Z Z HILL profile picture

Z Z HILL

THE GRITS AND SOUL MASTER RIP

About Me

Z Z Hill was born into this world as Arzell Hill on September 30 1935 in Naples Texas USA. In the late fifties he started his professional career singing in the gospel group ‘The Spiritual Five’ who toured around Texas. He soon became highly influenced by the great soul and R+B singers of the day such as BB King, Sam Cooke, Bobby Bland and Freddie King and like many great soul singers he soon dropped the God squad and joined the enemy making and singing the devils music: rythem and blues, which he started to play in local R&B clubs with the bands of Big Bo Thomas and Frank Shelton out around the Texas area. His elder brother Matt Hill a budding record label owner who was working with popular artist of the day Big Daddy Rucker invited his brother to work in Southern California and record on his new MH record Label, the late Otis Redding advised ZZ ‘to give it a shot’ so he packed in his day driving job and headed out. In 1964. Z Z recorded his first record in a LA garage studio, the gritty soul of ‘You were wrong’ flipped with ‘Tomble weed’ released on a 45 became a minor hit, he then recorded another 45 for MH records ‘One way love affair’ flipped with ‘Come on home’ produced by legendary soul producer/ artist, Gene Page, this 45 didn’t sell well and is now a collectable record, getting plays on the UK allnighter scene, infact this 45 may not have even been commercially available and certainly has never turned up in any of ZZs discographys. Following the success of his first 45 ZZ was soon recording for the Biharis Brothers famed Kent and Modern Labels, but though his output was high releasing many great soul and grit sides commercial success still sadly evaded him. ZZ in an interview about this period stated ‘I would have been hot all over the country if they had been pushing me, because the records were great’ same old story there then. After Kent he recorded for several labels including Atlantic, Mankind and Hill his brother Matts label, who incidently produced a lot of his work through his long career. In 1972 he was signed to major label United Artists were he cut 3 LPS and had 6 singles all scoring well in the R+B charts. Several fruitful years later and ZZ signed to Columbia records were he scored his biggest hit to date with the 1977 single ‘Love is so good when youre stealing it’. He spent 3 reasonably successful years at this major label, but with the domination of disco music, ZZs soulful, bluesy, down home style must have been really out of vogue and his by now veteran artist status sadly overlooked by over zealous, trendy ass a+r people. In 1980 a true marriage of brilliance was formed, ZZ signed to Malaco records a independent company who at this time solely concentrated on down home black music and because of this had some great success’s in this field. ZZs second LP ‘Down home blues’ became a monstrous hit selling 500,000 units which was unheard of for a blues LP making it one of the best selling LPs ever in the contempory blues field and it stayed in the LP charts for 2 years. It set the standard for other blues performers and was instrumental in shaping the blues boom /popularity of this music in the 1980s. ZZ was home at last and cut many great sides for this label, winning ‘Blues vocalist of the year award’ in Memphis from The Blues Foundation in 1984. Sadly his life was tragically cut short by a heart attack on 27 April 1984. We will all miss him and his music, the guy was an inspiration to many.

My Interests

Music:

Member Since: 3/26/2006
Band Members: THIS IS A FAN SITE NOT AN OFFICIAL ZZ PAGE

I edited my profile with Thomas Myspace Editor V3.6 !

Influences: B B KING, BOBBY BLAND, SAM COOKE, LITTLE MILTON, FREDDY KING
Sounds Like: SOUL MUSIC WITH A MOUTH FULL OF GRIT..HERES HIS 45 OUTPUT MH 200 - You Were Wrong / Tumble Weed - 1963 MH 202 - Come On Home / One Way Love Affair - 1964 Mesa 200 - Five Will Get You Ten / The Right To Love - 1964 Kent 404 - You Don't Love Me / If I Could Do It All Over - 1964 Kent 416 - Have Mercy Someone / Someone To Love Me - 1965 Kent 427 - Hey Little Girl / Oh Darlin' - 1965 Kent 432 - What More / That's It - 1965 Kent 439 - Happiness Is All I Need / Everybody Has To Cry - 1965 Kent 444 - No More Doggin' / The Kind Of Love I Want - 1966 Kent 449 - I Found Love / Set Your Sights Higher - 1966 Kent 453 - Gimme Gimme / You Can't Hide A Heartache - 1966 Kent 460 - Greatest Love / Oh Darling - 1967 Kent 464 - Where She At / Baby I'm Sorry - 1967 Kent 469 - Everybody Needs Somebody / You Just Lie And Cheat - 1967 Kent 478 - What Am I Living For / You Gonna Need My Lovin' - 1967 Kent 481 - Nothing Can Change This Love I Have For You / Steal Away - 1968 Kent 494 - You Got What I Need / Have Mercy Someone - 1968 Kent 502 - Don't Make Promises (You Can't Keep) / Set Your Sights Higher - 1968 Atlantic 2659 - It's A Hang Up Baby / (Home Just Ain't Home) At Suppertime - 1969 Atlantic 2711 - Faithful And True / I Think I'll Do It Early In The Morning - 1970 Quinvy 7003 - Faithful And True / I Think I'd Do It - 1970 Hill 222 - Don't Make Me Pay For His Mistakes / Think People - 1971 Kent 4547 - I Need Someone (To Love Me) / Oh Darling - 1971 Mankind 12003 - Faithful And True / I Think I'd Do It - 1971 Kent 4550 - You Don't Love Me / Have Mercy Someone - 1971 Audrey 223 - You Better Take Time / It Can Be Fixed - 1971 Mankind 12007 - Chokin' Kind / Hold Back (One Man At A Time) - 1971 Kent 4560 - If I Could Do It All Over / You Won't Hurt No More - 1972 Kent 4577 - Nothing Can Change This Love / Everybody Has To Cry 1972 Audrey 224 - Sweet Woman By Your Side / Ain't To Proud To Beg - 1972 United Artists 50908 - Dream Don't Let Me Down / Your Love - 1972 Mankind 12012 - Second Chance / I Think I'd Do It - 1972 Mankind 12015 - It Ain't No Use / Ha Ha (Laughing Song) - 1972 United Artists 50977 - I've Got To Get You Back / Your Love Makes Me Feel So Good - 1972 Mankind 12017 - A Man Needs A Woman / Chokin' Kind - 1972 Hill / United Artists Xw225 - Ain't Nothing You Can Do / Love In The Street - 1973 Hill / United Artists Xw307 - I Don't Need Half A Love / Friendship Only Goes So Far - 1973 Hill / United Artists Xw365 - Let Them Talk / The Red Rooster - 1973 Hill / United Artists Xw412 - Am I Groovin' You / Bad Mouth And Gossip - 1974 1974 Hill / United Artists Xw536 - I Keep On Lovin' You / Who Ever's Thrilling You (Is Killing Me) - 1974 Hill / United Artists Xw631 - I Created A Monster / Steppin' In The Shoes Of A Fool - 1975 MHR 221 - Mr. Nobody, Somebody / Think People - 1975 MHR 224 - You Better Take Time / It Can Be Fixed - 1975 MH 228 - My Girl / Don't Make Me Pay - 1976 Columbia 3-10552 - Love Is So Good When You Are Stealing It / Need You By My Side - 1977 Columbia 3-10680 - This Time They Told The Truth / Near But Yet So Far - 1978 Columbia 3-10748 - Universal Love / That's All That's Left - 1978 Columbia 1-11089 - Whip It On Me Baby / Just Because We're No Longer Lovers - 1979 Columbia 1-11156 - I Don't Want Our Love To Be No Secret / I Want To Be Your Every Need - 1979 Malaco 2069 - Please Don't Make Me (Do Something Bad To You) / Blue Monday - 1980 Malaco 2074 - Seperate Way / Chained To Your Love - 1981 Malaco 2076 - Bump And Grind / Something Good Going On - 1981 Malaco 2079 - Cheating In The Next Room / Right Arm For Your Love - 1982 Malibu 05820 - Touch 'Em With Love / Faithful And True - 1982 Malaco 2082 - When Can We Do This Again / When It Rains It Pours - 1982 Malaco 2085 - What Am I Going To Tell Her / Get You Some Business - 1983 Malaco 2090 - Open House At My House / Who You Been Givin' It To - 1983 Malaco 2094 - Get A Little, Give A Little / Blind Side - 1983 Malaco 2097 - Three Into Two Won't Go / Steal Away - 1984 Rare Bullet 4241 - Hold Back (One Man At A Time) / Put A Little Love In Your Heart - 1984 Malaco 2103 - Shade Tree Mechanic / Steppin' In Steppin' Out - 1984 Malaco 2109 - Personally / I'm Gonna Stop You From Giving Me The Blues - 1985
Record Label: MODERN, KENT, ATLANTIC, MALACO, MH, HILL, UA
Type of Label: Indie