The Honey Drippers (soul band)
| Roy C | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Roy Charles Hammond |
| Born |
August 3, 1939 Newington, Georgia, United States |
| Genres | Soul, R&B |
| Occupation(s) | Singer |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Associated acts | The Honey Drippers |
| Website | Official website |
Roy Charles Hammond (born August 3, 1939), better known as Roy C or Roy "C", is 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.
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.
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. The record, with its novelty ricochet opening and relatively risqué subject matter for the time, reached number 14 on the national Billboard R&B chart. It had even greater success when issued in the United Kingdom, reaching number 6 on the UK Singles Chart in 1966 and number 8 when reissued in 1972. His first album, That Shotgun Wedding Man, was released on Ember Records in 1966.
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