Frederick William Hammond[1] (born December 27, 1960)[2] 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.[3][4][5] 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.[citation needed]
Hammond first gained recognition while playing bass guitar for the gospel group The Winans.[2] By 1985, he was one of the six original members of the group Commissioned, participating in 10 of the group's 12 albums.[citation needed]
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.[citation needed]
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.[citation needed]
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.[citation needed]
Hammond has two children who have appeared on his 2009 album, Love Unstoppable. Hammond divorced his wife of 18 years, Kim, in 2004,[7] and he currently resides in Cedar Hill, Texas.[citation needed]
Hammond revealed on the Donnie McClurkin Show that his mother confessed to him three months before she died that she tried to get an abortion when she was pregnant with him, and the procedure, done in 1960, before abortions were legal, failed. Hammond's mother returned for a second attempt but decided against the procedure; Hammond was later born in December 1960.[8]
One of Hammond's nephews is guard Emmanuel Mudiay.[9]