Tony Hazzard
Encyclopedia
Tony Hazzard is an English
singer and songwriter
. He has written song
s for The Hollies
("Listen to Me"), Manfred Mann
("Ha! Ha! Said The Clown" and "Fox on the Run"), "Me, The Peaceful Heart" for Lulu
, The Yardbirds
("Goodnight Sweet Josephine"), Herman's Hermits
("You Won't Be Leaving"), Peter Noone
("(I Think I'm Over) Getting Over You"), The Tremeloes
("Hello World"), Gene Pitney
("Maria Elena"), Richard Barnes
("Take to the Mountains"), Cherry Smash ("Fade Away Maureen") and Andy Williams
among others.
and ukulele
at a young age, but managed to miss out on the Merseybeat
skiffle
scene that engulfed the region in the early 1960s, focusing instead on his education at Durham University
. Through a mutual friend he was introduced to BBC
story editor Tony Garnett
. Garnett persuaded Hazzard to move to London
to pursue his songwriting ambitions. He signed with music publisher and Manfred Mann
manager
Gerry Bron
, who put him on a retainer.
In addition, his "The Sound Of The Candyman's Trumpet" was recorded
by Cliff Richard
and entered into the 1968 Songs for Europe preamble for the Eurovision Song Contest
. Simon Dupree and the Big Sound
, The Casuals
, The Family Dogg, and The Swinging Blue Jeans
all turned to Hazzard's effortless pop
tunes in the late 1960s. In the midst of all this success as a writer, Hazzard released his first solo
album
, Tony Hazzard Sings Tony Hazzard, released in 1969. While it was released to little or no fanfare, his sophomore effort Loudwater House helped establish the artist as a potential soft rock
superstar. Many of the musician
s who played on the record
(Chris Spedding
, Mike Batt
, and B. J. Cole
) were touring with Elton John
at the time, and Hazzard soon found himself providing backing vocals
on John's Tumbleweed Connection
and Honky Château
.
His third and final album, the country
-tinged Was That Alright Then, arrived in 1973, but failed to generate much public support. In 2005, both Loudwater House and Was That Alright Then, along with some rarities and unissued outtakes, were remastered and compiled on the two-disc Go North: The Bronze Anthology. Hazzard continues to write music at his home in Cornwall
.
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
singer and songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
. He has written song
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
s for The Hollies
The Hollies
The Hollies are an English pop and rock group, formed in Manchester in the early 1960s, though most of the band members are from throughout East Lancashire. Known for their distinctive vocal harmony style, they became one of the leading British groups of the 1960s and 1970s...
("Listen to Me"), Manfred Mann
Manfred Mann
Manfred Mann was a British beat, rhythm and blues and pop band of the 1960s, named after their South African keyboardist, Manfred Mann, who later led the successful 1970s group Manfred Mann's Earth Band...
("Ha! Ha! Said The Clown" and "Fox on the Run"), "Me, The Peaceful Heart" for Lulu
Lulu (singer)
Lulu Kennedy-Cairns, OBE , best known by her stage name Lulu, is a Scottish singer, actress, and television personality who has been successful in the entertainment business from the 1960s through to the present day...
, The Yardbirds
The Yardbirds
- Current :* Chris Dreja - rhythm guitar, backing vocals * Jim McCarty - drums, backing vocals * Ben King - lead guitar * David Smale - bass, backing vocals...
("Goodnight Sweet Josephine"), Herman's Hermits
Herman's Hermits
Herman's Hermits are an English beat band, formed in Manchester in 1963 as Herman & The Hermits. The group's record producer, Mickie Most , emphasized a simple, non-threatening, clean-cut image, although the band originally played R&B numbers...
("You Won't Be Leaving"), Peter Noone
Peter Noone
Peter Noone is an English singer-songwriter, guitarist, pianist and actor, best known as "Herman" of the successful 1960s rock group Herman's Hermits.-Early life:...
("(I Think I'm Over) Getting Over You"), The Tremeloes
The Tremeloes
The Tremeloes are an English beat group founded in 1958 in Dagenham, Essex, and still active today.-Career:They formed as Brian Poole and the Tremoloes influenced by Buddy Holly and The Crickets...
("Hello World"), Gene Pitney
Gene Pitney
Eugene Francis Alan Pitney, known as Gene Pitney , was an American singer-songwriter, musician and sound engineer. Through the mid-1960s, he enjoyed success as a recording artist on both sides of the Atlantic and was among the group of early 1960s American acts who continued to enjoy hits after the...
("Maria Elena"), Richard Barnes
Richard Barnes (musician)
Richard Barnes was a British singer who saw limited chart success in the early 1970s.-Career:Barnes was a vocalist with the UK pop group the Quiet Five before departing for a solo career in 1969. Over the next four years he cut a handful of pop records before launching a career in the musical...
("Take to the Mountains"), Cherry Smash ("Fade Away Maureen") and Andy Williams
Andy Williams
Howard Andrew "Andy" Williams is an American singer who has recorded 18 Gold- and three Platinum-certified albums. He hosted The Andy Williams Show, a TV variety show, from 1962 to 1971, as well as numerous television specials, and owns his own theater, the Moon River Theatre in Branson, Missouri,...
among others.
Career
Hazzard picked up the guitarGuitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
and ukulele
Ukulele
The ukulele, ; from ; it is a subset of the guitar family of instruments, generally with four nylon or gut strings or four courses of strings....
at a young age, but managed to miss out on the Merseybeat
Beat music
Beat music, British beat, or Merseybeat is a pop and rock music genre that developed in the United Kingdom in the early 1960s. Beat music is a fusion of rock and roll, doo wop, skiffle, R&B and soul...
skiffle
Skiffle
Skiffle is a type of popular music with jazz, blues, folk, roots and country influences, usually using homemade or improvised instruments. Originating as a term in the United States in the first half of the twentieth century, it became popular again in the UK in the 1950s, where it was mainly...
scene that engulfed the region in the early 1960s, focusing instead on his education at Durham University
Durham University
The University of Durham, commonly known as Durham University, is a university in Durham, England. It was founded by Act of Parliament in 1832 and granted a Royal Charter in 1837...
. Through a mutual friend he was introduced to BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
story editor Tony Garnett
Tony Garnett
Tony Garnett is a film producer who has worked in feature films and on British television. He was born in Birmingham, England, and studied psychology at the University of London....
. Garnett persuaded Hazzard to move to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
to pursue his songwriting ambitions. He signed with music publisher and Manfred Mann
Manfred Mann
Manfred Mann was a British beat, rhythm and blues and pop band of the 1960s, named after their South African keyboardist, Manfred Mann, who later led the successful 1970s group Manfred Mann's Earth Band...
manager
Management
Management in all business and organizational activities is the act of getting people together to accomplish desired goals and objectives using available resources efficiently and effectively...
Gerry Bron
Gerry Bron
Gerald L. Bron is an English record producer and band manager. In his early days, he managed the Bonzo Dog Band.Bron is the brother of actress Eleanor Bron. His family is Jewish. He is also of Eastern European origin...
, who put him on a retainer.
In addition, his "The Sound Of The Candyman's Trumpet" was recorded
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
by Cliff Richard
Cliff Richard
Sir Cliff Richard, OBE is a British pop singer, musician, performer, actor, and philanthropist who has sold over an estimated 250 million records worldwide....
and entered into the 1968 Songs for Europe preamble for the Eurovision Song Contest
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union .Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition...
. Simon Dupree and the Big Sound
Simon Dupree and the Big Sound
Simon Dupree and the Big Sound were a British pop band formed by three brothers, Derek Shulman, born 1947 , Phil Shulman, born 1937 , and Ray Shulman, born 1949 .-Career:...
, The Casuals
The Casuals
The Casuals were a British pop group from Lincoln, Lincolnshire, England. They are best known for their 1968 #2 UK hit, "Jesamine".-Career:Originally formed by John Tebb and Howard Newcombe , they added Don Fortune and Zenon Kawolski , and became The Casuals in 1961...
, The Family Dogg, and The Swinging Blue Jeans
The Swinging Blue Jeans
The Swinging Blue Jeans were a four piece 1960s British Merseybeat band, best known for their hit singles with the HMV label; "Hippy Hippy Shake", the follow-up, Little Richard's "Good Golly Miss Molly", and "You're No Good", a Clint Ballard song that provided a change of pace and furnished the...
all turned to Hazzard's effortless pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
tunes in the late 1960s. In the midst of all this success as a writer, Hazzard released his first solo
Solo (music)
In music, a solo is a piece or a section of a piece played or sung by a single performer...
album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
, Tony Hazzard Sings Tony Hazzard, released in 1969. While it was released to little or no fanfare, his sophomore effort Loudwater House helped establish the artist as a potential soft rock
Soft rock
Soft rock is a style of music which uses the techniques of rock music to compose a softer, more toned-down sound. Soft rock songs generally tend to focus on themes like love, everyday life and relationships. The genre tends to make heavy use of acoustic guitars, pianos, synthesizers and sometimes...
superstar. Many of the musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
s who played on the record
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
(Chris Spedding
Chris Spedding
Chris Spedding is an English rock and roll and jazz guitarist, best known for his session work. Allmusic states - "Spedding is one of the UK's most versatile session guitarists, and has had a long career on two continents that saw him tackle nearly every style of rock and roll, as well as...
, Mike Batt
Mike Batt
Michael Philip "Mike" Batt is a British songwriter, musician, producer and Deputy Chairman of the British Phonographic Industry...
, and B. J. Cole
B. J. Cole
Brian John Cole is an English pedal steel guitarist. Coming to prominence in the early 1970s with the band Cochise, Cole has played in many styles of music, ranging from mainstream pop and rock, to jazz and eclectic experimental music.He played and is heavily featured with Deke Leonard's Help...
) were touring with Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
at the time, and Hazzard soon found himself providing backing vocals
Backing vocalist
A backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
on John's Tumbleweed Connection
Tumbleweed Connection
Tumbleweed Connection is the third album by English international recording artist Elton John. It is a concept album based on the Country and Western/Americana themes. All songs are written by Bernie Taupin and Elton John with the exception of "Love Song" by Lesley Duncan. It was recorded at...
and Honky Château
Honky Château
Honky Château is the fifth studio album by British singer/songwriter Elton John, released in 1972. In 2003, the album was ranked number 357 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. It was certified Gold on 7/24/1972 and Platinum on 10/11/1995 by the R.I.A.A...
.
His third and final album, the country
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
-tinged Was That Alright Then, arrived in 1973, but failed to generate much public support. In 2005, both Loudwater House and Was That Alright Then, along with some rarities and unissued outtakes, were remastered and compiled on the two-disc Go North: The Bronze Anthology. Hazzard continues to write music at his home in Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
.
External links
- Tony Hazzard @ Myspace
- [ Allmusic - Songs]