Lee Hazlewood

[Eric Karonen]

Wasn't he great albeit behind the curtain for the most part? Geezers will relate!

[Groovey Records]

[cowboytwang]

He was the WHOLE Duane Eddy twang instrumental idea.

Hazlewood had this idea of doing twang guitar instrumentals and had actually hired a guitar player to record the songs he had wrote. That guitar player kept wanting to play more like Chet Atkins and that wasn't what Hazlewood wanted. He fired the guy and turned to the rhythm player on the session and asked him if he could play clean simple melodies, and the guy said sure. That was Duane Eddy, and Lee Hazlewood came up with the songs, the licks, the tone, and produced it all & made Duane Eddy into a star and the legend of TWANG!!!!!!!!

[Eric Karonen]

Originally Posted by cowboytwang

He was the WHOLE Duane Eddy twang instrumental idea.

Hazlewood had this idea of doing twang guitar instrumentals and had actually hired a guitar player to record the songs he had wrote. That guitar player kept wanting to play more like Chet Atkins and that wasn't what Hazlewood wanted. He fired the guy and turned to the rhythm player on the session and asked him if he could play clean simple melodies, and the guy said sure. That was Duane Eddy, and Lee Hazlewood came up with the songs, the licks, the tone, and produced it all & made Duane Eddy into a star and the legend of TWANG!!!!!!!!

Right on! Peter Gunn, Rebel Rouser, etc. What a giant.

[Groovey Records]

[Tdot]

Dang it, another bunch of recordings I never replaced from LP's. And of course the Amazon ad banner below has links to Lee Hazelwood CD's. "Click" here I go again.

[Strat62]

I remember him from the "Summer Wine" video he did with Nancy way back when. Always liked that guy; had some really cool tunes for the times...

[hannigan]

I like him he is low and slow but groovy.

[edhead]

The one guy at my weekly poker game is a huge Hazlewood fan. Every week for about a half a year, he'd play this song real loud. It ended up becoming a tradition that we'd all sing along with the chorus. Nothing like a table full of drunk guys singing "Jose" at the top of their lungs, we got pretty good at the harmonies.

[Eric Karonen]

Originally Posted by Tdot

Dang it, another bunch of recordings I never replaced from LP's. And of course the Amazon ad banner below has links to Lee Hazelwood CD's. "Click" here I go again.

I know what you mean!

[mickeydean]

Nancy did a comeback sorta tour that kinda collapsed about 10 years or so ago.

I went to the show here in Lancaster as did about 25 other people.

Lee was there in the flesh doing all the duets and I thought it was really cool show.

I was in the minority.

[PennyCentury]

Don't forget that Suzi Jane Hokom, Lee Hazlewood's girlfriend and would-be record producer, encouraged him to sign the International Submarine Band (with Gram Parsons) to Lee's record label LHI Records.

[bluetele54]

Originally Posted by Strat62

I remember him from the "Summer Wine" video he did with Nancy way back when. Always liked that guy; had some really cool tunes for the times...

..."Strawberries,Cherries,and an angel's kiss in Spring,my Summer wine is really made of all these things"...
..."I walked in town with silver spurs that jingled to,a song that I had only sung to just a few...she saw my silver spurs,and said let's pass some time,and I will give to you,Summer wine,oh,summer wine..."

...great song!!!...

..."Some Velvet Morning" is even deeper...

[linklater]

The N.S.V.I.P.'s (Not So Very Important Persons) is one the most fun records to listen to ever.

[Ormond]

But for all the good that can be said for him, I believe he was responsible for "Phaedra," possibly the worst song ever written or performed (not counting any "Tell-em Soulja Boy" tracks).

[Groovey Records]

[olewichita]

Originally Posted by cowboytwang

He was the WHOLE Duane Eddy twang instrumental idea.

hey there, let's not forget al casey... he's a big part of the equation... tj

[Groovey Records]

Guitars, Guitars, Guitars

[bluetele54]

Originally Posted by Ormond

But for all the good that can be said for him, I believe he was responsible for "Phaedra," possibly the worst song ever written or performed (not counting any "Tell-em Soulja Boy" tracks).

..."Some Velvet Morning"...


Lee:
"Some velvet morning when I'm straight
I'm gonna open up your gate
And maybe tell you 'bout Phaedra
and how she gave me life
and how she made it in
Some velvet morning when I'm straight

Nancy:
Flowers are the things we knew
Secrets are the things we grew
Learn from us very much
Look at us but do not touch
Phaedra is my name"

...it may not meet your obviously high standards,but the vibe on this tune,with the help of Billy Strange,is an odd but inspired piece of music...if you must criticize the work,please know the correct title...

[bluetele54]

Originally Posted by olewichita

hey there, let's not forget al casey... he's a big part of the equation... tj

...which one???...ahh,this one:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Case...roll_guitarist)

...but not this one:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Casey_(jazz_guitarist) ...

[Groovey Records]

This Al Casey-Guitars Guitars Guitars

co written with Lee

[cowboytwang]

Originally Posted by olewichita

hey there, let's not forget al casey... he's a big part of the equation... tj

True,, he was pretty much the WHOLE backup band on all those recordings.

Also how could I ever forget another guitar player named Alvin?

[hannigan]

The first time I heard LH I thought I was playing the record at the wrong speed, He is the king of slow. But I like it.

[kiwi blue]

I heard the Nancy and Lee LP recently and thought Billy Strange's arrangements were stunning. The singing was pretty darn fine too. Songs I forgot that I knew, but that are buried away somewhere subliminally. The whole vibe kinda takes me back to my 60s childhood.

[avagadro]

I think it's interesting that guys that were producers turned aound and became recording artists. Why didn't they just do that from the begining? Sonny Bono started out doing production and songwriting, same with Jerry Riopele. Then you have guys like Todd Rundgren that had long performing careers but actually made way more money making hits for other people (Meat Loaf, Tubes, New York Dolls). Maybe it's just the "grass is greener" thing. I always liked LH's Summer Wine

[Caffeine Patrol]

People like to rib us Okies for being hicks, but our fine state did give the world Lee Hazlewood and Jimmy Webb, and, as a bonus, Roger Miller grew up there.

[Reno Sepulveda]

[olewichita]

Originally Posted by cowboytwang

True,, he was pretty much the WHOLE backup band on all those recordings.

Also how could I ever forget another guitar player named Alvin?

alvin, it's also interesting to hear some of casey's session work before he and hazlewood started working with duane... someone once played me a tape of some of that stuff and it was clear that casey's guitar style was a big influence on duane eddy and the duane eddy style... tj

[Eric Karonen]

Originally Posted by Caffeine Patrol

People like to rib us Okies for being hicks, but our fine state did give the world Lee Hazlewood and Jimmy Webb, and, as a bonus, Roger Miller grew up there.

Three giants in my book!

[bluetele54]

...Elvin Bishop and JJ Cale...

[ac15]

Always loved Lee and his tremendous voice and production.

[Eric Karonen]

Originally Posted by bluetele54

...Elvin Bishop and JJ Cale...

No S((t! Must be the tornados.

Gotta love it!

[cowboytwang]

Originally Posted by olewichita

alvin, it's also interesting to hear some of casey's session work before he and hazlewood started working with duane... someone once played me a tape of some of that stuff and it was clear that casey's guitar style was a big influence on duane eddy and the duane eddy style... tj

The earliest stuff I've ever heard from Casey was the Stanford Clark recordings from the mid'50s, but that was Hazlewood songs and production by then.
I think Casey was in the Pinal County Boys (or somethin' like that) before that, but I've never heard any recordings. I have a couple of gigs coming up in Pinal County, AZ. One is in Feb for the Pinal Country Bluegrass and old time fiddlers(a bunch of old country pickers from the area), I should ask if anyone remembers him.

Al Casey was one of the guitar players that Hazlewood had in mind for the Duane Eddy spot, and Casey was probably a much better musician, but I think Eddy had a personality the Hazlewood liked better. I think sometimes getting along with the producer, being likable, and good looking, can get a guy further than knowing how to play everything.

[cowboytwang]

Originally Posted by bluetele54

...Elvin Bishop and JJ Cale...

and Leon Russell
and Charlie Christian
and Vince Gill
and
and
and about half of all the great western swing players, including my favorite guitar player Junior Barnard.

[garytelecastor]

Didn't he run the Exxon Valdez aground and spill a bunch of oil?
Not a very auspicious end for a renowned musician.

[cowboytwang]

Originally Posted by garytelecastor

Didn't he run the Exxon Valdez aground and spill a bunch of oil?
Not a very auspicious end for a renowned musician.

That was Joe Hazlewood, not Lee!!

[garytelecastor]

Originally Posted by cowboytwang

That was Joe Hazlewood, not Lee!!

Uh.....it was a joke.....Lighten up.

[cowboytwang]

Originally Posted by garytelecastor

Uh.....it was a joke.....Lighten up.

I must have forgot to put that little smile face after, because I knew it was a joke. I was trying to play the straight man for ya!!.

[olewichita]

both al casey's were heavy hitters... the other al casey was fats waller's guitar player and the cat that played all the hot guitar on the famous fats waller sides... our phoenix hero eventually set out to LA and had quite an illustrious career... here's a nice in memoriam from the hagstrom site... tj



Alwin W. Casey
Guitarist:
Born:
Long Beach, California
26 October 1936;
Died:
Phoenix, Arizona
17 September 2006,
aged 69.


Duane Eddy remembers Al Casey:

"He was basically Lee Hazlewood's musical director. Besides being very close friends, they were drinking buddies and would travel together.

Al did a lot of sessions in L.A. He was one of the 'A' players there for a couple of years.

He worked the Elvis Presley (TV comeback) special in '68. Elvis liked the look of the guitar Al was playing and borrowed it from him. That red guitar."

Clearly Al Casey liked the Hagström Viking. He is shown here with another, not the famed Deluxe/II, but a standard Viking 1 model from around 1967.
"Guitar Man" - Featured in the 1968 Elvis TV Special - Casey also released a version... don't be confused.

He was credited with contributing guitar to so many hit numbers; so to celebrate his contribution as much as respect the man, how about one of those memories with enough dimensions for a smile:

Al Casey quickly gained a reputation as one of Hollywood's top-ranking session musicians. He spent some early days in a few TV seasons playing in the studio band on Dean Martin's NBC variety show....

Casey played on the No. 1 smashes Good Vibrations by The Beach Boys (1966), These Boots Are Made For Walking by Nancy Sinatra (1966), Strangers In The Night by Frank Sinatra(1966), and Somethin' Stupid by Frank and Nancy (1967).

Also The Association's 1967 No. 2 hit Never My Love and Nilsson's No. 6 Everybody's Talkin' from the movie Midnight Cowboy. Who played the guitar on most of the Monkees tracks? Al Casey .

Tribute to Al Casey:

On the 17th of September my buddy Al Casey died. He was my mentor, best friend and the reason that I'm in the business. We stayed very close through all the years and I spent a week with him in Phoenix last February while we recorded what turned out to be his last album. Everyone should have a mentor in their life and I am the luckiest guy in the world to have been under Al Casey's wing for the last 40 years.

I spent most of the 60's in Phoenix and took guitar lessons with Forrest Skaggs who's star student 15 years earlier was Al Casey. When I met Al in the mid-60's he was already a first call session man in Los Angeles having played on so many hits for Phil Spector, The Beach Boys, Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Glen Campbell, The Mills Bros. and hundreds more. I was only 14 years old then and it was like meeting a titan. He was very kind to me and I still have a snap shot of us sitting in the back of Skaggs' store with a couple of guitars while Al pushed and pulled my fingers around. It was during those moments while the picture was taken that in my ignorance and arrogance, I made up my mind to be a studio musician.

On graduating high school I moved to Los Angeles and went to work in Al's music store in Hollywood. He took me around to record dates, introduced me to everyone who came by the store, showed me the ropes, furthered my guitar education, taught me how to keep a date book, bought me a million lunches and was like a big brother to me. I did my very first record date in Hollywood in 1968 sitting next to him. From there I had many years in the L.A. studios then moved to Nashville 21 years ago where I continue to have a studio career as well as having recorded and toured with Neil Diamond from 1971 to 1987 and for the past 12 years recording and touring with Mark Knopfler. I would have had NONE of it without Al Casey.

His impact on the active Phoenix recording scene of the 1950's was monumental. There was scarcely a record made in Phoenix in those days that didn't have Al Casey on it, including the first national hit to be recorded there in 1955, Sanford Clark's "The Fool". Much has been said of his influence on fellow Phoenix resident, Duane Eddy. While taking nothing away from Duane, all one has to do is listen to many of the records Al played on prior to Duane's debut to realise the genesis of that deep, throaty, tremulous sound was Al Casey. The following link goes into depth about his early years in Phoenix and his influence on the recording scene there, as well as some great photos, newspaper articles, discography and links: www.azcentral.com/blogs

After many years in Los Angeles, Al returned to Phoenix in the 80's where he raised the quality of any gig he played and began a long running teaching career at Ziggie's Music. He recorded several solo albums during these years that I 'm very proud to have worked on, and saw the re-release of much of his earlier solo work on CD.

Al Casey played great rock, country, standards, jazz, Hawaiian steel and was one of the finest rhythm guitar players in the business. He was also my best buddy and I'm going to miss him like crazy, miss him ringing me up with a story or joke he'd just heard, miss going to Phoenix and the two of us dashing off to some Mexican restaurant for green chilli then back to his place for a few drinks and a little guitar playing. I'm going to miss the easy musician talk and calling him up after a particularly lousy day in the studio when the music business isn't all fun and games. I'm going to miss him.

I'll be flying solo now, but my wings are strong because I learned from the very best, Al Casey. See ya pal, I love you. (Richard Bennett) - Richard is another Hagström player with a 1958 Standard, and a close affiliation with Guy Fletcher and Mark Knopfler from Dire Straits

http://www.richard-bennett.com

[stantheman]

Olewichita, that's about the heaviest Tribute from a True Heavyweight - Richard Bennett - that I'll EVER read.
Thanks for sharing Brother,
-stan