Billy Hill (songwriter)
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Billy Hill (July 14, 1899 – December 24, 1940) was an American
songwriter A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music gen ...
,
violin The violin, sometimes known as a ''fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regular ...
ist, and
pianist A pianist ( , ) is an individual musician who plays the piano. Since most forms of Western music can make use of the piano, pianists have a wide repertoire and a wide variety of styles to choose from, among them traditional classical music, ja ...
who found fame writing
Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...
songs such as "They Cut Down the Old Pine Tree", "The Last Round-Up", "
Wagon Wheels Wagon Wheels are a sweet snack food sold in the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, other Commonwealth countries like New Zealand and India, and Ireland. They consist of two biscuits that form a sandwich with a marshmallow filling with jam, and ...
", and " Empty Saddles". Hill's most popular song was " The Glory of Love", recorded by
Benny Goodman Benjamin David Goodman (May 30, 1909 – June 13, 1986) was an American clarinetist and bandleader known as the "King of Swing". From 1936 until the mid-1940s, Goodman led one of the most popular swing big bands in the United States. His co ...
in 1936, and subsequently by
Peggy Lee Norma Deloris Egstrom (May 26, 1920 – January 21, 2002), known professionally as Peggy Lee, was an American jazz and popular music singer, songwriter, composer, and actress, over a career spanning seven decades. From her beginning as a vocalis ...
,
Otis Redding Otis Ray Redding Jr. (September 9, 1941 – December 10, 1967) was an American singer and songwriter. He is considered one of the greatest singers in the history of American popular music and a seminal artist in soul music and rhythm and blues. ...
,
Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained worldwide fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John Lennon. One ...
, and others.


Early years

William Joseph Hill was born on July 14, 1899 in the
Jamaica Plain Jamaica Plain is a neighborhood of in the City of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Settled by Puritans seeking farmland to the south, it was originally part of the former Town of Roxbury, now also a part of the City of Boston. The commun ...
neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. He studied the
violin The violin, sometimes known as a ''fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regular ...
at the
New England Conservatory of Music The New England Conservatory of Music (NEC) is a Private college, private music school in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the oldest independent music Music school, conservatory in the United States and among the most prestigious in the world. The ...
under
Karl Muck Karl Muck (October 22, 1859 – March 3, 1940) was a German-born conductor of Classical music. He based his activities principally in Europe and mostly in opera. His American career comprised two stints at the Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO). M ...
, and played with the
Boston Symphony Orchestra The Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) is an American orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the second-oldest of the five major American symphony orchestras commonly referred to as the " Big Five". Founded by Henry Lee Higginson in 1881, ...
. Hill left home at the age of seventeen and headed west, where he worked as a
cowboy A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the '' vaquer ...
in
Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbi ...
, and as a surveyor and prospector in
Death Valley Death Valley is a desert valley in Eastern California, in the northern Mojave Desert, bordering the Great Basin Desert. During summer, it is the Highest temperature recorded on Earth, hottest place on Earth. Death Valley's Badwater Basin is the ...
,
California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
. He returned to music and played violin and piano in
dance hall Dance hall in its general meaning is a hall for Dance, dancing. From the earliest years of the twentieth century until the early 1960s, the dance hall was the popular forerunner of the discothèque or nightclub. The majority of towns and citi ...
s until forming his own jazz band in
Salt Lake City, Utah Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Sal ...
.


Songwriting career

In 1930, Hill moved to New York City seeking success as a songwriter while working another series of odd jobs. In 1933, he wrote his first hit song, "The Last Roundup", which was introduced by Joe Morrison at the Paramount Theater and eventually made the 1933 Hit Parade. The song's success made Billy Hill one of the most successful songwriters on
Tin Pan Alley Tin Pan Alley was a collection of music publishers and songwriters in New York City that dominated the popular music of the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It originally referred to a specific place: West 28th Street ...
. Hill collaborated with many songwriters, including
Peter DeRose Peter DeRose (or De Rose) (March 10, 1896 – April 23, 1953) was an American composer of jazz and pop music during the era of Tin Pan Alley. Biography A native of New York City, he showed a gift for all things musical at an early age. He lea ...
, Dedette Hill (his wife),
Victor Young Albert Victor Young (August 8, 1899– November 10, 1956)"Victor Young, Composer, Dies of Heart Attack", ''Oakland Tribune'', November 12, 1956. was an American composer, arranger, violinist and conductor. Biography Young is commonly said to ...
, William Raskin,
Edward Eliscu Edward Eliscu (April 2, 1902 – June 18, 1998) was an American lyricist, playwright, producer and actor, and a successful writer of songs for films. Life Eliscu was born in Manhattan, New York City. He attended DeWitt Clinton High School in ...
, and
J. Keirn Brennan J. Keirn Brennan (November 24, 1873 – February 4, 1948) was an American songwriter. He joined ASCAP as a charter member in 1914 and collaborated with many notable songwriters. He is probably best known for co-writing the 1929 in film, 1929 film '' ...
, producing standards such as "They Cut Down the Old Pine Tree", "
Have You Ever Been Lonely? "Have You Ever Been Lonely? (Have You Ever Been Blue?)" is a popular song with music by Peter De Rose and lyrics by Billy Hill (writing under the name of George Brown), published in 1932. It has been recorded by many singers, becoming a standard. ...
", "Wagon Wheels", " Empty Saddles", " In the Chapel in the Moonlight", "The Call of the Canyon", "
On a Little Street in Singapore "On a Little Street in Singapore" is a jazz song written by Peter DeRose and Billy Hill. Though now obscure, it had some measure of popularity in the 1930s and 1940s, marked by a number of high-profile performances. Artists to cover the song inc ...
", "The Old Man of the Mountain", "The Old Spinning Wheel", "There's a Cabin in the Pines", "Put on an Old Pair of Shoes", "Lights Out", and "The Glory of Love". Under the name of George "Funky" Brown, he co-wrote the song "
Have You Ever Been Lonely? "Have You Ever Been Lonely? (Have You Ever Been Blue?)" is a popular song with music by Peter De Rose and lyrics by Billy Hill (writing under the name of George Brown), published in 1932. It has been recorded by many singers, becoming a standard. ...
", as well as " That's When Your Heartaches Begin", which was made popular by both
The Ink Spots The Ink Spots were an American pop vocal group who gained international fame in the 1930s and 1940s. Their unique musical style presaged the rhythm and blues and rock and roll musical genres, and the subgenre doo-wop. The Ink Spots were widely a ...
and
Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...
. Billy Hill died of heart failure in a Boston hotel room on Christmas Eve, December 24, 1940. He was 41.


Honors and awards

*
Songwriters Hall of Fame The Songwriters Hall of Fame (SHOF) is an American institution founded in 1969 by songwriter Johnny Mercer, music publisher/songwriter Abe Olman, and publisher/executive Howie Richmond to honor those whose work, represent, and maintain, the her ...
*
Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame The Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame was established in 1970 by the Nashville Songwriters Foundation, Inc. in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. A non-profit organization, its objective is to honor and preserve the songwriting legacy that is u ...


Songs

* "All Ashore" * "Alone at the Table for Two" * "Angeline" * "Arizona Moon" * "Brills of Normandy" * "Buggy Song" * "The Call of the Canyon" * "Candlelights and Roses" * "The Clouds Will Soon Roll By" * "Colorado Memories" * "Colorado Moon" * "Dream River" * "
Empty Saddles (in the Old Corral) "Empty Saddles (in the Old Corral)" is a classic Western music (North America), American cowboy song written by Billy Hill (songwriter), Billy Hill. Hill based the song on a poem by J. Keirn Brennan grieving for lost companions. The song became wi ...
" * "Everything Has Changed by You" * "Face in the Fireplace" * "Forbidden Love" * "
Have You Ever Been Lonely? "Have You Ever Been Lonely? (Have You Ever Been Blue?)" is a popular song with music by Peter De Rose and lyrics by Billy Hill (writing under the name of George Brown), published in 1932. It has been recorded by many singers, becoming a standard. ...
" * "Hook and Ladder 31" * "Hot Tamales" * "I Wonder Where My Old Girl" * "I'm Going to Yodel My Way" * "If I Had Somebody to Love" * "In a Little Town Across the Border" * "In the Mission by the Sea" * " In the Chapel in the Moonlight" * "In the Dark" * "Just Say Aloha" * "Ladies of the Night" * "Lights Out" * "Little Black Shawl" * "Little Old Buryin' Ground" * "Locked Up in Prison" * "Lost" * "Louisville Lady" * "Maker of Dreams" * "Manyana Tomorrow" * "May I Have This Waltz You" * "Meet Me Tonight in the Old Bunkhouse" * "Moon Over Monterey" * "Night After Night" * "Night on the Desert" * "Nobody Sings Me a Love Song" * "Oh Muki Muki Oh" * "The Old Man of the Mountain" * "On a Little Dream Ranch" * "
On a Little Street in Singapore "On a Little Street in Singapore" is a jazz song written by Peter DeRose and Billy Hill. Though now obscure, it had some measure of popularity in the 1930s and 1940s, marked by a number of high-profile performances. Artists to cover the song inc ...
" * "Oregon Trail" * "Playmates" * "Prairie Lullaby" * "Put on an Old Pair of Shoes" * "Rain" * "Rock a Bye Baby Blues" * "Rock Me to Sleep" * "Rollin' Home" * "Sleepy Head" * "Smoke from a Chimney" * "So Little Time" * "Something to Remember" * "Street in Havana" * "Sweet Misery of Love" * "Sweethearts in Paradise" * "Take Those Mountains Out" * "That's What I Call Heaven" * " That's When Your Heartaches Begin" * "That's Where the South Belongs" * " The Glory of Love" * "The Last Round-Up" * "The Mountaineers Sweetheart" * "The Old Covered Bridge" * "The Old Spinning Wheel" * "The Scene Changes" * "The West, A Nest and You" * "There's a Cabin in the Pines" * "There's a Home in Wyoming" * "There's Little Box of Pine O" * "There's No Light in the Lighthouse" * "There's a Wild Rose that Grows" * "They Cut Down the Old Pine" * "Till the Clock Strikes Three" * "Timber" * "The Tree that Father Planted" * "
Wagon Wheels Wagon Wheels are a sweet snack food sold in the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, other Commonwealth countries like New Zealand and India, and Ireland. They consist of two biscuits that form a sandwich with a marshmallow filling with jam, and ...
" * "Was I a Rooster" * "West, a Nest, and You" * "When I Was a Boy" * "When Twilight Comes" * "When Your Love Knocks at Your Heart" * "Why Am I Blue" * "You Should Have Told Me" * "You'll Grow Sweeter Sweetheart"


References


External links


American Music Preservation
Billy Hill biography

Songwriting career *
Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame profile of Hill.

Billy Hill recordings
at the
Discography of American Historical Recordings The Discography of American Historical Recordings (DAHR) is a database of master recordings made by American record companies during the 78rpm era. The DAHR provides some of these original recordings, free of charge, via audio streaming, along with ...
. {{DEFAULTSORT:Hill, Billy 1899 births 1933 singles 1940 deaths Musicians from Boston New England Conservatory alumni Songwriters from Massachusetts 20th-century American musicians People from Jamaica Plain