Rosa Lee Hill (September 25, 1910 – October 22, 1968) was an American blues musician. She was born Rosa Lee Hemphill in

Como, Mississippi Como is a town in Panola County, Mississippi, which borders the Mississippi Delta and is in the northern part of the state, known as hill country. The population was 1,279 as of the 2010 census. History In a 2007 article about the area, Wayne Dr ...

, United States.

Music career

Hill played music that was in the tradition of north Mississippi, singing acoustic blues that made use of a broody feeling and subtly varied repetition. Her song "Bullyin' Well", which was recorded by Alan Lomax, has been included on a number of releases over the years. The daughter of

Hill country blues Hill country blues (also known as North Mississippi hill country blues or North Mississippi blues) is a regional style of country blues. It is characterized by a strong emphasis on rhythm and percussion, steady guitar riffs, few chord changes, unco ...

musician

Sid Hemphill Sid Hemphill (1876 – 1963) was an American blues multi-instrumentalist and bandleader who played in his own string band mainly in Mississippi. He recorded for Alan Lomax in 1942 and again in 1959. Born in Panola County, Mississippi, Hemphill ...

, Rosa Lee learned guitar from her father and by the time she was ten, was playing dances with him. Several of her songs were recorded by Alan Lomax in 1959, including "Rolled and Tumbled." Hill and her husband were

sharecroppers Sharecropping is a legal arrangement with regard to agricultural land in which a landowner allows a tenant to use the land in return for a share of the crops produced on that land. Sharecropping has a long history and there are a wide range ...

and lived in perpetual poverty; when their property burned down, they relocated to a tumbledown shack to live their remaining years. Her

album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records co ...

, ''Rosa Lee Hill and Friends'', was part of

Fat Possum In nutrition, biology, and chemistry, fat usually means any ester of fatty acids, or a mixture of such compounds, most commonly those that occur in living beings or in food. The term often refers specifically to triglycerides (triple e ...

's campaign to reissue the recordings made by George Mitchell. It included Hill's niece,

Jessie Mae Hemphill Jessie Mae Hemphill (October 18, 1923 – July 22, 2006) was an American electric guitarist, songwriter, and vocalist specializing in the North Mississippi hill country blues traditions of her family and regional heritage. Life and career Hemp ...

, as well as Jim Bunkley, Catherine Porter,

Will Shade William Shade Jr. (February 5, 1898 – September 18, 1966), known as Will Shade, was a Memphis blues musician, best known for his leadership of the Memphis Jug Band. He was commonly called Son Brimmer, a nickname from his grandmother Annie Brim ...

, Essie Mae Brooks,

Precious Bryant Precious Bryant (née Bussey; January 4, 1942 – January 12, 2013) was an American country blues, gospel, and folk singer and guitarist. Bryant is described as one of Georgia's great blueswomen. She played Piedmont fingerstyle guitar. Brya ...

, and Lottie Kate.

Death

Hill died on October 1968, aged 58, in

Senatobia, Mississippi Senatobia is a city in, and the county seat of, Tate County, Mississippi, United States, and is the 16th largest municipality in the Memphis Metropolitan Area. The population was 8,165 at the 2010 census. Senatobia is the home of Northwest Mis ...

References

External links

Complete Rosa Lee Hill recordings
at the Alan Lomax Archive {{DEFAULTSORT:Hill, Rosa Lee 1910 births 1968 deaths Blues musicians from Mississippi People from Como, Mississippi 20th-century American musicians 20th-century women musicians African American female guitarists