Background and career
Frederick William Hammond (born December 27, 1960) is an American gospel singer, bass guitar player, and record producer. He is regarded as one of the most popular figures in contemporary gospel music. He is known for using a variety of different styles in his music such as R&B, hip-hop, and disco.
Hammond has been active both as a member of the gospel performing group Commissioned, and as a solo artist (currently for Verity Records). He is a multiple Grammy, Dove, and Stellar award winner and nominee as a performer, producer, and writer. Hammond first gained recognition while playing bass guitar for the gospel group The Winans. By 1985, he was one of the six original members of the group Commissioned, participating in 10 of the group's 12 albums. After his time with Commissioned ended, he regained fame in the gospel community after selling millions of albums with his musical group Radical For Christ. In 2002, Hammond returned to the group Commissioned (now with members Keith Staten, Marvin Sapp, Mitchell Jones, Karl Reid, Michael Williams, and Marcus Cole) to produce the Commissioned Reunion Live album. Hammond produced "Make Me Like the Moon", a gospel ballad co-written by Chanté Moore and Kenny Lattimore for their 2006 double-CD of gospel and R&B love songs entitled Uncovered/Covered (released October 10, 2006, by LaFace/Verity/Zomba Music Group). He also performs with Sean Combs on the unreleased album, Thank You.
The BET Awards are awarded annually by the Black Entertainment Television network. Hammond has received 8 nominations.
The Dove Awards are awarded annually by the Gospel Music Association. Hammond has received 9 awards from 34 nominations and has also been inducted into the Hall of Fame.
The Grammy Awards are awarded annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Hammond has received 1 award from 15 nominations.
The NAACP Image Awards are awarded annually by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Hammond has received 7 nominations.
