Michael Hill's Blues Mob is an American
blues
Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...
trio
Trio may refer to:
Music Groups
* Trio (music), an ensemble of three performers, or a composition for such an ensemble
** Jazz trio, pianist, double bassist, drummer
** Minuet and trio, a form in classical music
** String trio, a group of three ...
. The members have variously included Michael Hill, his
bass guitar
The bass guitar (), also known as the electric bass guitar, electric bass, or simply the bass, is the lowest-pitched member of the guitar family. It is similar in appearance and construction to an Electric guitar, electric but with a longer nec ...
playing brother, Kevin, and singing sisters, Wynette and Kathy.
Originally formed in the early 1990s by Michael Hill (born 1952,
The Bronx
The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...
,
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
New York may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* ...
,
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
),
the Blues Mob is a trio - however they sometimes add
keyboards. Hill came to blues music from the atypical social and musical background of the Bronx and the
Black Rock Coalition
The Black Rock Coalition is a New York-based artists' collective and nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting the creative freedom and works of black musicians.
Founding and purpose
The BRC was founded in 1985 in New York City by Vernon Re ...
.
With the release of their first
album
An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...
''Bloodlines'' in 1994, Michael Hill's Blues Mob established themselves.
''Bloodlines'' went on to earn the Living Blues Critic's award for Debut Blues Album of the Year. The next four years saw the band release two more albums on
Alligator Records
Alligator Records is an American, Chicago-based independent blues record label founded by Bruce Iglauer in 1971. Iglauer was also one of the founders of the '' Living Blues'' magazine in Chicago in 1970.
History
Iglauer started the label using ...
; ''
Have Mercy!'' (1996) and ''New York State of Blues'' (1998).
Michael Hill's Blues Mob have appeared at the
Chicago Blues Festival
The Chicago Blues Festival is an annual event held in June,
that features three days of performances by top-tier blues musicians, both old favorites and the up-and-coming. It is hosted by the Chicago, Illinois, City of Chicago Department of Cu ...
and
Memphis in May
Memphis in May International Festival is a month-long festival held in Memphis, Tennessee. The festival, which is saluting South Korea in 2025, honors a specific foreign country every year and features many events. The ''Beale Street Music Fest ...
. Their
tours
Tours ( ; ) is the largest city in the region of Centre-Val de Loire, France. It is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Indre-et-Loire. The Communes of France, commune of Tours had 136,463 inhabita ...
have included most of
Europe
Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
, with five trips each to
Brazil
Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
and
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
.
Michael Hill's Blues Mob released their fourth album, ''Suite: Larger Than Life'' in 2001 on Singular Records in the
US and Dixiefrog in
Europe
Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
. This was followed by a
concept album
A concept album is an album whose tracks hold a larger purpose or meaning collectively than they do individually. This is typically achieved through a single central narrative or theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, or lyrical. Som ...
, ''Electric Storyland Live'' (2003), and the
compilation album
A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one Performing arts#Performers, performer or by several performers. If the recordings are from ...
, ''Black Gold and Goddesses Bold'' (2005).
Discography
* ''Bloodlines'' (
Alligator Records
Alligator Records is an American, Chicago-based independent blues record label founded by Bruce Iglauer in 1971. Iglauer was also one of the founders of the '' Living Blues'' magazine in Chicago in 1970.
History
Iglauer started the label using ...
, 1994)
* ''
Have Mercy!'' (Alligator Records, 1996)
* ''New York State of Blues'' (Alligator Records, 1998)
* ''Suite: Larger Than Life'' (Singular Records, 2001)
* ''Electric Storyland Live'' (Ruf Records, 2003)
References
External links
Official website
{{Authority control
American blues musical groups
Musical groups from New York City
Musical trios from New York (state)
Alligator Records artists
Ruf Records artists