Raymond & Lillie Hill

Born in Clarksdale, Mississippi, Raymond Hill is among the many blues musicians to come from the heart of the Mississippi Delta Region. From Son House to Muddy Waters to John Lee Hooker and Ike Turner, the musical traditions presented by these artists are as varied as their names. In the case of Raymond Hill, he was a proud saxophonist that would go on to record for Sam Phillips’ Sun Records. He was also the man mentioned in the prototype rock & roll song of 1951, “Rocket 88,” when Jackie Brenston would shout “Blow your horn, Raymond!”

Hill would also spend time as the saxophonist for Ike Turner’s Kings of Rhythm throughout the 1950s. However, he and Turner would have a falling out over a singer in the band: Tina Turner. She had originally dated Raymond and had a son with him.

Following his time at Sun Records, Hill would regularly perform with Albert King. Here he would work out of St. Louis, before eventually returning to Clarksdale and settling down with Lillie Hill. This would lead to a general retirement from music, though they would come in to record the first ever single for the newly minted High Water Records in 1979. This record was numbered 408 to suggest a continuity with Sun Records, whose last single was numbered 407.  This would be the Hills’ final major foray into the music scene.