Years before singer Nikki Hill began performing, she wanted to create a persona for herself. This involved combining sources that wouldn't seem to fit together.
Hill, now 27, revisits the blues and
rockabilly shouters of the 1950s, and her approach also echoes the
phrasing of lesser-known, somewhat smoother soul singers such as Barbara
Lynn. All of that comes from Hill's own research. Her poise goes back
to childhood church experience in North Carolina. But while blues,
R&B and gospel have always been intertwined, she was also a teenage
punk rocker
Keep Your Hands Off My Man
I Got A Man
Hill draws on vintage female rhythm and blues influences such as LaVern Baker, Etta James and Ruth Brown, as well as some of her favorite male singers Otis Redding and Solomon Burke, without being stuck or pigeonholed strictly as a ‘retro’ artist. Her tough vocal style fits with contemporary sensibilities yet evokes all the great blues shouters of previous decades. With the success of similar artists such as Amy Winehouse or Imelda May,
Ooh,my soul!
Hill is poised to blaze her own trail in their wake.
Hailing from Durham, North Carolina, Nikki comes by her Deep South
soul honestly. Her musical roots began while singing in gospel choirs at
church. A stint living in nearby college town Chapel Hill introduced
her to many different styles of music and the awareness of music (and
more importantly, unique and non-mainstream music) as a possible career.
After pairing up with her guitar-playing husband Matt Hill, they
promptly relocated to St. Louis, Missouri, where they have established
themselves as roots rock, rhythm and blues powerhouses!
Voo Doo,VooDoo
Recently creating a whirlwind of excitement following her performances at the Viva Las Vegas festival (the largest roots music festival in the United States), Nikki Hill is currently anticipating the release of her first recording. Following the release of her debut effort, Hill plans to extensively tour the United States and Europe for the remainder of 2012 and well into 2013, spreading her message of down-home dirty R&B to believers and new converts everywhere.
Dont Cry Anymore
Voo Doo,VooDoo
Recently creating a whirlwind of excitement following her performances at the Viva Las Vegas festival (the largest roots music festival in the United States), Nikki Hill is currently anticipating the release of her first recording. Following the release of her debut effort, Hill plans to extensively tour the United States and Europe for the remainder of 2012 and well into 2013, spreading her message of down-home dirty R&B to believers and new converts everywhere.
Dont Cry Anymore