ZZ・ヒル (Z. Z. Hill)

Z. Z. Hill
Arziel Hill (born September 30, 1935, Naples, Texas; died April 27, 1984, Dallas, Texas), known popularly as Z. Z. Hill, was an African-American blues singer, in the Soul blues tradition, known for his 1970s and 1980s recordings for Malaco. His Down Home Blues (1982) stayed on the charts for nearly two years. The title track and songs, Someone Else Is Steppin In and Open House have become R&B/Southern soul staples.

Hill began his singing career in the late 1950s as part of a gospel group called The Spiritual Five, touring Texas. Around 1960, he started collecting records by B.B. King, Freddie King, Sam Cooke, Bobby "Blue" Bland and Wilson Pickett and began singing and writing songs influenced by these styles.

In 1964, Hill moved to California and recorded You Were Wrong on his brother's M.H. label. The single charted and Hill released several more singles for Kent, but none of them charted. He moved labels several times, including signing with Phil Walden's Macon, Ga. based Capricorn label, but Hill refused to record for Walden, and his contract was bought by Jerry "Swamp Dogg" Williams' Mankind label, where Hill finally fulfilled his end of the deal.

In 1971, Williams recorded Hill in Muscle Shoals, Ala. and they had hits including Faithful & True (Cash Box Top 100) and Chokin' Kind (Cash Box R&B #50). With his brother's help, Hill then signed to United Artists, where he released several successful singles. During the UA period in the mid-1970s, he was aided by arrangements and compositions by established R&B talents like Lamont Dozier and Allen Toussaint.

Hill's biggest hit came while signed to Columbia, Love Is So Good When You're Stealing It, which spent 18 weeks on the R&B charts in the summer of 1977. Signed to Malaco in 1979, Hill's next hit single was I'm Gonna Stop You From Givin' Me The Blues, in 1980. Hill's recording of songwriter George Jackson's Cheatin' In The Next Room, was released in early 1982 and broke into the top 20 nationally, spending a total of 20 weeks on the charts. Unfortunately, Hill's rising talent was cut short when he died suddenly of a heart attack in 1984 at the young age of 48. He has been missed yet celebrated by colleagues and followers, as tribute concerts and albums have occurred over the years...
(Wikipedia: Z. Z. Hill)