Song:It Never Rains In Southern California
Album:It Never Rains In Southern California
Though perceived as a one hit wonder for the 1973 top five hit It Never Rains In Southern California, that is the tip of the iceberg in the long career of Albert Hammond as songwriter, producer and performer. And he's still active today. He was born May 18, 1944 in London. His family was evacuated from Gibraltar during WWII and moved back after the war. He formed his first group The Diamond Boys in 1958. After limited success, the moved to England and that's where Hammond met longtime songwriting partner Mike Hazelwood. They wrote numerous songs together. Their biggest hit was probably The Air That I Breathe for The Hollies. He also worked on sessions including Gimme Dat Ding by The Pipkins. Hammond moved to the US in 1970 to work on a theatrical show that never happened and tried to get a record contract. After a lot of rejection, he signed with Mums Records. Mums was started by former Dunhill Records partner Bobby Roberts and had distribution from Columbia. It Never Rains In Southern California reached #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1973. It's an autobiographical song about a British songwriter trying to make it in the music business in Los Angeles. Some of his other songs charted but nothing as big as It Never Rains In Southern California. This Collectables comp covers Hammond's first two albums. But his career as a songwriter blossomed. The biggest hit was Leo Sayer's 1976 smash When I Need You but plenty of his songs charted. He also started recording in Spanish and became popular especially in Spain. This continues today as Hammond produced the new CD Endlessly by British singer Duffy. And his son Albert Hammond Jr. is a member of The Strokes. So there is certainly more to Albert Hammond than one top five hit single. Here's Albert Hammond performing It Never Rains In Southern California on The Kenny Everett Show 1973.
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