Hali Hammer is an award-winning singer-songwriter who is experienced at playing in varied styles and settings. She is inspired to write by what she observes in the world around her. She most often composes songs with a funny or positive slant, although she is not shy about tackling serious issues head-on. She performs with her lead guitarist Randy Berge, who is a songwriter as well.
She joined Freedom Song Network in 1985 (where she first met Faith Petric) and was a member of the chorus that sang onstage behind Nelson Mandela at the Oakland Coliseum. She worked with Country Joe McDonald, organizing a Protest Music Festival which was held at the Berkeley Unitarian Fellowship for several years.
She is a founding member of Occupella (www.occupella.org) and has been performing for many causes for decades.
In her native New York she worked with Citizens to Save Minnewaska, which is now Minnewaska Lake State Park instead of a Marriott Hotel. She also worked on saving the Berkeley Post Office, which is still there. Currently she is writing and posting songs on YouTube which are also posted on her website at www.halihammer.com.
Hali has recorded five CDs: I Refuse to Believe, Gypsy-O, The Best of Hali Hammer, Eclectic Circus and Days of My Life. She is the author of Keep the Motor Running: A Hippie Escapade, available on Amazon books.