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Born in Brooklyn in 1950, Hazel grew up outside Plainfield, New Jersey because his mother, Grace Cook, wanted her son to grow up in an environment without the pressures of drugs and crime that she felt pervaded the city. She worked in Brooklyn as a silk presser; Eddie occupied himself from a young age by playing a guitar, given to him as a Christmas present by his older brother, as well as singing in church. At age 12, Eddie met Billy Bass Nelson, and the pair quickly became close friends, singing and playing the guitar, soon adding Harvey McGee, a drummer, to the mix.
In 1967, The Parliaments (a Plainfield-based doo wop band headed by George Clinton) hit the charts with " I Wanna Testify ". Clinton recruited a backing board for a tour, hiring Nelson. Eddie was in Newark, New JerseyNewark Bay Bridge. The Watchungs are in the background. Newark is located in Essex County, New Jersey, USA. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 273,546. It is an industrial city ten miles (16 km) west of New York City, with convenien working with George Blackwell and couldn't be reached. After Billy Bass Nelson returned from the tour, he tried to recruit Eddie. His mother at first vetoed the idea (since Eddie was only seventeen), but Clinton and Nelson worked together to change her mind.
In the fall of 1967, The Parliaments went on tour with both Nelson and Hazel. In Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaAlternate meanings: Philadelphia (disambiguation Philadelphia is the fifth-largest city in the United States and the largest city in Pennsylvania, occupying all of Philadelphia County . As of the 2000 census, the population was 1,517,550, but a July 1, 20, Hazel met and befriended Tiki FulwoodTiki Fulwood was the drummer for the funk bands Parliament and Funkadelic. He was one of the original members of Funkadelic when it was still the back-up band for the Parliaments, a doo wop barbershop quintet that eventually became the funk-rock band Parl, who quickly replaced The Parliaments' drummer. Nelson, Hazel and Fulwood became the backbone of FunkadelicThe bands Funkadelic and Parliament are intrinsically linked and can not be easily separated. This article focuses on Funkadelic, see P Funk for an integrated history of the groups. For Funkadelic's self-titled album, see Funkadelic (album) Funkadelic was, which was originally the backup band for The Parliaments, only to later become an independent touring group when legal difficulties forced the group to (temporarily) abandon the name "Parliaments".
The doo wop of The Parliaments quickly began morphing into the soulSoul music is fundamentally rhythm and blues, which grew out of the African-American gospel and blues traditions during the late 1950s and early 1960s in the United States. Over time, much of the broad range of R&B extensions in African-American popular m-inflected hard rockHard rock is a form of rock and roll music that finds its closest roots in early 1960s garage rock. Budgie, AC/DC, The Stooges, MC5, Living Colour, Prong, Skid Row, Guns N' Roses, Jimi Hendrix and Deep Purple are easy to find examples of hard rock. Van Ha of Funkadelic, influenced as much by Jimi HendrixJames Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix ( November 27, 1942 September 18, 1970) was an American guitarist, singer, songwriter and producer who is widely considered to be the most important electric guitarist in the history of popular music. As a guitarist, he built as Frankie LymonFrankie Lymon ( September 30, 1942 February 27, 1968) was the leader of a doo wop group called The Teenagers . The group released their debut single, "Why Do Fools Fall in Love", to considerable success. A Top 40 success at age 13, Lymon was perhaps the f. The switch to Funkadelic was complete with the addition of Tawl Ross and Bernie Worrell (rhythm guitar and keyboards, respectively). Funkadelic ( 1970), Free Your Mind... and Your Ass Will Follow ( 1970) and Maggot Brain ( 1971) were the first three albums, released in a mere two years.
Maggot Brain is perhaps the definitive musical statement by Funkadelic, and the titular track's twelve-minute guitar solo is Eddie Hazel's defining moment, and the one piece of music for which he has remained a legend. Perhaps apocryphally, George Clinton told Hazel, during the recording session, to "play like your momma just died" and the result was the epic sounds of Hazel's guitar. The term, "Maggot Brain," refers both to Hazel's incredible intake of various drugs, as well as a mode of thinking which allows one to rise above the "bullshit" of the world, which is inhabited by maggots who have not yet achieved the status of Maggot Brain (see P Funk mythology).
Eddie Hazel was not the only Funkadelic member to have drug issues. Tawl Ross left the group because of a bad LSD trip and/or a speed overdose. Tiki Fulwood also used drugs with Hazel, leading George Clinton to suspend their salaries so that they would not spend the money entirely on drugs. As a result, America Eats Its Young ( 1972) featured only marginal input from Hazel. Instead, Eddie began working with The Temptations, appearing on Zoom ( 1973) and Song For You ( 1975).
In 1974, Hazel was indicted for assaulting a stewardess, along with a drug possession charge. While he was in jail, Clinton added Garry Shider, Ron Brykowsky and Michael Hampton to Funkadelic. Hampton was Hazel's replacement as lead guitarist. Like Hazel, Michael Hampton was a seventeen year-old guitar prodigy. Eddie finally returned to Funkadelic for Let's Take It to the Stage ( 1975), but he was no longer the obvious lead guitar. With the added time, Hazel recorded Games, Dames & Guitar Thangs for Warner Brothers (with special help from The Brides of Funkenstein).
On December 23, 1992, Hazel died from internal bleeding and liver failure, after a long struggle with stomach problems. Some material was released posthumously.
Notes: Eddie Hazel sometimes received credit for contributions as Grace Cook, his mother's name.
Discography: