Eddie Hill
"Smilin '" Eddie Hill (born July 21, 1921 in Delano , Tennessee as James Edward Hill , † January 18, 1994 ) was an American country musician and a representative of country boogie .
Life
Childhood and youth
Eddie Hill came from a musical family, his father played the fiddle and his grandfather the banjo . Hill won a talent competition for the first time at the age of 17 and was able to prevail against a more experienced fiddler and banjo player. This led to a job at the radio station WROL in Knoxville . Hill then worked briefly at WNOX , but then moved to Cincinnati , where he started at WKRC . In the late 1930s he began to work as a substitute musician for the duo Johnnie and Jack .
Life
In 1942 Jack Anglin was drafted into the army , which broke up the duo "Johnnie and Jack". After Anglin was discharged from the army in 1945, the duo started again and hired Hill again as a background musician. Hill stayed with the group until he end of the decade began, the radio station WMPS in Memphis to work, which also Cliff Carlisle occurred and Hill with the Louvin Brothers worked. Two of her regular listeners were Johnny Cash and Elvis Presley . According to Cash, Hill inspired his song Cry! Cry! Cry! : Cash was a regular listener on Hills Show; One afternoon Hill announced his show with the words "We got songs that'll make you cry, cry, cry" and added, "We're gonna bawl and squall and climb the wall!" Cash's song became its first single and reached number 14 on the country charts.
In 1947 Hill had made his first recordings at Apollo Records with Johnnie and Jack. In 1950 Hill signed a contract with Decca Records , but moved to Mercury Records in 1951 , where he recorded one of his most famous tracks, The Hot Guitar . Guitarist Hank Garland and the steel guitarist mimicked styles of Merle Travis , Thumbs Carlisle , Les Paul , Roy Acuff , Jerry Byrd , Chet Atkins (Garland even once himself) over the course of the song . In the following years Hill worked as a background musician and was present as a guitarist on many sessions of big stars. He also released records with RCA Victor , with whom he was under contract, and was a member of the Grand Ole Opry . At WSM , the broadcaster of the Grand Ole Opry, he had his own show, the All Night Show , for years . Later, he was moderator of the Early Morning Show at the television station WLAC . In the meantime he had married and had five daughters and two sons.
In 1968 Hill suffered a stroke that subsequently no longer allowed him to work on stage or in the recording studio. Eddie Hill died on January 18, 1994 at the age of 73. He was inducted into the Country Music DJ Hall of Fame in 1975 as one of the first during his lifetime .
Discography
Singles
| year | title | # | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hill and Country Records | |||
| Shake That Little Fool / A Hard Road to Travel | 111 | as Smilin 'Eddie Hill and his Boys | |
| Decca Records | |||
| 1950 | Mind Your Own Business / Afraid | ||
| 1950 | Tears On Her Bridal Bouquet / Bless Your Little Thumpin 'Glizzard | ||
| Mercury Records | |||
| 1951 | The Hot Guitar / Steamboat Stomp | 6347-X45 | |
| 1952 (?) | Cold Cold Woman / Educated Fool | ||
| RCA Victor | |||
| 1954 | I've Changed My Mind / Presswood the Giant Killer | ||
| 1954 | Lovin 'Spree / Who Wrote That Letter to Old John? | ||
| 1955 | My Sugar Booger / Slender, Tender and Sweat | ||
| 195? | The Same Old Dream / Whittlin 'On a Piece Of Wood | ||
| 195? | I Did, I Does and I Do / Knock It Off | ||
| 195? | Gottalotta Song / I Don't Think I'm Gonna Like It | ||
| 195? | Cause I Have You / Smack Dab In the Middle | ||
| 1955 | Black Denim Trousers / Someday You'll Call My Name | ||
| 1955 | But I Did and I Does and I Do [!] / Knock It Off | Republication of RCA 20-5893 | |
| 1955 | I Don't Think I'm Gonna Like It / Gotta Lotta Song [!] | Republication of RCA 20-5978 | |
| 1955 | Smack Dab In The Middle / Cause I Have You | 47-6136 | Republication of RCA 20-6136 |
| University Records | |||
| 1959 | Monkey Business / Daddy, You Know What? | 206/7 | as Eddie Hill & Group |
Albums
- 2007: Hot Guitar: Gonna Shake This Shack Tonight ( Bear Family work edition)
Web links
- Works by and about Eddie Hill in the catalog of the German National Library
- Eddie Hill on Hillbilly-Music.com (English)
- Discography with audio samples
Individual evidence
- ↑ Smilin 'Eddie Hill - I've Changed My Mind .
- ↑ Clive Anderson: The Complete Sun Masters , Liner Notes; Charly Records
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Hill, Eddie |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Hill, Smilin 'Eddie; Hill, James Edward (real name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American country musician |
| DATE OF BIRTH | July 21, 1921 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Delano , Tennessee |
| DATE OF DEATH | January 18, 1994 |