Show Notes
Albert Hammond is a British-Gibraltarian singer, songwriter, and record producer renowned for his extensive contributions to popular music. Born on May 18, 1944, in London and raised in Gibraltar, he has crafted numerous hits both as a solo artist and for other performers. His solo successes include classics like "It Never Rains in Southern California" and "The Free Electric Band." As a prolific songwriter, Hammond has penned songs for a diverse array of artists, including Whitney Houston, Tina Turner, and Celine Dion.
In November 2024, Hammond released his first Christmas album, aptly titled "Christmas." This festive collection features 15 tracks that blend traditional carols, such as "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen" and "O Come, All Ye Faithful," with contemporary holiday classics like "Last Christmas" and "Driving Home for Christmas." The album also includes a new rendition of his 1989 holiday single "Under the Christmas Tree" and introduces an original composition, "I Wish You a Merry Christmas."
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Clark Datchler is best known as the lead singer, songwriter and co-founder of Johnny Hates Jazz, one of the most distinctive British pop bands to emerge from the 1980s. Their 1987 debut album Turn Back the Clock became an international success, producing “Shattered Dreams,” “I Don’t Want to Be a Hero,” “Turn Back the Clock” and “Heart of Gold.” “Shattered Dreams” became particularly significant in America, reaching No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100.
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Nearly fifty years after Rattus Norvegicus, Hugh Cornwell is still writing new songs—and still asking what a song can become when he takes it onstage. He’s preparing Succubus, revisiting a lifetime of music on All the Fun of the Fair, and calling his forthcoming solo acoustic tour Never Say Goodbye.
Before 10cc, Graham Gouldman had already written some of the defining songs of the 1960s—including “For Your Love,” “Heart Full of Soul,” “Bus Stop,” “Look Through Any Window” and “No Milk Today.” He then helped form one of Britain’s most inventive bands, creating classics including “I’m Not in Love,” “The Things We Do for Love” and “Dreadlock Holiday.”
Haddaway created one of the most instantly recognisable songs in pop history. Released in 1993, “What Is Love” became an international phenomenon and one of the defining records of the Eurodance era. But Haddaway’s story is far more complicated than a single worldwide hit.