Dan Hamilton

• Died: 1994
• Active: '60s, '70s, '80s, '90s
• Genres: Rock
• Instrument: Vocals

Biography

Dan Hamilton, best known as one-third of Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds, was the younger brother of guitarist Judd Hamilton. The two made a great lead and rhythm guitar team as well as succeeding as composers in the early '60s. Judd Hamilton served as a roadie to the Ventures, and the renowned instrumental group scored a huge hit in Japan in the early '60s with "Diamond Head," composed by Dan Hamilton. In 1965, when Judd Hamilton was told to put together a band to go on the road as the T-Bones, in the wake of the latter studio group's success with the single "No Matter What Shape (Your Stomach's In)," he chose Dan as his lead guitarist, and for the next two years, the two siblings, in tandem with Joe Frank Carollo and Tommy Reynolds, performed as the T-Bones. They also developed an immensely appealing vocal ensemble style, and by 1970 Dan Hamilton became the lead singer and guitarist in Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds, who lasted in various configurations until 1980. Dan Hamilton continued to work as a guitarist/singer into the early '90s, until he developed a serious and mysterious illness, later diagnosed as Cushing's Syndrome. He died of a stroke brought on by complications from the condition in 1994. ~ Bruce Eder, All Music Guide