Lee Hazlewood Industries (LHI) was a record label started by rogue maverick Singer/Songwriter/Producer Lee Hazlewood in 1966. Lee released, questionably his weirdest records during this era, albums such as country duet album w/ Ann-Margaret, "The Cowboy and the Lady", the sparse heartbreak of "Requim For An Almost Lady", the beautiful lush soundtrack "Cowboy in Sweden", and the horn laden soul-funk of "13". It was an outlet for not only Lee's records, but for a host of bands and artists as strange and eclectic as Hazlewood himself. The label, a failure at the time, seems visionary and ahead of it's time when looking back today. Maybe the world wasn't ready to accept Hazlewood's vision of pop music. Many of the artists were groundbreaking, yet their LHI releases seemed to vanish without a trace, a fate also shared by most of Hazlewood's own solo albums. From the Texas garage rock of The Kitchen Cinq, Gram Parson's hippie country of The International Submarine Band, the psychedelic Phil Spector girl group sound of Honey LTD.(later to morph into the ethereal country of Eve, also on LHI), the psych fuzz of Seattle's Surprise Package, the faux Nancy and Lee duets of Suzi Jane Hokum and Virgil Warner, the melancholy acid folk of Arthur, the technicolor concept album by The Aggregation, to the straight up country of old pal Sanford Clark, the LHI roster blurred the lines of classification. Lee cut his losses before the fruits of his labor could be enjoyed, in 1970, tired of America and the record business, he left for his semi-permanent home of Stockholm, Sweden. The famous "wrecking crew" played many of the LHI sessions, musicians such as Hal Blaine, Carol Kaye, James Burton, Joe Osborne, Larry Knechtel, Al Casey, Ry Cooder, "Sneaky Pete" and countless others. Lee was also able to get his "friends" to help out, the talent put into the LHI releases reads like a who's who of the best producers/arrangers around; David Whitaker, Jack Nitzsche, Billy Strange, Shel Talmy, Don Randi, Larry Marks, as well as Hazlewood stalwarts, Suzi Jane Hokum (does anyone have info on her?), Donnie Owens, and Tom Thacker, they all lent their talents to the best commercial failure in the music business, long live LHI.-HL
