Albert Hammond - It Never Rains In Southern California

Albert Hammond - It Never Rains In Southern California 1972

Albert Hammond (born 18 May 1944, London, England) is a Gibraltarian-British singer, songwriter and music producer.

He also wrote songs for others with frequent collaborator Mike Hazlewood.

These include "Little Arrows" for Leapy Lee, "Make Me An Island" (1969) and "You're Such a Good Looking Woman" (1970) for Joe Dolan (which Hammond himself re-recorded in 1979, in a Spanish disco-style version), "Gimme Dat Ding" for The Pipkins in 1970 (itself a cover from the Freddie and the Dreamers album, Oliver in the Overworld), "Good Morning Freedom" for Blue Mink, "Freedom Come, Freedom Go" for The Fortunes in 1971 and "The Air That I Breathe" which was a hit for The Hollies in 1974. In 1971.

Hammond also found time to sing on Michael Chapman's fourth album, Wrecked Again, and worked briefly with The Magic Lanterns on recordings of his and Hazlewood's songs and other material.

He later moved to the United States, where he continued his professional career as a musician. He is known for his hits of the 1970s, released on Columbia subsidiary Mums Records, such as:

1. "It Never Rains in Southern California"
2. "The Free Electric Band" (the only single of his to chart in the UK)
3. "I Don't Wanna Die in an Air Disaster"
4. "I'm a Train"
5. "Down by the River"

"It Never Rains in Southern California" reached number five in the American Billboard Hot 100 chart and became a million-seller around the world, the first in a string of eight charting singles that Hammond enjoyed over the next five years.

The accompanying album also introduced "Down by the River" and "If You Gotta Break Another Heart" — which was recorded by Cass Elliot in a slightly rewritten version — and "The Air That I Breathe." The latter was Hammond's favorite song on the album, and it was later to become the last major international hit by The Hollies (and that group's last significant U.S. single for more than a decade). Meanwhile, Hammond's follow-up album, The Free Electric Band (its title track salvaged from the unproduced musical), was nearly as impressive musically as its predecessor, although it sold far fewer copies without a huge hit to drive its sales.


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