Alex Hill
Alex Hill (April 22, 1906 – February 1937) was an American jazz pianist. Hill was a child prodigy on piano, which he learned from his mother. While studying at Shorter College he met Alphonse Trent, and began arranging material for him. He graduated in 1922 and played in various territory bands, including Terrence Holder's. From 1924 to 1926 he led his own ensemble; later in 1926 he played with Speed Webb, and in 1927 he spent time with Mutt Carey's Jeffersonians and Paul Howard's Quality Serenaders. Late in 1927 he relocated to Chicago, and held a job as an arranger for the Melrose Music Publishing Company, while simultaneously arranging for the Carroll Dickerson Orchestra. He played with Jimmy Wade in 1928, Jimmie Noone in 1929, and Sammy Stewart in 1930. In 1929, Hill plus the guitar players Dan Roberts and Alex Robinson, recorded for Paramount Records billed as the Hokum Boys. Later that year, Ikey Robinson recorded for OKeh Records, both with Jimmy Blythe and later with Hill. In addition, in the second half of 1929 this ensemble was joined by Leroy Carr and Scrapper Blackwell, issuing a small number of recordings billed as the Famous Hokum Boys. While on tour with Stewart he moved to New York City. There he arranged for Paul Whiteman, Benny Carter, Claude Hopkins, Andy Kirk, Ina Ray Hutton, the Mills Blue Rhythm Orchestra, and Duke Ellington. He also did charts for Fats Waller, Eddie Condon, and Willie Bryant. Additionally, he became staff arranger for the Mills Music Company. He and Fats Waller did a show together in New York called Hello 1931, and accompanied Adelaide Hall. He recorded his own composition Passing Time With Me with Art Gillham on Columbia Records on October 7, 1930. Hill again put together his own group in 1935, but after playing at the Savoy Ballroom, he disbanded the ensemble due to his tuberculosis. He moved back to Little Rock, Arkansas, and died in 1937 at the age of 30. Most of his recordings can be found on Alex Hill 1928-34, released on CD by Timeless Records in 1998. It includes recordings he made with Albert Wynn, Jimmy Wade, Jimmie Noone, Junie Cobb, Eddie Condon, and the Hokum Trio. in addition to 11 tunes he did as bandleader. |
Birth and Death Data: Born April 19, 1906 (Little Rock), Died February 1, 1937 (Little Rock)
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1928 - 1938
Roles Represented in DAHR: piano, composer, songwriter, lyricist, tenor vocal, leader, arranger
Notes: Sometimes listed as Alexander Hill.
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings (Results 26-50 of 105 records)
Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Victor | BS-0234 | 10-in. | 8/21/1936 | I would do anything for you | Tempo King ; Kings of Tempo ; Queenie Ada Rubin | Jazz/dance band, with piano solo and male vocal solo | songwriter | |
Victor | BS-02605 | 10-in. | 10/15/1936 | You gonna look like a monkey when you get old | Robert Hill | Male vocal solo, with 2 guitars and harmonica | lyricist | |
Victor | BS-010562 | 10-in. | 6/12/1937 | Our love was meant to be | Clambake Seven ; Tommy Dorsey ; Edythe Wright | Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo | lyricist | |
Victor | BS-013346 | 10-in. | 9/7/1937 | Our love was meant to be | Fats Waller and his Rhythm | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | lyricist | |
Victor | BS-023405 | 10-in. | 5/18/1938 | Draggin' my heart around | Ruby Smith | Female vocal solo, with piano | composer | |
Victor | BS-027940 | 10-in. | 10/19/1938 | When Hannah plays piano | Bob Ballin ; Rennie McEvoy | Male vocal duet | composer | |
Victor | BS-027976 | 10-in. | 10/24/1938 | I would do anything for you | Three's A Crowd | Clarinet, guitar, and piano | songwriter | |
Columbia | [W]150379 | 10-in. | 5/1/1930 | I'm havin' my fun | Alex Hill ; The Hokum Trio | Instrumental trio, with male vocal solo | songwriter, leader, instrumentalist, piano, vocalist, tenor vocal | |
Columbia | [W]150380 | 10-in. | 5/1/1930 | You've had your way | Alex Hill ; The Hokum Trio | Instrumental trio, with male vocal solo | leader, instrumentalist, piano | |
Columbia | [W]150381 | 10-in. | 5/1/1930 | He wouldn't stop doing it | Alex Hill ; The Hokum Trio | Instrumental trio, with male vocal duet | songwriter, leader, instrumentalist, piano, vocalist, tenor vocal | |
Columbia | [W]150382 | 10-in. | 5/1/1930 | You're bound to look like a monkey when you get old | Alex Hill ; The Hokum Trio | Instrumental trio, with male vocal duet | songwriter, leader, instrumentalist, piano, vocalist, tenor vocal | |
Columbia | W150458 | 10-in. | 4/12/1930 | See if I'll care | Charlie Green ; Bessie Smith ; Clarence Williams | Female vocal solo ("blues singer"), with trombone and piano | songwriter | |
Columbia | W150613 | 10-in. | 6/25/1930 | Shout, sister, shout! | Lazy Levee Loungers | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | songwriter | |
Columbia | [W]150734 | 10-in. | 8/26/1930 | (You were only) Passing time with me | Lloyd Keating and his Music | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | composer, lyricist | |
Columbia | W150865 | 10-in. | 10/7/1930 | Passing time with me | Art Gillham ; Alex Hill | Male vocal solo, with piano | instrumentalist, piano, composer, lyricist | |
Columbia | W150866 | 10-in. | 10/7/1930 | When they changed my name to a number | Art Gillham ; Alex Hill | Male vocal solo, with piano | instrumentalist, piano | |
Columbia | W150873 | 10-in. | 10/14/1930 | Passing time with me | Smith Ballew Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | composer, lyricist | |
Columbia | W150927 | 10-in. | 10/31/1930 | You're getting old on your job | Tommy Jordan ; Clara Smith | Female-male vocal duet ("blues singers"), with guitar and piano | composer, lyricist, instrumentalist, piano | |
Columbia | W150928 | 10-in. | 10/31/1930 | What makes you act like that | Tommy Jordan ; Clara Smith | Female-male vocal duet ("blues singers"), with guitar and piano | composer, lyricist, instrumentalist, piano | |
Columbia | W150997 | 10-in. | 12/2/1930 | Keep a song in your soul | Fletcher Henderson's Orchestra | Jazz/dance band | songwriter | |
Columbia | W151396 | 10-in. | 3/5/1931 | I'm crazy 'bout my baby (And my baby's crazy 'bout me | Ted Lewis and his Band | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | lyricist | |
Columbia | W151417 | 10-in. | 3/13/1931 | I'm crazy 'bout my baby (And my baby's crazy 'bout me) | Fats Waller | Male vocal solo, with piano | lyricist | |
Columbia | W151418 | 10-in. | 3/13/1931 | Draggin' my heart around | Fats Waller | Male vocal solo, with piano | composer, lyricist | |
Columbia | [W]151426 | 10-in. | 3/16/1931 | I'm crazy 'bout my baby (And my baby's crazy 'bout me) | Selvin’s Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | lyricist | |
Columbia | W152199 | 10-in. | 5/24/1932 | (I would do) Anything for you | Claude Hopkins and his Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | songwriter |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Hill, Alex," accessed October 31, 2024, https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/104820.
Hill, Alex. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved October 31, 2024, from https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/104820.
"Hill, Alex." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 31 October 2024.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Hill, Alex, 1906-1937 - http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n85034822
Wikidata: Alex Hill - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q2641352
VIAF: http://viaf.org/viaf/62968235
MusicBrainz: Alex Hill - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/88180511-06b4-44ed-8af6-264d08b32e39
Wikipedia content provided under the terms of the Creative Commons BY-SA license
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