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Artist
Ali Hassan
12+ albums
iraqoudiraqi
about
Ali Hassan (Albert Hazan, November 7, 1934 – March 2, 2019) was an American pop-rock recording artist, songwriter, and record producer. Al Hazan was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. He started writing songs when in his teens, and appeared as a pianist on local television. One of his first songs, "The Dance of Love", was recorded by The Bell Sisters in 1953, arranged by Nelson Riddle for RCA Victor, but it was not released at the time. The first song of his that was released was "Is There a Heaven" by Russell Arms. In 1957, Hazan contacted Sonny Bono at Specialty Records, leading to Bono producing Roddy Jackson's version of Hazan's song "Hiccups". Other singers who recorded Hazan's songs in the late 1950s and early 1960s included Ritchie Valens, Wanda Jackson, James Darren, Gene McDaniels, and Johnny Crawford. Hazan also worked as a session musician and arranger. In early 1962, he was contacted by Rod Pierce of Rendezvous Records, who needed a pianist to replace Ernie Freeman, who was unavailable, on a session. The recording was of "Nut Rocker", a rocked-up arrangement by Kim Fowley of the march from Tchaikovsky's ballet The Nutcracker. Hazan was allowed 30 minutes to learn the arrangement, and it was recorded quickly, in the Rendezvous office, to compete with a rival version by H. B. Barnum, who recorded it under the name "Jack B. Nimble and the Quicks". Hazan's recording, credited to B. Bumble and the Stingers, reached the pop charts in the US, and number one in
