by Art Chantry:
Lee hazlewood was a radio DJ, who hooked up with Duane Eddy and The Rebels (he recorded/captured that ‘twangy’ sound in an empty grain silo, according to one story) and made all those amazing records with eddy. Through billy strange and jimmy bowen, he hooked up with the rat pack and became the defacto producer of all the rat pack children (dino, desi & billy, frank, jr., nancy sinatra, etc.) his odd solo career was every bit as strange as his work with nancy sinatra (as weird as ‘some velvet morning’).
— i found those two early solo records at a thrift store – and they are WELL worth finding. really great and often peculiar. excellent hazlewood. and that voice!—AC
he later went on to run his own label, produce for various rat packers (dino, sammy, and even frank, i believe). later in life he hooked up with a northwest band called The Surprise Package (containing left-overs from The Emergency Exit, i seem to remember) and produced a few really mediocre singles. lee hazlewood was a genius of sorts. a renaissance man. and one weird-ass dude.
— i’m really fascinated by his rat pack connections. they seemed to have traveled through the jamie label and roulette straight into the vegas scene. did you ever hear those Surprise Package singles? snoozers. no tmany folks seem to know they exist. but it’s a northwest connection direct to lee hazlewood. odd.—AC
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