Lee Hazlewood facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Lee Hazlewood
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Hazlewood in 1968
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Barton Lee Hazlewood |
| Born | July 9, 1929 Mannford, Oklahoma, U.S. |
| Died | August 4, 2007 (aged 78) Henderson, Nevada, U.S. |
| Genres | |
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| Instruments | Guitar |
| Years active | 1958–2006 |
| Associated acts | |
Barton Lee Hazlewood (born July 9, 1929 – died August 4, 2007) was an American singer, songwriter, and music producer. He was famous for his work with guitarist Duane Eddy in the late 1950s. He also worked a lot with singer Nancy Sinatra in the 1960s and 1970s.
Lee Hazlewood and Nancy Sinatra created a unique sound together. Rolling Stone magazine even called them one of the 20 Greatest Duos of All Time.
Contents
Lee Hazlewood's Early Life
Barton Lee Hazlewood was born in Mannford, Oklahoma, on July 9, 1929. His father worked with oil and also promoted dances. Lee grew up moving around a lot, living in Oklahoma, Arkansas, Kansas, and Louisiana. His mother was part Creek Native American.
As a child, Lee enjoyed listening to pop and bluegrass music. He spent his teenage years in Port Neches, Texas. There, he learned about the rich music traditions of the Gulf Coast. He later studied medicine at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. Lee also served in the United States Army during the Korean War.
Lee Hazlewood's Music Career
After leaving the army in 1953, Lee Hazlewood decided not to go back to college. Instead, he became a disc jockey in Coolidge, Arizona. Two years later, he moved to KRUX radio in Phoenix. During this time, he started writing songs and even created his own record label called Viv.
Becoming a Producer and Songwriter
Lee Hazlewood first became known as a music producer and songwriter. His first big song as a producer was "The Fool". This song was recorded by rockabilly artist Sanford Clark in 1955.
He then teamed up with the amazing rock guitarist Duane Eddy. Together, they produced many hit instrumental songs. "Rebel Rouser", released in 1958, was a big hit in both the U.S. and the UK. Duane Eddy went on to have 14 more hits in the U.S., including "Peter Gunn" and "Forty Miles of Bad Road".
Working with Nancy Sinatra
Lee Hazlewood is perhaps most famous for writing and producing the 1966 hit song "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'" for Nancy Sinatra. This song reached number one in both the U.S. and the UK. He also wrote "Summer Wine", which he first recorded with Suzi Jane Hokom in 1966.
Their work together started when Frank Sinatra (Nancy's father) asked Lee to help Nancy with her music career. When they recorded "These Boots are Made for Walkin'", Lee told Nancy, "you can't sing like Nancy Nice Lady any more. You have to sing for the truckers." Nancy later said he was like a mix of a strict teacher and a mind reader.
Hazlewood wrote many other songs for Nancy Sinatra, such as "How Does That Grab Ya, Darlin'" and "Sugar Town". One of his most well-known songs is "Some Velvet Morning", a duet he sang with Nancy in 1967. They performed this song on her 1967 TV special Movin' With Nancy.
In early 1967, Lee produced the number one hit song "Somethin' Stupid" for Frank and Nancy Sinatra. They became the only father-daughter duo to have a number one song on the Hot 100 chart.
Other Famous Songs and Projects
Hazlewood also wrote theme songs for movies. He wrote "The Last of the Secret Agents" for the 1966 spy movie of the same name. Nancy Sinatra, who was in the movie, sang the song for the soundtrack. For Frank Sinatra's 1967 detective film, Tony Rome, Hazlewood wrote the theme song, which Nancy also sang.
He wrote "Houston", a U.S. hit in 1965 recorded by Dean Martin. He also produced songs for Dean Martin's daughter, Deana Martin, when she was a teenager.
Hazlewood wrote "This Town", which Frank Sinatra recorded for his 1968 album Greatest Hits.
In 1967, Hazlewood started his own record label called LHI Records (Lee Hazlewood Industries). A band called the International Submarine Band, with a then-unknown Gram Parsons, signed with LHI. They released their only album, Safe at Home.
Moving to Sweden
In the 1970s, Hazlewood moved to Stockholm, Sweden. There, he created a one-hour TV show called Cowboy in Sweden with his friend, director Torbjörn Axelman. This show later became an album.
He lived in Sweden for ten years, making records and films with Axelman. His move to Europe was partly because of tax issues and concerns about his son possibly joining the Vietnam War. His record label was also struggling. Sweden seemed like a good place for a fresh start.
Later Years and Legacy
Throughout the late 1970s and 1980s, Hazlewood mostly stepped back from the music business. However, his music became very popular in the underground rock scene. Many artists, like Nick Cave, Beck, and Slowdive, recorded his songs.
In 2006, Hazlewood sang on Bela B.'s first solo album, Bingo. He said he loved making and writing albums.
After he passed away, Reprise/Rhino Handmade Records released Strung Out On Something New: The Reprise Recordings in 2007. This collection included his solo albums and his production work for other artists. Since 2012, the Light in the Attic record label has reissued many of Hazlewood's albums.
His very last recording was for the Icelandic band Amiina's song "Hilli (At the Top of the World)".
Lee Hazlewood's Personal Life
Lee Hazlewood was married three times. On December 5, 1949, he married his high-school girlfriend, Naomi Shackleford. They had two children, Debbie (born 1954) and Mark Lee (born 1955). They divorced in 1961. Lee used Naomi's maiden name for a singing group he formed called The Shacklefords.
In 1983, Hazlewood married Tracy Stewart. He raised her daughter, Samantha (born 1980), as his own. That marriage ended in 1992. In November 2006, less than a year before he died, he married Jeane Kelly. She had been his girlfriend since 1993.
Hazlewood had a granddaughter named Phaedra. Her name was a tribute to the lyrics of his song "Some Velvet Morning". Phaedra sang with Hazlewood on his final album, Cake or Death.
In 2005, Lee Hazlewood was diagnosed with kidney cancer. He did many interviews and promoted his last album, Cake or Death. Lee Hazlewood died from kidney cancer in Henderson, Nevada, on August 4, 2007. He was survived by his wife Jeane, his son Mark, and his daughters Debbie and Samantha.
Lee Hazlewood's Albums
- 1963 – Trouble is a Lonesome Town
- 1964 – The N.S.V.I.P.'s
- 1965 – Friday's Child
- 1966 – The Very Special World of Lee Hazlewood
- 1967 – Lee Hazlewoodism: Its Cause and Cure
- 1968 – Nancy & Lee – with Nancy Sinatra
- 1968 – Something Special
- 1968 – Love and Other Crimes
- 1969 – The Cowboy and the Lady – with Ann-Margret
- 1969 – Forty
- 1970 – Cowboy in Sweden
- 1971 – Requiem for an Almost Lady
- 1971 – Nancy & Lee Again/Nancy & Lee - Did You Ever? – with Nancy Sinatra
- 1972 – 13
- 1973 – I'll Be Your Baby Tonight
- 1973 – Poet, Fool or Bum
- 1974 – The Stockholm Kid Live at Berns
- 1975 – A House Safe for Tigers
- 1976 – 20th Century Lee
- 1977 – Movin' On
- 1977 – Back on the Street Again
- 1993 – Gypsies & Indians – with Anna Hanski
- 1999 – Farmisht, Flatulence, Origami, ARF!!! & Me...
- 2002 – For Every Solution There's a Problem
- 2004 – Nancy & Lee 3 – with Nancy Sinatra
- 2006 – Cake or Death
Images for kids
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Hazlewood in 1968
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Lee Hazlewood and Nancy Sinatra on The Hollywood Palace, 1968
See also
In Spanish: Lee Hazlewood para niños
