Eric Bazilian

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

Eric Bazilian
Eric Bazilian performing at Rock of Ages (2019)
Background information
Birth nameEric Michael Bazilian
Born (1953-07-21) July 21, 1953
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
GenresRock
Occupation(s)Musician, songwriter
InstrumentsVocals, guitar, melodica, saxophone, mandolin, keyboards, bass, drums
Years active1978–present
Associated actsThe Hooters
Websiteericbazilian.com

Early life

Eric Michael Bazilian was born at the University of Pennsylvania Hospital in Philadelphia to a father who was a psychiatrist and a mother who was a concert pianist. He is Jewish.

Bazilian began playing the piano at age five, and his uncle taught him guitar at nine. At 16 years old, while attending Germantown Friends School, Bazilian started writing songs for his first band, Evil Seed. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in physics from the University of Pennsylvania.

Career

By the mid-1970s, Bazilian had met Rob Hyman and Rick Chertoff; together, they formed a band called Baby Grand that released two albums.

The Hooters

After Baby Grand disbanded, Hyman and Bazilian decided to try something new by combining reggae, ska, and rock'n'roll to create The Hooters in 1980.

Nervous Night, The Hooters' 1985 debut on Columbia Records, sold more than 2 million copies and included Billboard Top 40 hits "Day By Day" (#18), "And We Danced" (#21) and "Where Do The Children Go" (#38).

After releasing six albums, The Hooters obtained a large global following throughout the 1980s and 1990s. As a result, they were asked to open three major musical events of the late 20th century: Live Aid in Philadelphia in 1985, Amnesty International Concert at Giants Stadium in 1986, and Roger Waters' The Wall Concert in Berlin in 1990. In 1995, The Hooters went on hiatus, although Hyman and Bazilian would continue to collaborate on musical projects for other artists.

Bazilian reunited with The Hooters on successful headlining European summer tours in 2003, 2004, and 2005. In 2007, the band released Time Stand Still, their first album of new material since 1993. In 2009, they released "Both Sides Live", a double CD which featured a concert at Philadelphia's Electric Factory as well as a special acoustic performance recorded at Rob Hyman's Elm Street Studios.

In 2010, to celebrate 30 years as a band, The Hooters released a five song EP entitled "Five By Five", produced by Nick Jameson. The EP featured the only "official" studio recordings by the band of Rob Hyman's "Time After Time" (co-written with Cyndi Lauper) and Bazilian's "One of Us".

As of August 2021, after the COVID-19 pandemic imposed a hiatus that started in 2020, The Hooters continue to tour in Germany and Scandinavia and perform special concert events in their native Philadelphia.[1]

Other work

Bazilian has become recognized internationally for being a songwriter, session musician, arranger, and producer for many artists. In 1995, he played all those roles for Joan Osborne's major-label debut album Relish, which was nominated for six Grammy Awards, including Song of the Year for the No. 4 Billboard hit "One of Us," which Bazilian wrote.

In 2003, "One of Us" was used as the theme song for the CBS television series Joan of Arcadia. It has also appeared on the soundtracks of numerous movies, including Vanilla Sky (2001), Bruce Almighty, (2003) and Diary of a Mad Black Woman (2005).

Bazilian has (co-)written songs for numerous artists, including Jon Bon Jovi ("Sad Song Night"; "Ugly")[2] and ManuElla ("Only Love"; "Forever Flow").[3]

Accolades

On November 17, 2000, Bazilian was inducted into the Philadelphia Walk of Fame on the Avenue of the Arts.[4]

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.

Discography

Solo career (Albums)
  • 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. Bazilian, Eric (August 29, 2021). #FabForum. The Beatles Channel, Sirius XM.
  2. "GEMA - Members - Online Database - Musical Works". online.gema.de.
  3. "Manu – Official Website". Retrieved October 26, 2021.
  4. http://www.philadelphiamusicalliance.org/walk_names.htm#b Archived July 27, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
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