In short :
Lee Hazelwood is often associated with Nancy Sinatra and her mid 1960’s rise to recording fame and popularity – but Hazelwood can also make the claim to being the force behind the guitar playing Duane Eddy who rose to the top of the classic rock and roll instrumentalists.
Lee Hazelwood after serving in the military in the early 1950’s, Hazelwood would land a job as a DJ in Arizona – working in Coolidge and then Phoenix where he would set up his own record label “Viv”.
Eddy was attending Coolidge High School by then. As luck would have it, Jimmy Delbridge heard his classmate on the farm report and sought him out at school.
"Jimmy came running up to me and said, 'You want to play some music at my house?' That's how we got together."
He and Delbridge formed a country duo, Jimmy & Duane. Eddy sang and played guitar while Delbridge harmonized and played piano. (At first, he played guitar.)
"We did old bluegrass things," Eddy recalls. "'Truck Drivin' Man' — by Terry Fell, I think. Wilburn Brothers. Delmore Brothers. Anything two guys could sing together. That was before we ever heard the Everlys."
It wasn't long before the two had come to Hazlewood's attention while playing around what Eddy reports was "a happening town," from high school dances to the Coolidge Armory.
The DJ liked their sound enough to book a studio in Phoenix to record them on two songs he'd written, "Soda Fountain Girl" and "I Want Some Lovin' Baby," with backing by a group called Buddy Long & the Western Melody Boys.
Hazlewood released a 45 of those two songs in 1955 on his own label...
Hazelwood would begin promoting them for appearances around the Phoenix area. At the time, both Eddy and Dell played guitar and sang. Their vocals were basically forgettable and their recordings didn’t garner any interest from local DJ’s. It was quickly determined that Duane Eddy would not make his mark as a singer!
Hazelwood and Eddy would come up with the idea of Eddy playing lead guitar but moving down onto the bass strings of his guitar. The technique was used on their initial effort on “Movin’ and Groovin”. Hazelwood next needed to add a vibrant and lively sax part – inspired by what he had heard on the Bill Justis hit “Raunchy”.Now, Eddy and Hazelwood had their wild instrumental – or so they thought...
Duane Eddy and Lee Hazelwood would part ways and reunite. Eddy’s career was up and down after the hits quit coming he continued to give it the old college try. He recorded or appeared with Jeff Beck, James Burton, Steve Cropper, George Harrison, Paul McCartney and John Fogerty as well as others.
Eddy was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994, the first guitar rock soloist to achieve the honor. His style was simple – straight forward and hugely influential in the world of rock and roll music.
Full story:
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Mark Robinson – Pretty Jane / Want Me 1958
7", 45 RPM
01. Mark Robinson (Lee Hazlewood) - Pretty Jane
02. Mark Robinson (Lee Hazlewood) - Want Me
Written-By – Hazlewood
Vocals – Lee Hazlewood
Guitar – Duane Eddy
Duane Eddy And His Orchestra* – Words Mean Nothing / (Why Must I Die) The Girl On Death Row 1960
Vinyl, 7", 45 RPM
03. Duane Eddy & His Orchestra - Girl On the Death Row
04. Duane Eddy & His Orchestra - Words Mean Nothing
Written-By – Hazlewood
Vocals – Lee Hazlewood
Guitar – Duane Eddy
Bonus:
05. The Sharps (feat. Duane Eddy) - Have Love Will Travel
Jamie (Vinyl, 7", 45 RPM.) 1958
Written-By – Lee Hazlewood
06. Ray Sharpe and The Blues Whalers (feat. Duane Eddy) - Oh My Baby's Gone
Hamilton (Vinyl, 7", 45 RPM.) 1958
Written-By – Lee Hazlewood
07. Sanford Clark (feat. Duane Eddy) - Sing 'Em Some Blues
Jamie (Vinyl, 7", 45 RPM.) 1958
Written-By – Lee Hazlewood
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