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Hammond Brings His Smooth Style to Area
****This event has been cancelled****
Spiritually soothing, biblically based, Fred Hammond’s style has made him a legend.
R&B, hip-hop, urban, gospel — it’s all him," said the Rev. Richard Pannell, who organized a concert that Hammond, a Grammy-winning singer, will headline Oct. 31.
The show benefits a local boy with leukemia and is expected to pack the University Commons at Eastern Mennonite University on Halloween. "It’ll be a great concert, a full-scale production," Pannell said. "Lights, the big jumbotron, everything we can do."
The singer and songwriter has transformed his gospel-choir roots into a successful solo career. For more than a decade, he sang with the urban gospel group Commissioned. Since, Pannell said Hammond has become the secular Babyface — songwriting and producing — while still performing.
"I had to be a newcomer all over again," Hammond said on his agent’s booking site. "That can make you tired. I had to pray all the time ‘Lord, don’t let this desensitize me. Rejuvenate me daily.’"
The concert will also rejuvenate the lives of Jameesa Williams and her son. Williams is a member of the Northeast Community Choir, which Pannell directs.
Donations and concert proceeds will pay for the family’s medical and lodging expenses while living in North Carolina where her son, Jalen, receives medical treatment. The 8-year-old boy was diagnosed more than a year ago and was in remission until this June when he relapsed and required more chemotherapy. Earlier this month, he received a bone marrow transplant.
"It’s been successful," Williams said. "We appreciate the generous support of anyone who buys tickets — they’re giving to Jalen’s cause."
William’s listens to Hammond’s music and often finds support in his soulful message. "He’s just awesome, just awesome," she said. "You just have to hear him."
This summer, Hammond released his 10th album, "Somethin’ ‘Bout Love." The singer collaborated with a slew of artists, including Brian McKnight and Marvin Winans, Sr., to produce a guitar-driven, yet eclectic, mix. Hammond’s latest — the Worship Alive tour — has also done well across the country.
"It’s the most funky, the most soulful style," said Pannell, also a fan of Hammond’s music.
As the founder of Gospel Enrichment Media, Panell works to bring big-name Christian performers like Hammond to the Valley. Past concerts, he said, have been successful and prove that Harrisonburg has an attentive audience.
"Why should anyone travel to Richmond or D.C. when urban, gospel legends perform right here in town?" Pannell asked. "This area is not a huge area, but it is growing. There are significant communities and we’d like to create a venue for quality Christian entertainment."
And on Halloween, Hammond’s concert is just that, Pannell said.
Tickets are available through the box office at 432-4582. The show begins at 5 p.m. General admission tickets are $35 until Oct. 28 at 12 p.m. when the price increases to $50 per ticket.
The Ends Meet, a non-profit organization working to enhance the experience of the black community in the Valley, has created a fund for Jalen. Donations can be mailed to: The Ends Meet, The Fund for Jalen Williams & Family, 352 East Rock Street, Harrisonburg, Va. 22802.
Updates on Jalen’s status are available at www3.caringbridge.org/va/jalen.
