Meet Albert Hammond - the greatest songwriter you’ve never heard of

Albert Hammond has enjoyed record sales of 360m, possibly making him the greatest songwriter you’ve never heard of. He tells Joe Dermody about creating hits for everyone from Joe Dolan to The Carpenters

THE hits just keep on coming for Albert Hammond, arguably the world’s most successful living songwriter, who graces Ireland with two shows this month.

Music sales are hard to quantify, especially in the digital era. In 2014, Rolling Stone magazine declared Garth Brooks the best-selling solo artist of all-time, having racked up 135m ‘certified units’ in the USA, pushing Elvis Presley’s 134.5m US units into second spot.