued with his session work. In 1985, he recorded another album, Let's Make a Song, on Brotherhood, a label he founded with a good friend. Hammond then decided to start his own label, Harmony House, with no partners just so he could always have a home base. His debut single "Groovy Little Thing," was a substantial hit. Lindo recorded his next single, "What One Dance Can Do," and it became one of his biggest hits not only in Jamaica, but also abroad. He followed with an eponymous CD on Lindo's label.

In 1987, Hammond was in the process of recording a new album on his own label when he was attacked, tied up and robbed in his own home. Blaming the attack on his sudden fame, Hammond headed for New York to stay with family, out of the public eye for the next three years. Around 1989, he and Lindo, who had come to New York to recuperate from a nervous breakdown, recorded the cross-over album of ballads Have a Nice Weekend, but did not release it until after he recorded Resistance in Jamaica following Hurricane Gilbert. In 1990, he returned to Jamaica determined to turn his life around. He ended up at Penthouse Records and during the session, spontaneously created "Tempted to Touch" -- a song inspired by the sight of a beautiful girl in shorts he'd seen sashaying about the studio that day -- with producer Donovan Germain. It became an enormous hit in Jamaica, New York City and even England. He then returned home to record the album Love Affair with Germain.

At long last, Hammond found himself a hot property when the album produced several more major hits including "Is This a Sign" and "Respect to You Baby." Following the success these first Penthouse recordings, Hammond has recorded prolifically and released compilations of earlier tracks; one such compilation is Soul Reggae and More on VP. In 1995, Hammond recorded In Control on Elektra, an excellent blend of ballads, and socially conscious reggae targeted toward an international audience.

-- Courtesy (Sandra Brennan, All-Music Guide) --