Eddie Hazel
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Eddie Hazel | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Edward Earl Hazel |
| Born | April 10, 1950 Brooklyn, New York, U.S. |
| Died | December 23, 1992 (aged 42) Plainfield, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Genre(s) | Funk, soul, psychedelic rock, psychedelic soul |
| Years active | 1967–1992 |
| Label(s) | Warner Bros., JDC, P-Vine, Casablanca, Westbound, Capitol, CBS, Island |
| Associated acts | Funkadelic, Parliament, The Temptations, George Clinton, Axiom Funk |
| Notable instrument(s) | |
| Fender Stratocaster Gibson Les Paul | |
Edward Earl "Eddie" Hazel (April 10, 1950 – December 23, 1992) was a pioneering and influential guitarist in early funk music in the United States, most famous for his lead guitar work with Parliament-Funkadelic. Hazel is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, inducted in 1996 with fifteen other members of Parliament-Funkadelic.
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[edit] Biography
[edit] Early life
Born in Brooklyn, New York in 1950, Hazel grew up in Plainfield, New Jersey because his mother, Grace Cook, wanted her son to grow up in an environment without the pressures of drugs and crime that she felt pervaded New York City. Hazel occupied himself from a young age by playing a guitar, given to him as a Christmas present by his older brother. Hazel also sang in church. At age 12, Hazel met Billy "Bass" Nelson, and the pair quickly became close friends, singing and playing the guitar, soon adding Harvey McGee, a drummer, to the mix.
[edit] Career
In 1967, The Parliaments, a Plainfield-based doo wop band headed by George Clinton, had a hit record with "(I Wanna) Testify." Clinton recruited a backing band for a tour, hiring Nelson as bassist, who in turn recommended Hazel as guitarist. Hazel was in Newark, New Jersey working with George Blackwell and couldn't be reached. After Nelson returned from the tour, he tried to recruit Hazel. His mother at first vetoed the idea since Hazel was only seventeen, but Clinton and Nelson worked together to change her mind.
In late 1967, The Parliaments went on tour with both Nelson and Hazel. In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Hazel met and befriended Tiki Fulwood, who quickly replaced The Parliaments' drummer. Nelson, Hazel and Fulwood became the backbone of Funkadelic, which was originally the backup band for The Parliaments, only to later become an independent touring group when legal difficulties forced the group to (temporarily) abandon the name "Parliaments"
The doo wop of The Parliaments quickly began developing into the soul-inflected hard rock of Funkadelic, influenced as much by Jimi Hendrix as Frankie Lymon. The switch to Funkadelic was complete with the addition of Tawl Ross and Bernie Worrell (rhythm guitar and keyboards, respectively). Funkadelic (1970), Free Your Mind... And Your Ass Will Follow (1970) and Maggot Brain (1971) were the first three albums, released in a mere two years. All three albums prominently featured Hazel's distinctive guitar work, which would later influence many future guitarists in funk and rock.
Maggot Brain is perhaps the definitive musical statement by Funkadelic, and the title song, "Maggot Brain", contains a ten-minute guitar solo which was Hazel's defining moment and the one piece of music for which he has remained a legend — in 2008, Rolling Stone cited this as number 60 on its list of 100 greatest "guitar songs" of all time.[1] Perhaps apocryphally, Clinton told Hazel during the recording session to "play like your momma just died" and the result was the epic sounds of Hazel's guitar.[citation needed] The term, "Maggot Brain," refers both to Hazel's incredible intake of various drugs, as well as a mode of thinking which allows one to rise above the "bullshit" of the world, which is inhabited by maggots who have not yet achieved the status of Maggot Brain (see P Funk mythology).
Hazel was not the only Funkadelic member to have drug issues. Ross left the group because of a bad LSD trip. Fulwood also used drugs with Hazel, leading Clinton to suspend their salaries so that they would not spend the money entirely on drugs. Nelson and Hazel officially quit Funkadelic in late 1971 over financial disputes with Clinton, though Hazel contributed to the group sporadically over the next several years. The albums America Eats Its Young (1972) and Cosmic Slop (1973) featured only marginal input from Hazel. Instead, Hazel began working with The Temptations (along with Nelson), appearing on 1990 (1973) and A Song for You (1975).
Hazel acted as a major creative force behind the 1974 Funkadelic album Standing on the Verge of Getting It On. Hazel's guitar dominates the album, and he co-wrote all of the album's songs. On six of those songs the songwriting credit was in the name of Grace Cook, Hazel's mother. (This was a gambit by Hazel to avoid contractual difficulties with the publishing rights. The "G.Cook" credit would appear a few more times on later Funkadelic albums.)
In 1974, Hazel was indicted for assaulting an airline stewardess, along with a drug possession charge. While he was in jail, Clinton recruited Michael Hampton as the new lead guitarist for Parliament-Funkadelic to replace Hazel. Hampton was hired on the spot after he auditioned with a note-for-note rendition of Hazel's signature song "Maggot Brain." Hampton was just seventeen years old, the same age Hazel had been when he joined The Parliaments.
In the next several years, Hazel appeared occasionally on Parliament-Funkadelic albums, and his guitar work was rarely featured. One song that featured Hazel's lead guitar is "Comin' Round the Mountain" on Hardcore Jollies (1976). He was completely absent from One Nation Under a Groove (1978), Funkadelic's most commercially successful album. On the P-Funk All Stars' Live At The Beverly Theater (recorded in 1983, released in 1990), Hazel is upstaged during "Maggot Brain" — his signature song — by guitarists Hampton and DeWayne "Blackbyrd" McKnight.
In 1977, Hazel recorded a "solo" album, Game, Dames and Guitar Thangs, with support from other members of Parliament-Funkadelic, including vocals from The Brides of Funkenstein.
On December 23, 1992, Hazel died from internal bleeding and liver failure, after a long struggle with stomach problems related to alcoholism and drug abuse. "Maggot Brain" was played at his funeral.
[edit] Legacy
Three collections of unreleased recordings have been released posthumously: The 1994 four-song EP Jams From the Heart (which Rhino Records later added as bonus material to its rerelease of Game, Dames and Guitar Thangs), 1994's Rest in P and 2006's Eddie Hazel At Home.
Other recordings by Hazel have appeared on albums by other musicians. Several albums produced by Bill Laswell, including Funkcronomicon (released under the name Axiom Funk, 1995) have featured Hazel's guitar. Bootsy Collins has also incorporated recordings of Hazel in some of his recent releases, for example, "Good Night Eddie" on Blasters of the Universe.
Hazel has been featured on a number of lists of greatest guitarists of all time. He was 43 on the list of Rolling Stone magazine's 100 Greatest Guitarists Of All Time [1] and was ranked at 88 in a similar list by Uncut Magazine.
Eddie Hazel sometimes received credit for contributions as Grace Cook, his mother's name. The band Ween recorded a tribute to him called "A Tear for Eddie" on their album Chocolate And Cheese, imitating his unique soloing style. There is an image of Hazel on the back of Primal Scream's album Give Out But Don't Give Up.
[edit] Discography
- Game, Dames and Guitar Thangs (1977), Warner Bros.
- Jams From the Heart (1994), JDC - EP
- Rest in P (1994), P-Vine
- At Home (With Family) (2006), Eddie Hazel
[edit] References
Liner notes to Live: Meadowbrook, Rochester, Michigan – 12 September 1971 by Rob Bowman, 1996.
Liner notes to Music For Your Mother by Rob Bowman, 1992.
Liner notes to Game, Dames, and Guitar Thangs, Rhino Records, 2004.
- ^ "100 Greatest Guitar Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. http://www.rollingstone.com/news/coverstory/20947527/page/26. Retrieved on 2008-06-07.
