* En anglais uniquement
The name
Tony Hazzard may not ring a bell, but the English singer/songwriter has written hits for everyone from
the Hollies,
Manfred Mann, and
Herman's Hermits to
Gene Pitney and
Andy Williams. Born and raised in Liverpool,
Hazzard picked up the guitar and ukulele at a young age. A formidable student, he managed to miss out on the Merseybeat skiffle scene that engulfed the region in the early '60s, focusing instead on his education at Durham University. Music soon got the best of him, though, and 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, advice that was heeded by the young musician. He signed with music publisher/
Manfred Mann manager
Gerry Bron, who put him on a retainer. Hits followed for numerous groups, and
Hazzard began work on a record of his own.
While Tony Hazzard Sings was released in 1969 to little or no fanfare, his sophomore effort (Loudwater House) helped establish the artist as a potential soft rock superstar. Many of the musicians 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 Chateau. 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, and plans to release a new record in the very near future. ~ James Christopher Monger