Albert Hammond receives Lifetime Achievement Award

Hit singer songwriter Albert Hammond received a Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his acclaimed international music career last night at the Cultural Awards, where he encouraged the younger generation to persevere in their talents.

At the Sunborn, Mr Hammond received the accolade in an event organised by Gibraltar Cultural Services, which recognises dedication, commitment, and service to the Arts.

Mr Hammond is famous globally for his chart-topping songs including ‘It Never Rains in Southern California’ and ‘The Free Electric Band’.

But in Gibraltar on Wednesday evening, he was touched to receive this award recognising local talent.

“It’s unbelievable,” he said.

“I mean, all these talented people, I never knew they lived here. It’s incredible. I’ve been away for too long, I guess. But if I hadn’t been away, I wouldn’t have done what I did and I wouldn’t have gotten this.”

“Sometimes the sacrifice that one makes is worth it in the end. The tears you cry, the failures you’ve had, the missing of friends and family. But there’s also the beauty of Johnny Cash saying, ‘hey, kid, can you write a song for me?’ …In my life there’s been everything.”

“It started off young. I thought if I could play three chords on a guitar, maybe the girls would come and so The Diamond Boys were born. They didn’t last very long, but they were part of rock and roll in Gibraltar and in Spain, which is wonderful.”

Moments after receiving the award Mr Hammond was asked to share some words of wisdom for local aspiring creators.

“The advice is never give up,” he said.

“It’s hard work, but it’s something you love and when you do something you love, you don’t mind getting up at nine in the morning and working all day.”

“When you’re doing something you don’t love, you don’t want to get out of bed. That’s the
difference.”

“It doesn’t matter how many times you fail. The most important thing is that you persevere, because doors open and close and you never know which one is going to be the one, and disappointments are there, but there’s also joy.”

Mr Hammond is also a prolific songwriter and producer who has written hits for music industry giants such as Whitney Houston, Diana Ross, Aretha Franklin, Johnny Cash, Celine Dion, Bonnie Tyler, the Carpenters, Neil Diamond, Starship, Tom Jones, Julio Iglesias, and Westlife.

His songs include Whitney Houston’s ‘One Moment In Time’, Leo Sayer’s ‘When I Need You’, The Hollies’ ‘The Air that I Breathe’ and Starship’s ‘Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now’.

Mr Hammond began making music in Gibraltar with local band ‘The Diamond Boys’ in 1960, later performing in Spain and appearing as part of the musical duo ‘Albert and Richard’.

In the 1970s, he moved to the US where his career continued to flourish and he has seen six decades of hit songs and 360 million records sold worldwide.

He has found success on three continents, in both English and Spanish, as a solo performer, songwriter and producer.

Over the years, he has been recognised with many awards and accolades and was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in America in 2008 and was a recipient of an Ivor Novello Award presented to songwriters in London.

His career is still thriving with his latest album ‘Body of Work’ being launched on March 1, 2024, his first solo album of original songs in 20 years, and marking his 80th birthday.

“Albert has no secret formula and puts his success down to hard work, consistency and dreams,” GCS said.

The video by GCS included tributes from his brother Leslie Hammond, former band member of The Diamond Boys Richard Cartwright, former Deputy Editor of the Chronicle Alice Mascarenhas, and musician Joe Adambery.

The award ceremony was presented by GCS Head of Cultural Development, Davina Barbara, with the Minister for Culture, Christian Santos, and GCS CEO Seamus Byrne presenting the winners with their awards.

“I would like to congratulate all the nominees and, of course, the winners,” Mr Santos said.
“It is because of their work, commitment, creativity, vision and talent that Gibraltar has a cultural scene that we can be proud of.”

“I sincerely hope our actors, musicians, dancers and actors are inspired by those who have been recognised at the Gala tonight and continue working just as hard in their respective fields to carry on our cultural legacy.”

Renowned artist Christian Hook received the accolade of extraordinary achievement award.

Mr Hook won Sky Arts ‘Portrait Artist of the Year’ in 2014 and, since then, his career has gone from strength to strength.

His artworks have been exhibited in major museums such as the Scottish National Gallery, The Museum of Liverpool, the V&A and the Bolton Museum, and he has painted celebrity sitters such as Dame Judi Dench, Sir Richard Branson, the Duchess of York and Sir Ian McKellen.

The Cultural Ambassador Award was presented to Simon Bolland, a feature in London’s West End, who performs under the stage name ‘Simon Anthony’.

Mr Bolland has performed as leading man Schlomo in ‘Fame’ in London’s West End and is currently in the cast of the 5-star reviewed production of ‘Guys and Dolls’.

The Special Recognition Award was presented to playwright Louis Emmitt-Stern for his continued success with his ‘I F***ed You In My Spaceship’ play which opened at the London VAULT Festival selling out its entire run before opening night.

Mr Emmitt-Stern was described by Time Out London, the definitive listings guide to culture and entertainment in the UK capital, as “a rising star”.

Best Educational Project was awarded to GAMPA and the Parasol Project for their International Women’s Day Project.

The Senior Award for those aged 22 and over was presented to artist Shane Dalmedo, who was recently selected for the prestigious Royal Academy Summer Exhibition.

The Youth Award, for those aged 21 and under, was awarded to Nicholas Raggio who won the Best Youth Actor award at the Gibraltar International Drama Festival and Best Actor at the Duncan Rand One Act Play Festival in Kent, UK.

The Rising Star award was presented to Luna Lee who won Best Youth Actress award at the Gibraltar International Drama Festival and Most Promising Vocalist at the Gibraltar Festival of Young Musicians.