Biography

Hammond was born in London, after his family had been evacuated from Gibraltar during World War II.[3] Shortly after the war they returned to Gibraltar where he grew up.[3] In 1960, he started in music with Gibraltarian band The Diamond Boys, which had no real commercial success, but played a part in Spain's introduction to pop and rock music. The Diamond Boys performed at the first nightclubs in Madrid to stage modern bands, alongside Spanish rock and roll pioneers such as Miguel Ríos. In 1966, Hammond co-founded the British vocal band the Family Dogg, reaching number 6 on the UK Singles Chart with "A Way of Life" in 1969,[3][4] taken from the album of the same name.

In 1970, at age 26, Hammond moved to the United States, continuing his professional career as a musician.[5] However, he had his greatest commercial success in mainland Europe. He is known for his successful singles of the 1970s, released on Columbia subsidiary Mums Records: "Down by the River", "It Never Rains in Southern California", "The Free Electric Band" (his only single to chart in the UK),[4] "Half a Million Miles from Home", "If You Gotta Break Another Heart", "The Peacemaker", "I Don't Wanna Die in an Air Disaster", "I'm a Train" and "99 Miles from L.A." In 1970, under the name 'Steve & Albert', Hammond joined forces with Steve Rowland for the single "Follow the Bouncing Ball", which they heavily promoted, particularly in the UK, where they appeared on Top Of The Pops and The Basil Brush Show, but the single failed to chart.[6]