 He began playing guitar in his teens and played throughout North Central California for a number of years with several groups, before going to Bakersfield, California in 1965 where he became an influential part of the Bakersfield sound.He has won many awards, including induction into the Western Swing Society hall of fame in Sacramento, California and the Steel Guitar Hall of Fame.In 2005 Hamlet had quadruple heart bypass surgery and recovered well at his home in Bakersfield, California.