Eddie Hazel

Eddie Hazel (April 10, 1950 - December 23, 1992) was a pioneering guitarist in early funk music in the United States.

Born in Brooklyn in 1950, Hazel grew up outside Plainfield, New Jersey because his mother, Grace Cook,

Eddie Hazel (April 10, 1950 - December 23, 1992) was a pioneering guitarist in early funk music in the United States.

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.