1. Jan Hammer rose to prominence while playing keyboards with the Mahavishnu Orchestra during the early 1970s, as well as with his film scores for television and film including "Miami Vice Theme" and "Crockett's Theme", from the 1980s television program Miami Vice.
Under the partronage of Friedrich Gulda, whose viennese annual newcomer-festival he had won a few months earlier, Jan Hammer recorded a jazz trio live album at "The Domicile" in Munich on 30 August 1968.
Jan Hammer joined Billy Cobham, Leland Sklar, Tommy Bolin and additional personnel on Billy Cobham's debut solo album, Spectrum released in 1973.
The Jan Hammer Group was formed in 1976 and supported The First Seven Days on tour, receiving good reviews from both jazz and rock critics.
In 1977, Jan Hammer recorded Elegant Gypsy with Al Di Meola.
Jan Hammer returned to solo work with the release of Black Sheep in 1978.
Into 1984, his various talents were employed on recordings as diverse as James Young's first solo album, City Slicker, for which he co-wrote and produced; John Abercrombie's Night; Mick Jagger's first solo album, She's the Boss; and Jeff Beck's Flash which included Jan Hammer's song "Escape", winner of the 1985 Grammy award for "Best Rock Instrumental Performance".
Jan Hammer earned Emmy award nominations in 1985 and 1986, for "Outstanding Achievement in Musical Composition".
In 1988, Jan Hammer bowed out of full-time musical chores for Miami Vice.
Snapshots was the first full album from the new Red Gate studio in 1989, with Jan Hammer composing, performing and producing every track.
In late 1993 Jan Hammer was commissioned to compose all the original music for TV Nova, the first commercial television network in Eastern Europe, based in his native Czech Republic, which had its launch on February 4,1994.
In 1995, Jan Hammer returned to his scoring and soundtrack work.
Jan Hammer composed and performed the original music for two feature films, both released in 1996: A Modern Affair and In the Kingdom of the Blind the Man with One Eye Is King.
In 1996, Jan Hammer's scoring assignments included the NBC Movie of the Week, The Babysitter's Seduction, The Secret Agent Club, and The Corporate Ladder.
In 1997, Jan Hammer composed the hard-driving rock soundtrack for the new CD-ROM game, Outlaw Racers.
Jan Hammer produced the original score for Cocaine Cowboys, a 2006 documentary depicting the infamous Miami drug trade scene of the 1980s.
Also in the autumn of 2004 Jan Hammer released the album The Best of Miami Vice on the Reality label in the US The Best of Miami Vice contains newly recorded versions of "Miami Vice Theme" and "Crockett's Theme", as well as one bonus track never before released on CD.
One of the package's discs contained bonus material, including an extensive interview and archival footage of Jan Hammer creating music for the show back in 1985.
Jan Hammer added that he would have been interested in scoring the 2006 film version of Miami Vice, but that he was never approached by Michael Mann about it.
Jan Hammer recorded a version of the Squidbillies theme in 2014.