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Beres Hammond

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Beres Hammond
OJ
Beres Hammond performing at Reggae Geel 2022
Beres Hammond performing at Reggae Geel 2022
Background information
Birth nameHugh Beresford Hammond
Born (1955-08-28) 28 August 1955 (age 68)
Annotto Bay, Jamaica
GenresReggae
Occupation(s)Singer-songwriter
Instrument(s)singing, toasting
Years active1972–present
LabelsVP Records, Harmony House[1]

Beres Hammond OJ (born Hugh Beresford Hammond; 28 August 1955, in Annotto Bay, Saint Mary, Jamaica)[2][3] is a Jamaican reggae singer known in particular for his lovers rock music. While his career began in the 1970s, he reached his greatest success in the 1990s.

Biography

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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.[3] He was further influenced by the native music of ska and rocksteady, in particular Alton Ellis.[3]

Hammond began participating in local talent contests from 1972 to 1973,[2] which led to his first recording, of Ellis' "Wanderer".[3] In 1975 he joined the band, Zap Pow, as lead singer,[4] 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.[3] His solo ballads "One Step Ahead" (1976) and Joe Gibbs produced "I'm in Love" (1978), were both hits in Jamaica.[3] He left Zap Pow in 1979 to pursue his solo career, and recorded two more albums Let's Make A Song in 1980 and Red Light 1981. He formed Tuesday's Children, a harmony group that toured but never recorded.[3]

Hammond formed his own record label, Harmony House Records, in 1985 for the release of his Make a Song album,[2] which had two Jamaican chart-toppers that were influenced by the emerging dancehall style: "Groovy Little Thing" and "What One Dance Can Do".[3] The latter, produced by Willie Lindo,[4] 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 City in 1987,[2] after being tied up as thieves ransacked his house during a home invasion.[3] There he recorded the Have a Nice Weekend album and the duet single "How Can We Ease the Pain" with Maxi Priest.[4]

Hammond returned briefly to Jamaica to record Putting Up Resistance, which was significantly harder than his typical ballads, produced by Tappa Zukie, which spawned the hits "Putting Up Resistance" and "Strange".[3] He signed with Penthouse Records in 1990 and returned to Jamaica permanently to record the dancehall smash "Tempted to Touch", with producer Donovan Germain.[4] 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 A Love Affair album.[3] Also in 1992, Beres released the single "Fire". The song received critical acclaim within the Reggae music industry and it was an extremely sought after 7" single. Now garnering interest from major studios such as Elektra 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, and contributions from Earl "Chinna" Smith and Flourgon. The album spawned several hits, including "They Gonna Talk", "Rockaway" and "Ain't It Good To Know".[2][3] The 2004 release Love Has No Boundaries, had guest spots by Buju Banton and Big Youth.[3]

Hammond returned to Jamaica to perform at the Opening Ceremony for the Cricket World Cup 2007,[5] and the next year, in 2008, he released album A Moment in Time, on VP Records, which featured the single "I Feel Good". After 4 years, which is 2012, Hammond released album One Love, One Life topped the Billboard Reggae Albums chart.[6] In 2013, Hammond was awarded the Order of Jamaica by the Jamaican government in recognition of his "exceptional and dedicated contribution to the Jamaican music industry" right before his album One Love, One Life was nominated for a Grammy Award in January 2014.[7][8] For almost six years since album One Love, One Life released, Hammond released album, Never Ending in October 2018, which features contributions from musicians including Errol Holt, Mafia & Fluxy, Dean Fraser, and Robbie Lyn.[9] After its first week of release, it topped the Billboard Reggae Albums Chart.[10]

In 2019 Beres Hammond toured the United States and Canada. The Never Ending tour started in late July in Danbury, Connecticut. It also made stops in Baltimore, Cincinnati, Chicago, Boston, Toronto, Brooklyn, Philadelphia, Newark, Huntington (New York), Richmond (Virginia), Washington D.C., Norfolk (Virginia), Charlotte (North Carolina), Atlanta, Orlando and Fort Lauderdale.[11]

On February 28, 2021, Harmony House and VP Records presented Love From A Distance Live, a streaming event with guest appearances by Buju Banton, Marcia Griffiths, and Popcaan during the COVID-19 pandemic quarantine. The show was streamed on Hammond's Facebook page and VP Records' YouTube page, and up to March 1, VP Records' stream was trending at number five.[12]

On August 20, 2023, Beres Hammond was awarded with an award in recognition of his exemplary dedication and soulful musical artistry by the Jamaican Museum and Cultural Center in Atlanta, GA. [13]

Discography

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Beres Hammond at Toad's Place in CT on Aug 14th, 2013

Solo albums

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Year Album Title Label
1976
 Soul Reggae Water Lily
1979
 Just a Man [14] VP
1981
 Let's Make a Song Brotherhood Music Inc.
1983
 Red Light Heavybeat – recorded 1983
1985
 Beres Hammond [15] VP
1988
 Have A Nice Weekend [16] VP
1992
 A Love Affair Jet Star
1993
 Full Attention [17] VP
1993
 Sweetness [18] VP
1994
 In Control Elektra
1996
 Putting Up Resistance [19] VP
1997
 Lifetime Guarantee [20] Greensleeves
1997
 Love from a Distance [21] VP
1998
 A Day in the Life [22] VP
2001
 Music Is Life [23] VP
2004
 Love Has No Boundaries [24] VP
2008
 A Moment in Time – with DVD [25] VP
2012
 One Love, One Life [26] VP
2018
 Never Ending [27] VP

Collaborative albums

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Year Album Title Label
1995
 Expression - Beres Hammond & Derrick Lara [28] Heartbeat
2013
 Penthouse Flashback Series: Beres and Buju – Beres Hammond and Buju Banton Penthouse
2020
 Reggae Penthouse Triplets: Beres Hammond, Sanchez and Wayne Wonder – Beres Hammond, Sanchez & Wayne Wonder Penthouse
2023
 Reggae Generals: Beres Hammond & Sanchez – Beres Hammond & Sanchez Reggae Library

Compilations

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Year Album Title Label
1976
 Soul Reggae and More Heavybeat
1996
 Jet Star Reggae Max Jet Star
1998
 Beres Hammond: Collectors Series Penthouse
2001
 Beres Hammond and Friends Ejaness
2003
 Can't Stop a Man: The Best of Beres Hammond [29] VP
2009
 Something Old Something New Penthouse

Cover versions of Beres Hammond songs

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Year Album Title Label
2011
 Our Favorite Beres Hammond Songs - Various Artists [30] VP

DVD

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Year DVD Title Label
2002
 Beres Hammond: Music is Life – Live From New York [31] VP

References

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  1. ^ Wartofsky, Alona (15 May 2004). "Beres sends love". Washington Post. Retrieved 12 March 2021. He is much happier where he is now, calling all the shots for his own Harmony House label, which is marketed and distributed by independent reggae powerhouse VP Records.
  2. ^ a b c d e Moskowitz, David V. (2006) Caribbean Popular Music: an Encyclopedia of Reggae, Mento, Ska, Rock Steady, and Dancehall, Greenwood Press, ISBN 0-313-33158-8, p. 128-9
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Huey, Steve "Beres Hammond Biography", Allmusic, retrieved 2 February 2010
  4. ^ a b c d Larkin, Colin (1998) The Virgin Encyclopedia of Reggae, Virgin Books, ISBN 0-7535-0242-9, p. 118-9
  5. ^ Becca, Tony (2007) "Welcome to Cricket world cup 2007 – HOWZAT! Get ready to be bowled over Archived 19 February 2011 at the Wayback Machine", Jamaica Gleaner, 11 March 2007, retrieved 2 February 2010
  6. ^ "Beres soars to top of Billboard charts", Jamaica Observer, 21 December 2012. Retrieved 22 December 2012
  7. ^ Campbell, Howard (2013) "Honours in Order", Jamaica Observer, 7 August 2013. Retrieved 10 August 2013
  8. ^ "VP Records Enjoys Grammy Notice", Jamaica Gleaner, 12 January 2014. Retrieved 12 January 2014
  9. ^ Jackson, Kevin (2018) "Beres's Never Ending hunt for glory", Jamaica Observer, 4 October 2018. Retrieved 13 October 2018
  10. ^ Jackson, Kevin (2018) "Beres hits the top", Jamaica Observer, 23 October 2018. Retrieved 25 October 2018
  11. ^ Campbell, Howard (30 August 2019). "Beres Wraps up Never Ending Tour". The Jamaica Observer. Retrieved 30 March 2021. The Never Ending tour started in late July in Danbury, Connecticut. It also made stops in Baltimore, Cincinnati, Chicago, Boston, Toronto, Brooklyn, Philadelphia, Newark, Huntington (New York), Richmond (Virginia), Washington D.C., Norfolk (Virginia), Charlotte (North Carolina), Atlanta, Orlando and Fort Lauderdale.
  12. ^ Perry, Kediesha (2 March 2021). "Beres sends love". Jamaica Observer. Archived from the original on 2 March 2021. Retrieved 11 March 2021. The concert, which was streamed on Hammond's Facebook page, VP Records' YouTube page and all Reggae Month social media accounts, attracted millions of viewers. Up to yesterday, VP Records' stream was trending at number five with close to 600,000 views.
  13. ^ "JMCC pays tribute to Beres Hammond". Jamaica Observer. 27 August 2023. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
  14. ^ "Beres Hammond - Just a Man". AllMusic.
  15. ^ "Beres Hammond - Beres Hammond". AllMusic.
  16. ^ "Beres Hammond - Have a Nice Week End". AllMusic.
  17. ^ "Beres Hammond - Full Attention". AllMusic.
  18. ^ "Beres Hammond - Sweetness". AllMusic.
  19. ^ "Beres Hammond - Putting Up Resistance". AllMusic.
  20. ^ "Beres Hammond - Lifetime Guarantee". AllMusic.
  21. ^ "Beres Hammond - Love From a Distance". AllMusic.
  22. ^ "Beres Hammond - A Day in the Life..." AllMusic.
  23. ^ "Beres Hammond - Music Is Life". AllMusic.
  24. ^ "Beres Hammond - Love Has No Boundaries". AllMusic.
  25. ^ "Beres Hammond - A Moment in Time". AllMusic.
  26. ^ "Beres Hammond - One Love, One Life". AllMusic.
  27. ^ "Beres Hammond - Never Ending". AllMusic.
  28. ^ "Beres Hammond & Derrick Lara - Expression". Allmusic.
  29. ^ "Beres Hammond - Can't Stop a Man: The Ultimate Collection". AllMusic.
  30. ^ "Beres Hammond - Our Favorite Beres Hammond Songs". AllMusic.
  31. ^ "Beres Hammond - Music Is Life - Live From New York". Discogs.
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