Roy Hammond, from Long Beach, Long Island sang lead for the Genies who hit lightly with "Who's That Knocking" in 1958 (number 72 Pop); three more Genies' singles and the group disbanded, but Hammond was just getting started. He went on to cut an additional single as Roy Hammond & the Genies, "Mama Blow Your Top," on Forum Records. Then he waxed 32 solo shots as Roy-C, and one as Little Frankie, "I Want to Marry You," on Smash, Black Hawk, Shout, Alaga, Mercury, Smash, and 3 Gems Records. He also has accumulated a legacy of 13 albums, and one maxi-cassette, one on Ember, three on Mercury, nine on 3 Gems (including the maxi-cassette), and a compilation on Sequel. Quite a prolific guy, what's so amazing about his output is that from 1958 to 1998, the year of his last known album, he only hit the chart twice: the lowly Genies' hit, and "Shotgun Wedding" in 1965 on Black Hawk Records, it nested at number 14 R&B. No other Roy-C recording ever made a national chart.
You won't find a guy with more persistence; suffice to say Roy Hammond is in music for the duration, hit or no hit. If he's living when he's 90 he'll be laying down tracks and shopping them to nursing home residents. There's no quit in this guy.
His first album was That Shotgun Wedding Man (1966), on Ember Records. His Mercury albums include Sex and Soul (1973), Something Nice (1975), and More Sex & Soul (1977). The first 3 Gems' LP, I Want to Be Where You Are (All Night Long), surfaced in 1984, and the last, Stella Lost Her Groove Again, in 1998.
Hammond like a map of Third World countries that needs semi-annual updates to stay current. He composes most of his recordings and has more than 125 titles to his credit. Somebody should nominate him for a Rhythm & Blues Pioneer Award, he deserves it for sheer tenacity. He now lives in Alandale, SC far from the hustle & bustle of the Big Apple and runs 3 Gems Records. Shaggy sampled Hammond's "Love Me, Love Me," on the soundtrack of Stella Got Her Groove Back. He recorded an album by ex-Temptations' Dennis Edwards entitled Talk to Me, and is currently working on a CD by Bobby Stringer.
