In 1953, Hamer moved to
London to work for clarinettist
Carl Barriteau and a brief period with the
Oscar Rabin Band. In 1963, together with
Harry South, he led a band called The Six Sounds, featuring
Ken Wray and
Dick Morrissey, and which by 1966 had developed into his own band, the Ian Hamer Sextet. He played trumpet on the theme tune for
The Sweeney, written and arranged by Harry South. In 1987, Hamer moved to
Brighton and founded the group Ian Hamer and the Sussex Youth Jazz Orchestra (later dropping "Youth"). ==Personal life==