Roy C

Roy Charles Hammond (August 3, 1939 – September 16, 2020), better known as Roy C or Roy "C", was an American southern soul singer, songwriter and record executive, best known for his 1965 hit, "Shotgun Wedding". Another song, "Impeach the President", which he recorded and produced with a high school group, the Honey Drippers, has had one of the most sampled drum tracks in hip hop music.

Life and career Roy Hammond was born in Newington, Georgia. He began singing tenor with The Genies, a vocal group in Long Beach, Long Island, who were later offered a recording contract by record producer Bob Shad. Their first single, "Who's That Knockin'", reached number 72 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1958, with Claude Johnson—later of the duo Don and Juan—on lead vocal. The group then moved to Atlantic Records, with Hammond taking over as lead singer, but their recordings were not released, and he was drafted into the Air Force.

Solo career and record labels When he returned to New York City in 1965, Hammond organised a studio session to record his own song, "Shotgun Wedding", and released it under the name Roy Hammond on his own Hammond label, before leasing it to the larger Black Hawk Records under the name Roy C. His first album, That Shotgun Wedding Man, was released on Ember Records in 1966. Working with guitarist J. Hines, he had more success with "Got to Get Enough (Of Your Sweet Love Stuff)" making the R&B chart in 1971.

The Honey Drippers In 1973, Hammond discovered a group of African-American high school students from Jamaica High School in Jamaica, Queens, named the Honey Drippers (not to be confused with Robert Plant's project of the same name), and decided to record some songs with them, which he released on his Alaga label. Most notable among the songs they recorded was "Impeach the President", a song advocating for the impeachment of President Richard Nixon due to the ongoing Watergate scandal and resulting impeachment process against Richard Nixon. The opening drum sequence has since become one of the most widely used samples in hip hop. Hammond released an album entitled Stella Lost Her Groove in March 1999.

Discography Singles

"Mama Blow Your Top" - as Roy Hammond & The Genies (1959) "Dance Girl" (1965) "Shotgun Wedding" (1965) "I Want To Marry You" - under the name, "Little Frankie" (1966) "Stop What You're Doin'" (1966) "Twistin Pneumonia" (1966) "A Merry Black Xmas" (1970) "I Found a Man in My Bed" (1970) "In Divorce Court" (1970) "Got To Get Enough (Of Your Sweet Love Stuff)" (1971) "I Wasn't There" (1971) "I Caught You in The Act (Neighbourhood Scandal)" (1972) "I'm Gonna Love (Somebody Else's Woman)" (1972) "Since I Met You Baby" (with Linda Caver) (1972) "Don't Blame the Man" (1973) "She Kept on Walkin'" (1973) "The Wedding is Over" (1973) "We're On the Road to Hell" (1973) "If I Could Love You Forever" (1974) "Change Is Gonna Come" (1974) "My Girl" (Reggae) (1975) "Virgin Girl" (1975) "Every Woman Has a Right" (1976) "I Wanna Do It Again" (1976) "After Loving You" (1977) "After The Disco is Over (We Can Stop By a Motel)" (1980) "To Make You Feel Like a Woman" (1980) "You and I" (1981) "I Wish You Bad Luck" (1982) "Leaving on the Morning Train" (1982) "She's a Lady" (1986) "Country is My Name" (1986) "I'm Not Going to Eat a Thing" (1987) "Rock Me All Night" (1989) "634-5789" (1992) "I Want to Marry You" (1992)

Albums

Roy "Shotgun Wedding" C (1966) Sex And Soul (1973) Something Nice (1975) More Sex & More Soul (1977) I Want To Be Where You Are (All Night Long) (1984) Let Me Take You To Paradise (1987) Rock Me All Night (1989) Call Me 634 ❤️ 5789 (1992) Sex Soul And The Street (1992) I'm Workin' Hard For You Baby (1998) Hey Mista (2005)