Lee Hazlewood passed away on August 4th. Though many folks still have no idea who he was, Hazlewood was a big part of the music of the 50s and 60s. As a disc jockey in Arizona, he met and recorded the great Duane Eddy. Before long, he quit radio and started a musical journey that led him to work with folks as diverse as Gram Parsons and Nancy Sinatra.

Lee is generally credited with the monumental idea of gathering the "A-List" session musicians together in Los Angeles. They became affectionately dubbed "The Wrecking Crew" by veteran drummer Hal Blaine. Other producers, like Phil Spector, Snuff Garrett and Brian Wilson made the sound of those talented folks immortal.

Since she was the wizard behind the fantastic arrangement of "Boots" -- and worked quite a bit with Lee during his career -- I sent my condolences to Carol Kaye. Just this afternoon, I got a nice note in reply from the legendary bass player:

"Dear David,

Thank-you for your message. Yes, it was sort of shock to lose Lee (Nancy Sinatra had emailed me, she's very sad about losing her fine producer-friend) as I really tho't he was going to pull through...he was a sharp, good person, very talented and loyal, and with a sense of great humor too.

Take care, Carol Kaye"

I really love his work, but if you are unfamiliar with him, here are few places to explore the life of the very talented -- and sorely missed -- Mister Hazlewood:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee_Hazlewood
http://www.somevelvetmorning.net/

Dude, you know Carol Kaye? As a major Beach Boys fan, and an amatuer bass player, she is one of my heroes!

Sad about Lee, he was a pretty cool guy, and really a pioneer of the LA scene.

Last night, on Drinking From Puddles (KBOO), Brandon Lieberman had a tribute to Lee Hazelwood. I didn't listen to the whole thing, just a bit of it....KBOO doesn't have a downloadable archive, do they...?

Lee Hazelwood's last album is entitled "Cake or Death". Apparently, he was an Eddie Izzard fan.

No kidding!

Phillykid is absolutely right! Unfortunately, KBOO does not have an archive. I would be willing to bet that Brandon has the setlist around somewhere. To confirm the Izzard connection, here is the Beeb with an obituary:

"...in 2005, he was diagnosed with kidney cancer and set about writing and recording his last album, Cake or Death.

The composer said the record, named after an Eddie Izzard comedy routine, was not a grand statement on his mortality.

"I don't think it has any sickness in it," he told the Los Angeles Times, "except perhaps the lyrics".

Instead, the album takes a swipe at the war in Iraq in a track entitled Baghdad Knights.

His work as a stylish, slightly quirky, songwriter will be his legacy.

As he once quipped: "These are songs which enabled my children to attend some of the best schools in America. They're called hits, God help us."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/6496567.stm

Warner, you really ought to get in touch with Carol Kaye. Though she is busy as ever, Carol does not mind letters from fans, in fact, she likes to hear from us. She is gracious, shares her stories and has a great sense of humor. Carol also publishes a good selection of textbooks that will get you past "amateur" in a hurry. Drop her a line through her website:

http://www.carolkaye.com/