Beres Hammond grew up in Anotto Bay, Jamaica, listening to his father's collection of recordings by American rhythm and blues legends like Sam Cook and Otis Redding, as well as the Jamaican reggae music of Peter Tosh and the ska and rock steady sounds of Alton Ellis. The talented singer added his own smoky, soulful voice to that mix, and for more than thirty years the man has crooned some of the sweetest reggae love ballads that have ever hit the music scene.
Hammond's spectacular career began when he won a talent contest as a teenager in 1972. He went on to record his first single record in 1975, and although he did a brief stint singing with the group Zap Pow, he was destined for a career on his own. He recorded his first solo album in 1976. His next single soared to the number one spot on Jamaican music charts and remained there for 14 weeks.
Beres Hammond's soulful reggae ballad style kept him in the limelight for the next decade, but in 1985 he made an abrupt break with his signature music and released a hard-hitting, funky dancehall style hit that propelled him to the top of that music genre and made a credible name for him in the dancehall market.
In the 1990's Hammond recorded a succession of highly successful albums and he began to gain recognition as an artist who was bound for greatness. Over the past decades this prolific gifted singer/songwriter has produced musical hits that range in style from sweet rhythm and blues love ballads to funky reggae jams and gritty dancehall numbers. Hammond has created a sound that is uniquely, distinctly his own, and at 51 years old, Beres Hammond himself is a musical legend.
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