Into 1984, his various talents were employed on recordings as diverse as James Young's (Styx) first solo album, "City Slicker" for which he co-wrote and produced; John Abercrombie's "Night"; Mick Jagger's first solo album, "She's the Boss"; and Jeff Beck's "Flash" which included Hammer's song "Escape", winner of the 1985 Grammy award for "Best Rock Instrumental Performance".