Multi Maple Blues Award Winner! Trois-Rivières born, Montreal Quebec based guitarist Steve Hill first established himself in 1999 when his combustible guitar playing and heartfelt vocals earned him a Maple Blues Award for “Electric Act of The Year” and a Juno Award nomination for “Blues Album of the Year”.
This was part of Hill’s musical journey that saw him share the stage with the likes of Ray Charles, B.B. King, Jimmie Vaughan, and Buddy Guy. A self dubbed “musical explorer”, over the course of 8 releases, Hill has tried his hand at Rock, Country, Folk and all stops in between while incorporating Blues in his musical vocabulary.
Based on his last couple “live-in-the-studio” outings, Solo Recordings Volume 1 and Solo Recordings Volume 2, Hill is continuing his exploration with an eye to the future growth of Blues and is hitting certainly his stride. No doubt with an ear to the Hill Country Blues of R.L. Burnside and Luther Dickinson’s North Mississippi All-Stars, Hill has developed a unique blend of the aforementioned genres coupled with a distinctive approach and presentation. In Hill’s words:
“I’ve got a drum kit at my feet, we’ve modified all of my guitars with an extra pick-up that takes the sound of the two big strings that goes through an octaver and a bass amp so I got a bass sound at the same time that I’m playing the guitar,” Hill explains. “I got a drum stick now so that I can play the right cymbal and I started playing harp about a year-and-a-half ago. It’s very challenging, but I love this sound. It’s very basic and very raw.”
A true one man band, Hill has garnered a number of accolades on the merits of these fine recordings:
- Volume 1 won “Best Self Produced CD” and the Memphis International Blues Challenge in addition to a Juno nomination for “Blues Album of the Year”
- Volume 2 rewarded Hill with the mother lode of 2015 Maple Blues Awards with recognition for “Recording of the Year”, “Guitar Player of the Year”, “Electric Act of the Year”, and “Entertainer of the Year”
The above is evidence that Steve Hill’s got the goods. They’ll be on full display at Violet’s Venue on Saturday April 4th.
