The Veterinarian By Carolyn Mason
If you ask Tim Hammond what he does, he’ll probably tell you he’s a musician, even though he makes his living through his veterinary practice.“You are a musician for life; it’s not something you chose to take up and put back down,†Hammond says.
Hammond has played the guitar as long as he can remember, and his first band was Stardate, a group he played bass in while he was in high school. After high school graduation, the Sand Mountain native went on the road, playing in bands, traveling the country and earning a good living. The versatile musician plays the guitar, bass, drums, fiddle, harmonica and keyboard and occasionally supplies vocals. Over the years, he’s played almost every style of music and performed with Damon Johnson and Pat Upton and the bands Wildwood and Headline. As a guitarist and fiddler for Wildwood, he opened for Alabama, George Jones, Loretta Lynn and Merle Haggard, and many others. He was living out the dream of every kid who has ever played a guitar. But he had another dream -- one that he wouldn’t let go of him. He loved biological sciences and wanted to be a veterinarian.
Hammond’s path to a career in medicine took an unusual twist. It wasn’t until he was in his mid-30s that he decided, with the support and urging of his wife to return to school to pursue his life-long dream. It was a daunting task. “I couldn’t have done it without my wife’s support and her belief in me,†he says.
But first, he had to reapply to college and take the math and sciences courses that he hadn’t earned as a music major. Two jam-packed years later, he applied to the highly competitive Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine, where he was one of 49 candidates accepted to the school from more than 450 applicants.
After four years of study, he took a position with a large veterinary clinic in Mississippi. There, he saw an advertisement that said the Alberta Veterinary Clinic had been up for sale. It was a perfect fit. His wife graduated from the University of Alabama and they both had family connections in the area. He bought the clinic in 2003 and they’ve slid right into T-town life.
His back-up band is now comprised of barking and meowing rather than guitar riffs and drum rolls, but Hammond occasionally brings his guitar to work when he’s got some extra time. The audience may or may not appreciate his musical talent but they thrive under his medical care. His days are spent caring for the health and well-being of his furry, four-legged patients, who he says are much like pediatric patients. “They can’t tell you what’s hurting,†he says. “You have to be very intuitive to work with animals.†His low-key, gentle nature endears him to his patients’ owners and he spends some of his time working with the West Alabama Humane Society and local animal shelters. Current “pet project†is Floyd Landis, an abandoned Australian sheepdog who was brought in by a fellow member of the Druid City Bicycle Club.
Soon, he started jamming with a group of professional bankers, doctors and businessmen and their band, Charlie Rocket and the All Star Sprockets, a.k.a. First Federal Bank Blues Band. They meet at the bank every Thursday night for a jam session, with Hammond usually playing guitar or bass.
“It’s been really great to connect with other musicians in Tuscaloosa. We have a good time,†he says.Usually, they play for fun and relaxation, but they’ve had an occasional gig.“Playing in a band for fun and taking care of animals for a profession is the best of all the worlds,†he says.
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