Al Hill is a soul singer, a blues piano master, and an outstanding guitarist. His music is rooted in the blues, but pulls freely from soul, country, and jazz. A mainstay of the Detroit music scene for years, he relocated to Nashville TN in 2008.
Al's debut CD “Willie Mae” blended shuffling blues, rhythm rockers and some expert boogie-woogie on eight rootsy originals and four reworked classics. "Willie Mae" was voted "Best CD" at the Motor Cities Blues Awards, 1999. Al and his band won the "Best Unsigned Band" competition, held at Buddy Guy's Legends in Chicago in 2000. Al was voted "Outstanding Blues Artist" at the Motor City Music Awards in 2005.
Al stays busy as a front man, sideman, and collaborator. Since 2002 Al has been music director and keyboard player for grammy-nominated recording artist Bettye Lavette, playing festival and concert venues throughout North and Central America, Europe, Africa and Japan. The Lavette band has performed on Late Night with Conan O'Brien, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson, and Austin City Limits.
Al also collaborates with his wife Whit Hill in their alt-folk-country band The Postcards, releasing "We Are Here" in 2003, and "Farsighted" three years later.
Other artists Al has performed or recorded with include Luther Allison, Buddy Guy, Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Johnny Johnson, T. Graham Brown, Lazy Lester, Marva Wright, Johnnie Bassett, Alberta Adams, Sir Mack Rice, Kermit Ruffins, Harper, Raul Malo, Rick Holmstrom, Carl Weathersby, Johnny Rawls, and rockabilly legend Sleepy LaBeef.
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