Azzaam Hameed was born in Columbus, Ohio on August 16th, 1952. He was the second youngest of six children, with five sisters. Azzaam was especially close to his sister Barbara, the second eldest of the six children, who died an untimely death just prior to her twenty–third birthday. Barbara played piano and clarinet, and also sang in various church choirs. Azzaam was initially inspired to play music by Barbara and she had a significant influence on his early musical development.

Azzaam’s musical roots are derived from gospel, having grown up in a Pentecostal church environment. However, he did receive some formal training as a teenager, including classical music and theory when he enrolled as a student at Union College in Schenectady, New York. He pursued music on a full-time basis for several years, performing throughout the Northeast in several locally based Top–40 groups, but ultimately he decided to abandon the “road circuit” for a more predictable lifestyle and, in doing so, developed a more versatile style as both a pianist and a vocalist.

Azzaam’s musical style incorporates a tasteful blend of Jazz, Rhythm & Blues, and Gospel, with colorful accents of Latin and Brazilian overtones. One can hear the influence of Ahmad Jamal (pianist), McCoy Tyner (pianist), Ramsey Lewis (pianist), Joe Sample (pianist), George Duke (pianist/vocalist), Lonnie Liston Smith (pianist) in the melodic overtones on the piano.  It is not a far stretch to say one also hears nuances of Johnny Hartman, Lou Rawls and Joe Williams when he sings. Azzaam is the Organist/Pianist at Friendship Baptist Church, Schenectady, NY, where he has served in this capacity since 1986.