Funeral services were held in Forsyth, Ga., on Friday (March 18) for Ronnie Hammond, former lead singer for the Atlanta Rhythm Section. He died Monday of heart failure on Monday at age 60. His career began as an assistant engineer at Studio One in Doraville, Ga., where the ARS recorded. When lead singer Rodney Justo left the group to go solo, Hammond was drafted as new frontman. Hammond sang such ARS hit songs as "So Into You," "Imaginary Lover" and "I'm Not Gonna Let It Bother Me Tonight." Although the ARS primarily had rock and pop hits, the group also hit the Billboard country singles chart twice. ARS played the White House for President Jimmy Carter's son's birthday. Lynyrd Skynyrd lead singer Ronnie Van Zant reportedly called Hammond the best singer he had ever heard.