Mike Hazlewood

Educated at Hazelwick School, in Crawley, West Sussex, Hazlewood began his career as a DJ at the radio station Radio Luxembourg in the early 1960s. In 1966, he founded the group the Family Dogg with Albert Hammond and Steve Rowland.[5] In addition, he often wrote songs in collaboration with Hammond such as "Green Green Trees", "Little Arrows" for Leapy Lee,[6] and "Gimme Dat Ding" for the Pipkins.[7] Hammond and Hazlewood wrote "The Air That I Breathe" which was originally released by Hammond in 1972, and then on Phil Everly's 1973 solo album Star Spangled Springer.[8] The song was subsequently a huge hit for the Hollies.[9]

Hazlewood's collaboration with Hammond resulted in co-written songs for the latter such as "It Never Rains in Southern California"[10] and "The Free Electric Band".[3][11]

Hazlewood and Hammond also wrote the international hit song "Make Me an Island" for the Irish singer Joe Dolan in 1969,[12] as well as his follow-up singles, "Teresa"[13] and "You're Such a Good Looking Woman".[14] The latter became a signature hit for Dolan, topping the Irish charts twice, in 1970 and 1997 when he re-recorded it with Dustin the Turkey. Hazlewood also wrote the song "Southern Lady", which was recorded by Rita Coolidge.[15]

During the late 1980s, Hazlewood held the theatrical rights to Mervyn Peake's novel Mr. Pye, and completed a musical theatre version of the book in collaboration with Howard Lee Sloan, the American-born pianist and composer.

Hazlewood and Hammond are also credited as co-writers of the 1992 Radiohead song, "Creep". Due to similarities to "The Air That I Breathe", Radiohead was successfully sued for plagiarism.[16][17] "Creep" used a chord progression taken from "The Air That I Breathe" in its verse, and a melody from the latter in the bridge following the second chorus.[18]

On 6 May 2001, Hazlewood died aged 59 from a heart attack, during his holiday in Florence, Italy.[4]