Eric Bazilian
Eric Bazilian performing at Lieder am See with The Hooters in 2022
Eric Bazilian performing at Lieder am See with The Hooters in 2022
Background information
Birth nameEric Michael Bazilian
Born (1953-07-21) July 21, 1953
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
GenresRock
Occupation(s)Musician, songwriter
Instrument(s)Vocals, guitar, melodica, saxophone, mandolin, keyboards, bass, drums
Years active1978–present
Websiteericbazilian.com

Eric M. Bazilian (born July 21, 1953) is an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, arranger and producer. Bazilian is a founding member of the rock band The Hooters. He wrote "One of Us", a song first recorded by Joan Osborne in 1995.

Early life

Eric Bazilian was born on July 21, 1953, at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia[1] to Stanford Bazilian, a psychiatrist,[2] and Barbara Bazilian, a concert pianist.[3] He is Jewish.[4] Bazilian graduated from Germantown Friends School[4] and studied physics at the University of Pennsylvania.[5]

Career

The Hooters

In college, Bazilian met Rob Hyman.[4] Together, they formed The Hooters in 1980.[6] Bazilian sings and plays guitar, mandolin, recorder, harmonica, and saxophone in the band.[7]

In 1983, The Hooters began working on their first album. The result, Amore, was released on the independent label Antenna and sold over 100,000 copies.[8]

The band's second album, Nervous Night (1985), featured the singles “And We Danced”, “Day by Day”, and “All You Zombies”. The album went platinum and sold more than two million copies in the United States.[9]

The Hooters first gained major commercial success in the United States in the mid-1980s due to heavy radio airplay and MTV rotation of several songs, including "All You Zombies", "Day by Day", "And We Danced" and "Where Do the Children Go".[10] The band played at the Live Aid benefit concert in Philadelphia in 1985.[11] In Europe, the Hooters had success with the singles "All You Zombies" and "Johnny B", but the band's breakthrough across Europe came with the single "Satellite". The band played at The Wall Concert in Berlin in 1990.[12]

On May 11, 2004, The Hooters were presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Philadelphia Music Awards.[13]

Other work

In 1995, Bazilian produced and arranged Joan Osborne's major-label debut album Relish. The album was nominated for six Grammy Awards, including Song of the Year for the No. 4 Billboard hit "One of Us," which Bazilian wrote.

Accolades

On November 17, 2000, Bazilian was inducted into the Philadelphia Walk of Fame on the Avenue of the Arts.[14]

On April 21, 2004, Bazilian won an ASCAP Film and Television Music Award for "One of Us" as the theme song for the CBS television series Joan of Arcadia.[15][16][17]

Discography

Solo career

  • The Optimist (2000)
  • A Very Dull Boy (2002)
  • What Shall Become of the Baby? (2012) (with Mats Wester, as Bazilian & Wester)
  • Bazilian (2021)

References

  1. ↑ "One of Us: Eric Bazilian of the Hooters". Philadelphia Magazine. June 7, 2015. Retrieved January 16, 2022.
  2. ↑ Cook, Bonnie L. "Stanford E. Bazilian, 88, psychiatrist and father of the Hooters' Eric Bazilian". Inquirer.com.
  3. ↑ Miles, Gary. "Barbara Bazilian, musician, artist, and fashion designer, dies at 88". Inquirer.com.
  4. 1 2 3 Benarde, Scott R. (January 17, 2003). Stars of David: Rock'n'roll's Jewish Stories. UPNE. ISBN 9781584653035 – via Google Books.
  5. ↑ Nahl, Alexandra. "University welcomes Eric Bazilian". Villanovan (Villanova University).
  6. ↑ "THE HOOTERS ARE ON THEIR OWN TIME NOW". Los Angeles Times. March 30, 1986.
  7. ↑ Willistein, Paul. "The Hooters Rob Hyman reflects on Philadelphia rock band with Lehigh Valley roots". LVPNews.com.
  8. ↑ Bashe, P. R., & George-Warren, H., The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll (Third ed.). New York, Fireside, 2005, pp. 442–443
  9. ↑ "An Interview with Eric Bazilian of The Hooters". vwmusicrocks.com. February 24, 2021.
  10. ↑ Colin Larkin, ed. (1997). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music (Concise ed.). Virgin Books. p. 620. ISBN 1-85227-745-9.
  11. ↑ "Live Aid in Philadelphia: An Oral History of that Crazy Day at JFK Stadium". Philadelphia Magazine. July 10, 2020.
  12. ↑ Gross, Dan. "Roger Waters loves Hooters". Inquirer.com.
  13. ↑ "Live Music". Philadelphia Weekly. May 5, 2004. Archived from the original on October 15, 2008. Retrieved May 9, 2010.
  14. ↑ "Philadelphia Music Alliance Walk of Fame". www.philadelphiamusicalliance.org. Archived from the original on July 27, 2011.
  15. ↑ Gallo, Phil (April 22, 2004). "Film, TV composers score ASCAP honors".
  16. ↑ "20 Forgettable 2000s Fantasy Shows Only Superfans Remember". ScreenRant. May 12, 2018.
  17. ↑ "Joan Osborne comes to town to sing like One of Us". therecord.com. September 23, 2013.
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