John Rockford "Rocky" Hill (December 1, 1946 – April 10, 2009)Andrew Dansby.

. ''

Houston Chronicle The ''Houston Chronicle'' is the largest daily newspaper in Houston, Texas, United States. , it is the third-largest newspaper by Sunday circulation in the United States, behind only ''The New York Times'' and the ''Los Angeles Times''. With i ...

''. April 13, 2009. Retrieved February 10, 2010. was an American blues guitarist, singer, and bassist from

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

, Texas, United States. Hill was the older brother of

ZZ Top ZZ Top is an American rock band formed in 1969 in Houston, Texas. For 51 years, they comprised vocalist-guitarist Billy Gibbons, drummer Frank Beard and vocalist-bassist Dusty Hill, until Hill's death in 2021. ZZ Top developed a signature sou ...

bassist,

Dusty Hill Joe Michael "Dusty" Hill (May 19, 1949 – July 28, 2021) was an American musician who was the bassist of the rock band ZZ Top for more than 50 years. He also sang lead and backing vocals and played keyboards. Hill was born in Dallas, Texas, an ...

Biography

Hill was a member of the 1960s

acid rock Acid rock is a loosely defined type of rock music that evolved out of the mid-1960s garage punk movement and helped launch the psychedelic subculture. Named after lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), the style is generally defined by heavy, d ...

and blues group American Blues with his brother Dusty and drummer Frank Beard. Before the formation of ZZ Top, Rocky left the trio and subsequently played in blues bands for John Lee Hooker,

Lightnin' Hopkins Samuel John "Lightnin" Hopkins (March 15, 1912 – January 30, 1982) was an American country blues singer, songwriter, guitarist and occasional pianist from Centerville, Texas. In 2010, ''Rolling Stone'' magazine ranked him No. 71 on its list ...

(for whom he played bass),John Nova Lomax.
The Anti-Clapton: Rocky Hill Hopes to Find a Smooth Patch on his Rocky Road
. ''

Houston Press The ''Houston Press'' is an online newspaper published in Houston, Texas, United States. It is headquartered in the Midtown area. It was also a weekly print newspaper until November 2017. The publication is supported entirely by advertising ...

''. July 11, 2002. Retrieved February 10, 2010.

Freddie King Freddie King (September 3, 1934December 28, 1976) was an American blues guitarist, singer and songwriter. He is considered one of the "Three Kings of the Blues Guitar" (along with Albert King and B.B. King, none of whom were blood related). Most ...

, and

Jimmy Reed Mathis James Reed (September 6, 1925 – August 29, 1976) was an American blues musician and songwriter. His particular style of electric blues was popular with blues as well as non-blues audiences. Reed's songs such as "Honest I Do" (1957), " ...

. In 1982, he released his first solo album, ''Texas Shuffle'' (reissued in 2005) which featured

Johnny Winter John Dawson Winter III (February 23, 1944 – July 16, 2014) was an American singer and guitarist. Winter was known for his high-energy blues rock albums and live performances in the late 1960s and 1970s. He also produced three Grammy Award-win ...

and

Dr. John Malcolm John Rebennack Jr. (November 20, 1941 – June 6, 2019), better known by his stage name Dr. John, was an American singer and songwriter. His music encompassed New Orleans blues, jazz, funk, and R&B. Active as a session musician from ...

.Robert Wilonsky.
American Blues: Dallas-Born Rocky Hill, Dusty's Older Brother, Died on Friday
. ''

Dallas Observer ''Dallas Observer'' is a free digital and print publication based in Dallas, Texas. The ''Observer'' publishes daily online coverage of local news, restaurants, music, and arts, as well as longform narrative journalism. A weekly print issue circ ...

''. April 13, 2009. Retrieved February 10, 2010. In 1988,

Virgin Records Virgin Records is a record label owned by Universal Music Group. It originally founded as a British independent record label in 1972 by entrepreneurs Richard Branson, Simon Draper, Nik Powell, and musician Tom Newman (musician), Tom Newman. It ...

released Hill's eponymous album produced by ZZ Top's manager and producer

Bill Ham Billy Mack Ham (February 4, 1937 – June 20, 2016) was an American music impresario, best known as the manager, producer, and image-maker for the blues-rock band ZZ Top. Ham also gained prominence in the country music world by discovering and man ...

. Hill, a self-styled "anti- Clapton", was called "a monster on guitar" and "perhaps the wildest and scariest—both on stage and off—of all the white-boy Texas blues guitarists" and was noted in particular for his "metal-melting tone and whistling, artillery-shell harmonics". Hill died on April 10, 2009, aged 62.

Discography

Albums

*'' Texas Shuffle'' (1982) *''Rocky Hill'' (1988) *''Midnight Creepers'' (1994) *''Lone Star Legend'' (released 2012, recorded 1977)

Guest appearances

*"German Mustard" (1972) – track three on ''

The Late Great Townes Van Zandt ''The Late Great Townes Van Zandt'' is a 1972 studio album by Texas singer-songwriter Townes Van Zandt. It was the second album that he recorded in 1972, and a follow-up to '' High, Low and In Between''. Recording ''The Late, Great Townes Van Za ...

'' *''Extended Play'' (1973) – four track EP by Don Sanders *"The Real Good Thing" (2006) – track 5 on the album ''Straight Ahead''
by Joe Miranda and the Wildcatters

References

External links

Review of Rocky HillJohn Lomax talks to Otis Gibbs about Rocky Hill
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hill, Rocky 1946 births 2009 deaths American blues guitarists American male guitarists American blues singers Texas blues musicians Musicians from Dallas 20th-century American singers 20th-century American guitarists Guitarists from Texas 20th-century American male musicians