Throughout a five-decade career, Hugh Beresford Hammond has thrilled generations with his smoky- sweet voice. From the funked- up Reggae jams of the 1970s fusion band ‘Zap Pow’, where he was a lead singer, to the lush instrumentation of his 1976 album Soul Reggae, to the spare digital beat of his 1985 dancehall breakthrough, What One Dance Can Do. Hugh Beresford Hammond
Hugh Beresford Hammond’s early foray in music came through his participation at talent shows but his first release, The Wanderer would be the start of a prolific career, which has, so far, produced 22 solo albums, from Soul Reggae on the Water Lilly Label (1976), to Let’s Make A Song on the Brotherhood Music Inc. (1981), to Lifetime Guarantee on Greensleeves Label (1997) to an astonishing 13 albums for VP Records. His spontaneous method of composing, and unwillingness to compromise on the quality of his sound, made a home studio the natural choice for many and continues to attract a steady stream of Jamaica’s most talented musicians. In 2002, the album Music Is Life , was nominated for the Grammy Award for ‘Best Reggae Album’. The album contained two of what would become Hammond’s top songs, Rock Away and They Gonna Talk . On January 1, 2023, Beres partnered with long-time musical partner, Buju Banton, to produce one of the biggest live concerts in Jamaica’s history, at Plantation Cove, St. Ann. The Government of Jamaica awarded him the Order of Jamaica in 2013 for his exceptional and dedicated contribution to the Jamaican music industry.
76 | The University of the West Indies, Mona Campus
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