Kevin Hammond (singer-songwriter)

Kevin Richard Hammond (born February 7, 1985) is an American singer-songwriter. His debut EP 'Kevin Hammond' peaked at #34 on Billboard's Heat Seekers album charts on December 5, 2009,[1] also placing 7th in the West North Central region and 10th in the Mountain region.[1] Hammond is known musically for his ability to seamlessly switch between a high falsetto and a full-bodied vocal register.[2]

Kevin Hammond
Kevin Hammond in Pennsylvania, 2017
Born
Kevin Richard Hammond

(1985-02-07) February 7, 1985
Kenosha, Wisconsin, United States
Occupation
  • Musician
  • singer-songwriter
Spouse(s)
Jazmyn Engelhardt
​
(m. 2011)​
Musical career
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • piano
  • guitar
  • keyboards
Years active2008–present
Labels

Early life

Born in Kenosha, Wisconsin to Richard and Carolyn, Hammond is the third of seven children. Father Richard Hammond is credited as being Hammond's earliest musical influence. Hammond experimented with many of his fathers instruments throughout childhood. At the age of 12, Hammond began recording his own music in his basement on his fathers 8-track reel-to-reel. Listening to his vocals on repeat with the reel-to-reel is how Hammond self-trained his voice.[3]

Music career

Prior to being signed to New York's A&M Octone Records, Hammond came into contact with English music producer Mikal Blue (best known for his work with Colbie Caillat, Jason Mraz, and OneRepublic) via Myspace social network.[4] Blue flew Hammond out to Los Angeles and recorded several of Hammond's original acoustic songs at Revolver Recordings in Thousand Oaks, California, after which he signed with the recording company.[4][5][6][7]

During his years at A&M/Octone Records, Hammond toured with many well-known artists including The Script, Paper Tongues, Natasha Bedingfield, Colbie Caillat, Gregg Allman, Andy Grammer, and Kate Voegele.[2][4][8] In 2011, Hammond held a residency in NYC playing at venues such as The Bitter End and Rockwood Music Hall.[3] Hammond was also featured in the line up at the legendary Bonnaroo Music Festival in Manchester, Tennessee.[9]

2009: 'Kevin Hammond' EP

In 2009, Hammond released his first EP. The EP was first released as 5 digital tracks, and later was available on disc. The tracks included 4 of Hammond's original demo songs. The EP also featured a cover of Gnarls Barkley's Crazy.[10]

In 2010, Hammond's song "Just Believe It", as produced by American bassist and record producer Randy Jackson, was featured on the soundtrack for the Walmart made-for-TV film Secrets of the Mountain.[11][12]

2011: 'One of a Kind' Album

In 2011, Hammond released his first single titled "Broken Down" off of his debut album One of a Kind. The music video for the single was directed by Tim Nackashi and features The Vampire Diaries co-star Kat Graham.[13] To promote the album, Hammond performed an exclusive concert for Z100 listeners at Planet Hollywood in Times Square.[14]

Personal life

On August 26, 2011, Hammond married former CW television host, Jazmyn Engelhardt, in a private ceremony.[3][15]

Discography

Extended Plays
Title Year Details
Kevin Hammond EP[16] 2009
  • Label: A&M Octone Records
  • Formats: CD
  • Duration: 15:52
  • 5 tracks:
    • 'Just As I Thought' [Early Recordings]
    • 'Broken Down' [Early Recordings]
    • 'The Way You Move'
    • 'What Would You Do For Love'
    • 'Crazy' [As originally performed by Gnarls Barkley]
Kevin Hammond – EP 2011

Soundtracks
Song Title Year Details
Just Believe It[11] 2010

References
  1. "Kevin Hammond – Chart history | Billboard". www.billboard.com. Retrieved January 19, 2016.
  2. "KEVIN HAMMOND | First Avenue". first-avenue.com. Retrieved January 20, 2016.
  3. "Kevin Hammond Bio | Kevin Hammond Career". MTV Artists. Retrieved January 19, 2016.
  4. "Kevin Hammond Bio | Kevin Hammond Career". MTV Artists. Retrieved February 6, 2016.
  5. "Mikal Blue- Producer / Song Writer / Recording Arstist | Revolver Recordings". www.revolverrecordings.com. Archived from the original on October 9, 2014. Retrieved January 19, 2016.
  6. "Songwriter Hammond wants to 'sing for the world'". DeseretNews.com. Retrieved January 20, 2016.
  7. "Mikal Blue: songwriter, producer, engineer managed by GPS| Global Positioning Services". GPS | Global Positioning Services. Retrieved January 21, 2016.
  8. "What to do, where to go". www.pottsmerc.com. Retrieved February 6, 2016.
  9. "Bonnaroo 2011 Lineup". Retrieved January 19, 2016.
  10. "Kevin Hammond – Crazy (As Originally Performed by Gnarls Barkley) – Listen and discover music at Last.fm". www.last.fm. Retrieved February 6, 2016.
  11. "Secrets of the Mountain (Exclusive) (Widescreen) - Walmart.com". Walmart.com. Retrieved January 20, 2016.
  12. "Family Movie Night is Back! Secrets of the Mountain Movie and Soundtrack Giveaway". www.momsbalancingact.com. Retrieved January 20, 2016.
  13. "'Vampire Diaries' Star Kat Graham Featured in Kevin Hammond Video". The Huffington Post. Retrieved January 20, 2016.
  14. "Kevin Hammond's "Broken Down" Music Video Feat. Kat Graham | Vampire Diaries Spoilers and News". vampirediariesonline.com. Retrieved January 21, 2016.
  15. "CW Philly adds new crew members – Philly Ad Club". Philly Ad Club. Retrieved January 20, 2016.
  16. "Kevin Hammond – Kevin Hammond | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved January 21, 2016.
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