Raymond Hill

1. b. 29 April 1933, Clarksdale, Mississippi, USA, d. 16 April 1996, Clarksdale, Mississippi, USA. Tenor saxophonist and singer Hill played with many blues and R&B artists. He was influenced strongly in his early years by Jimmy Liggins and Joe Liggins. A friend and musical associate of then-drummer Billy Gayles, Hill joined up with Ike Turner with whom he first worked in the late 40s. He stayed with Turner for several years, playing in the Tophatters big band and also in the better-known Kings Of Rhythm. Hill appeared on several records, including ‘Rocket 88’, and his honking saxophone was soon an integral part of the sound of Turner’s band.

Although Hill appeared on many records with Turner and others, including Howlin’ Wolf, he made only a handful of tracks under his own name. These were for labels such as Highwater Records and Sun Records, and among the best-known tracks were ‘I’m Back Pretty Baby’, ‘Blue Man’, ‘You’re Driving Me Insane’, ‘The Snuggle’ and ‘Bourbon Street Jump’. Turner played guitar on the latter pair of titles. When Hill was in Ike Turner’s band, he formed an intimate relationship with the band’s young singer, Annie Mae Bullock, who later became Tina Turner, and in 1958 was father to her first son.