Jeff Hammond

Jeffrey George Hammond (October 30th, 1962 - November 23rd, 1994) was an American musician and singer songwriter who rose to prominence during the late 1980s. With his solo career spanning just over 8 years, he released five studio albums and was highly regarded as one of the most influential musicians of all time.

## Jeff Hammond

### Relatives

Lois Martin (mother), Geo Hammond (father), Pamela Ross(adopted mother), Dave Ross, (adopted father), Anthony Ross (adopted brother), Florence Ross (adopted sister)

## Biographical information

### Marital status

Tanya Harris (m. 1982-1985), Grace Hammond (m. 1987-1994)

## Physical description

### Eye color

Blue

Jeff was born on October 30th, 1962 at Saint Francis Memorial Hospital in San Francisco, California to Lois Martin and George "Geo" Hammond. His parents problematic, drug fueled relationship resulted in them being determined unfit to parent Jeff and he was given up for adoption. A few weeks later he was adopted by Pamela and Dave Ross. He was raised as Georgie Ross. The family moved to Oakland in 1964 and raised Jeff and the rest of the family there. Jeff shared a close relationship with his adopted father and older adopted brother Tony. Tony fostered Jeff's love of the arts from an early age and Tony bought Jeff his first record (The Rolling Stone's *Let It Bleed*) when Jeff was 8 years old. Jeff cited in an interview that the Rolling Stones introduced him to many other 60s bands that would have a great influence on him. Jeff bought his first guitar in 1973 at age 11 and practiced for hours on end. Tony started playing guitar and bass that same year. Jeff stated that he was a big fan of Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin, but became infatuated with punk upon its explosion in the mid 70s.

## Teenage Years and death of Tony Ross (1974-1979)

Jeff and Tony started playing in punk bands together at their high school during that time. Sadly Tony passed away in 1979 after a car crash. Jeff's stepfather Dave was also severely injured which resulted in brain damage and being mentally and physically disabled. Dave died later in 1981 of a prescription overdose. Jeff was destroyed and was diagnosed with depression and anxiety, and began showing symptoms of bipolar.

## College years and UCLA (1980-1984)

Upon graduating high school, Jeff moved to Los Angeles to study film at UCLA from 1980 to 1984. During this time Jeff was a member of several bands in LA including, Full Stop. However Jeff often felt misunderstood and grew tired of the bands rejecting his ideas. One year after graduating UCLA, Jeff (still going by Georgie Ross) quit Full Stop in June 1985. Jeff started playing live at clubs in LA and the Sunset Strip.

## Debut album, live performances, and moderate success (1985-1987)

Around that time, he stumbled upon an old birth certificate reading Jeffrey George Hammond. He decided to take the name Jeff Hammond and signed a deal with Columbia in September of 1985. Jeff assembled a backing band and recorded what would become his debt album from October to December 1985. It was later released on January 10th, 1986 and received mixed reviews and sold moderately well. However in later years, the album would be considered one of his best. Jeff continued to play live and even did a few tours around the west coast. In August 1986 he started work on his next album, titled Moon Fever and later New Moon Fever. It was released on February 22nd, 1987 and sold commercially well and earned him critical praise and a new group of fans.

## Rise to stardom and success (1988-1991)

In 1988, Jeff's debut album went gold 2 years after its release. Jeff decided to record a live version simply titled *Jeff Hammond Live*. The album also became a gold record. Jeff played many concerts and tours through out 1988, and that fall fans started pushing for a new album. Jeff brought in a new guitarist named Patrick Carter who greatly affected the December 1988 sessions. *Club Regency* was released on March 12th, 1989 and was his biggest success yet. However in the wake of his stardom his alcohol and drug problems began to spiral out of control. He became more unpredictable and wild during this time. This resulted in Jeff taking a 12 foot fall off a stage and breaking both of his legs in 1990. He was unable to tour and decided to solely focus on a new album titled *Boneshifter*. The sessions for this album were "miserable and negative", said Patrick Carter, who fought with Jeff during the recordings. It got so out of hand that Jeff reportedly through a tambourine at Carter, hitting him in the face. Carter stormed out and quit the sessions leaving Jeff and his band to finish the album their own. Though the album was not the same without Carter, it still sold well upon its release in April 1991. Jeff was out of the wheelchair and fully healed by the summer and went back to touring. Jeff and his band also released Next Train Home in 1992 without Carter, but the album was received poorly. However its reputation would better in later years.

## Divorce from Grace Hammond and final years (1992-1994)

In 1986 Jeff fell in love with a young barista named Grace. They married a year later and had one child, Anthony (named after Jeff's late stepbrother). However, Jeff's drug and alcohol abuse resulted in divorce. Jeff's bipolar also began spiraling out of control. Jeff also began showing symptoms of cirrosis of the liver due to frequent alcohol abuse. Jeff was also arrested in 1993 when illegal drugs and underage usage were found at his home in LA. Jeff overdosed a few months later on heroin, but survived the incident and was forced to go to rehab. Things began looking up for Jeff as he began to sober up. However he relapsed and escaped from rehab shortly after. Jeff knew his time was limited so he decided to record one last album. Jeff managed to bring back Patrick Carter for recordings of his sixth and final studio album, *Other Side Of The River*, released on November 21st, 1994. Tensions between Jeff and the rest of his band led them to leave during the sessions. Jeff recorded the final song on the album alone with his first guitar that he had bought 20 years before.

## Death and aftermath

On November 26th, Jeff's mother attempted to contact him through telephone calls but he did not pick up. Becoming increasingly concerned, she drove to his San Francisco home and knocked on the door to no answer. No changes to Jeff's bank account were made either for 4 days. Pamela called the police and a search continued. Jeff's body was found 2 days later on the 28th. A suicide note was found in his pocket and it was presumed he had jumped from the Oakland Bay Bridge and died upon impact of the water. The autopsy revealed he had died on the 23rd, five days earlier and 2 days after the release of his final album. Pamela Ross and Jeff's adopted sister Florence was heartbroken as they had now lost Tony, Dave, and Jeff. Florence and Pamela started a suicide awareness campaign and received many donations from friends, including Patrick Carter, and family. Jeff was cremated and a private memorial service was held on December 2nd, as well as a public service on December 5th. Finally a memorial concert including many iconic names and lineups was held on January 12th, 1995.

## Discography (1986-1994)

Jeff Hammond (1986)

New Moon Fever (1987)

Club Regency (1989)

Boneshifter (1991)

Next Train Home (1992)

Other Side Of The River (1994)