Rocky Hill (December 1, 1946 - April 10, 2009)

Funeral services for Rocky Hill, age 62, of Kemah, Texas, will be held at Murray-Orwosky Funeral Home, at 1:00 p.m., Tuesday, April 14, 2009, with Rev. B. J. Teer officiating. Interment will follow at Como Cemetery, with Don Harley, Wayne Rabe, Steve Simmons, Mike Simmons, Anthony Shadix and Tony Glasscock serving as pallbearers. Honorary pallbearers will be Alvin Milliken, Billy Gibbons, Frank Beard and Christian L. Smith. Visitation will be held from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., Monday, April 13, 2009, at Murray-Orwosky Funeral Home. Rocky Hill passed away Friday evening, April 10, 2009, at St. Johns Hospital in Houston. He was born in Dallas, on December 1, 1946, the son of Ernest Hill and Myrl (Ward) Hill. He was the beloved husband of Joy Darlene Smith. They were married in Houston, on November 21, 1998; she survives. Rocky was a musician and a member of the Baptist faith. He was an A.S.C.A.P. writer and received a gold and platinum record for work on Z.Z. Top’s Recycler Album. He was an honorary Texas Ranger. Other survivors include: son, Christian L. Smith; sister, Sue Shadix of Como; brother, Dusty Hill of The Woodlands; three nieces, Sherrie Shadix of Como, Lori Hoffman of Grand Prairie and Cody Hill of Houston; three nephews, Tony Shadix of Saltillo, Will VanWey of Dallas and Allen Garvin of Dallas; four great-nieces and four great-nephews. He was preceded in death by a brother, Stanley Garvin and sister, Jane Aiken.
Obituary

A Sad Day for Texas Blues

It’s a sad day for the friends, family and fans of Rocky Hill. Rocky has left us after a period of illness. I really don’t have any details beyond the obituary. I will try to provide some soon, so check back. Or feel free to post a comment if you have any information.
Rocky is the brother of ZZ Top bassist Dusty Hill. Rocky rubbed elbows with many a Texas bluesman including SRV and Jimmie Vaughan, (Rocky was a pallbearer at SRV’s funeral) Lightnin' Hopkins, Albert King, Jimmy Reed.
See below for Rocky’s self titled release.
Thanks to Rocky’s nephew, Allen for sending me Rocky’s Midnight Creepers release. Get it HERE
Midnight Creepers featured Tommy Shannon, Kim Wilson, Uncle Tom Turner and Albert Collins.
Also, you can find American Blues, the band with Dusty and Rocky together, HERE. Or go direct to the rapidshare link, HERE
Here is some footage of Rocky talking about Lightnin'
Houston Chromicle story

Rocky Hill

Rocky Hill is of course the brother of Dusty Hill of long time ZZ Top residence/fame.
This record was released in 1988, is a Lone Wolf Production and ZZ Top producer Bill Ham was at the helm. Much of the record really shows the Bill Ham/ZZ Top influence that surely would have been nearly impossible for Hill to avoid. Not that it's a bad thing. Although one wonders who is responsible for the very dated sounding background vocals populating much of the work. Unfortunate.

HPD kicks it off with a good rockin blues piece, showing Hill's penchant for changing meter and feel during his songs, sometimes it works, other times not so well. Next up is I Won't Be Your Fool, full of tasty licks, and moving vocals, clearly was intended to be a hit. Take My Love, Sam Bass and Walked from Dallas round out the nice works here.
New York Turnaround is rather formulaic but Hill kicks out a killer solo in the middle.
Bad year for the Blues, while it is well meant, it is a mish-mash sort of arrangement with some awkward breaks. I'll Be There is your basic ballad. Hoo Doo Eyes with the background vocals, whew, that is a miss.
Hill wraps it up with a basic acoustic piece that at once acknowledges his roots and may have been a bit of an artist saying, Hey, enough with the horns and backup vocals, I'm a Texas bluesman.

Line up seems to be; Reed "Red Pharoah" Farrell, Randy Joe Hobbs, Steve Hardin, Doyle Bramhall, James Robinson, Lester Snell, William Brown, the Duncan Sisters and the Memphis Horns.