Born on April 16, 1929, in Leesburg, Georgia. He began singing in church choirs at just six years old. At age 14, his family migrated north to Jersey City, New Jersey. He studied commercial art in high school and fought as a heavyweight Golden Gloves boxer. He won an Apollo Theater talent contest in 1947 but struggled to break into the secular market. He performed with the Searchlight Gospel Singers until the group split in 1953. Discovered in 1953 by local DJ Bill Cook while singing in a New Jersey club.
Signed with Epic Records, becoming the young label's first major star. Scored back-to-back #1 R&B hits with "You'll Never Walk Alone" (1954) and "Unchained Melody" (1955). He became Epic's first solo artist to hit the U.S. Pop top ten. He maintained his chart success into the early 1960s with upbeat tracks like "Don't Let Go" (1958) and "You Can Have Her" (1961).
As musical tastes evolved, his chart dominance faded, though he kept recording and touring. He recorded at American Sound Studios in early 1969, where his boyhood fan Elvis gifted him the song, Angelica. The track was penned by the famous songwriting duo Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil. In January 1969, both artists were recording at American Sound Studios in Memphis. Hamilton recorded during the day, and Elvis recorded at night. The song had originally been submitted for Elvis to record. Out of immense respect for his boyhood idol, Elvis insisted that Hamilton take it instead, stating, "He'll do it justice." Hamilton recorded the track on the spot. It was released as a single but he suffered a stroke and fell into a coma in mid-1969.
Hamilton, died from stroke complications on July 20, 1969, in New Rochelle, New York, at age 40.
