13 Facts About Beres Hammond

Beres Hammond was further influenced by the native music of ska and rocksteady, in particular Alton Ellis.

Beres Hammond began participating in local talent contests from 1972 to 1973, which led to his first recording, of Ellis' "Wanderer".

Beres Hammond 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.

Beres Hammond formed Tuesday's Children, a harmony group that toured but never recorded.

Beres Hammond formed his own record label, Harmony House Records, in 1985 for the release of his Make a Song album, which had two Jamaican chart-toppers that were influenced by the emerging dancehall style: "Groovy Little Thing" and "What One Dance Can Do".

Beres Hammond scored another hit in 1986 with "Settling Down" on his eponymous release.

Beres Hammond left his fame in Jamaica for New York City in 1987, after being tied up as thieves ransacked his house during a home invasion.

Beres 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".

Beres Hammond signed with Penthouse Records in 1990 and returned to Jamaica permanently to record the dancehall smash "Tempted to Touch", with producer Donovan Germain.

Now garnering interest from major studios such as Elektra Records, Beres Hammond recorded five more albums in the 1990s as well as several compilations, establishing himself as one of the top lovers rock artists.

Beres Hammond returned to Jamaica to perform at the Opening Ceremony for the Cricket World Cup 2007, and the next year, in 2008, he released album A Moment in Time, on VP Records, which featured the single "I Feel Good".

In 2013, Beres 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.

In 2019 Beres Hammond toured the United States and Canada.