By
Kathy G.
This summer, we’ve seen the deaths of quite a few important cultural figures, from major film artists like Bergman, Antonioni, and Ousmane Sembene to the jazz great Max Roach. One person whose passing didn’t get nearly the attention he deserved was singer/songwriter/producer Lee Hazlewood (perhaps because, due to the similarity in their names, people have perennially confused him with this jackass). In the grand scheme of things, Hazlewood wasn’t as important as the other folks I mentioned. But his musical vision was unique and compelling, and his best work still has the power to surprise and delight. How to describe the music of Lee Hazlewood? I came up with this rough formulation: Lee Hazlewood = Johnny Cash + LSD + Phil Spector – The Crazy To explain: Johnny Cash references the fact that Hazlewood’s roots were in country music, and he never traveled too far afield from there. LSD because, by the late 60s, a psychedelic turn was quite pronounced. Phil Spector for the poppy girl-group influence and his lush, complex orchestrations. But minus The Crazy, because although Hazlewood was certainly an eccentric, unlike Spector he wasn’t known for, um, imprisoning his wives or pulling guns on people. I’m going to post some YouTube videos of some of his most interesting work. Hazlewood was best known for his work with Nancy Sinatra, so I’ll start with their biggie. This is from Sinatra’s wonderful 1967 television special, Movin' with Nancy, of which more later. But for now, just check this out. It’s totally outrageous. Seriously, this one must have launched a million fetish fantasies.
