The singer/song writer, Albert Hammond, is
best remembered for his 1972
smash hit "It
Never Rains in Southern
California." During the mid-1960's,
Hammond fronted the local band Los Diamond Boys.
Upon relocating to Britain
in 1966, however, he and a friend, Steve Rowland,
formed the Family Dogg.
While the group's 1969 debut LP A Way of
Life generated a hit title
track, subsequent releases flopped. Hammond
eventually left
the lineup.
After a stint with the Magic Lantern,
Hammond launched a solo career.
The song entitled "It Never Rains in Southern
California"
reached the U.S
Top Five in late 1972. An album with the same
name followed the next year.
"The Free Electric Band" also appeared in 1973.
And, with his follow-up,
Hammond returned to the Top 40 with the single
"I'm a Train."
Although Hammond maintained a brisk
recording pace throughout the next
decade, he eventually distinguished himself most
for his
songwriting, acting
as the co-author of Leo Sayer's 1977 chart-topper
"When I Need You."
Hammond, collaborating with Diane Warren, also
wrote the Starship hit "
Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" and Chicago's "I
Don't Want to Live Without
Your Love." He performed the Julio
Iglesias/Willie Nelson duet "To All the
Girls I've Loved Before" with Hal David.
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