Billy Hill was an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 songwriter

Songwriter

A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...

, violinst

Violin

The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....

, and pianist

Pianist

A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...

 who found fame writing Western

Western music (North America)

Western music originated as a form of American folk music. Originally composed by and about the people who settled and worked throughout the Western United States and Western Canada. Directly related musically to old English, Scottish, and Irish folk ballads, Western music celebrates the life of...

 songs such as "They Cut Down the Old Pine Tree", "The Last Roundup", "Wagon Wheels", and "Empty Saddles". Hill's most popular song was "The Glory of Love", recorded by Benny Goodman

Benny Goodman

Benjamin David “Benny” Goodman was an American jazz and swing musician, clarinetist and bandleader; widely known as the "King of Swing".In the mid-1930s, Benny Goodman led one of the most popular musical groups in America...

 in 1936, Peggy Lee

Peggy Lee

Peggy Lee was an American jazz and popular music singer, songwriter, composer, and actress in a career spanning six decades. From her beginning as a vocalist on local radio to singing with Benny Goodman's big band, she forged a sophisticated persona, evolving into a multi-faceted artist and...

 in 1959, Dean Martin

Dean Martin

Dean Martin was an American singer, film actor, television star and comedian. Martin's hit singles included "Memories Are Made of This", "That's Amore", "Everybody Loves Somebody", "You're Nobody till Somebody Loves You", "Sway", "Volare" and "Ain't That a Kick in the Head?"...

 in 1966, Tom Rush

Tom Rush

Tom Rush is an American folk and blues singer, songwriter, musician and recording artist.- Life and career :Rush was born in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. His father was a teacher at St. Paul's School, in Concord, New Hampshire. Tom began performing in 1961 while studying at Harvard University after...

 in 1968, Eddy Arnold

Eddy Arnold

Richard Edward Arnold , known professionally as Eddy Arnold, was an American country music singer who performed for six decades. He was a so-called Nashville sound innovator of the late 1950s, and scored 147 songs on the Billboard country music charts, second only to George Jones. He sold more...

 in 1969, Wizz Jones

Wizz Jones

Raymond Ronald Jones better-known as Wizz Jones is an English acoustic guitarist, singer and songwriter. He has been performing since the late 1950s and recording from 1965 to the present...

 in 1970, Otis Redding

Otis Redding

Otis Ray Redding, Jr. was an American soul singer-songwriter, record producer, arranger and talent scout. He is considered one of the major figures in soul and R&B...

, The Five Keys

The Five Keys

The Five Keys is an American rhythm and blues vocal group that was instrumental in shaping this genre in the 1950s.It was formed with the original name of Sentimental Four in Newport News, Virginia, U.S., in the late 1940s, and initially consisted of two sets of brothers - Rudy West and Bernie...

, and Bette Midler

Bette Midler

Bette Midler is an American singer, actress, and comedian, also known by her informal stage name, The Divine Miss M. She became famous as a cabaret and concert headliner, and went on to star in successful and acclaimed films such as The Rose, Ruthless People, Beaches, and For The Boys...

 for the film Beaches.

Early years

William Joseph Hill was born on July 14, 1899 in the Jamaica Plain neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. He studied the violin

Violin

The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....

 at the New England Conservatory of Music

New England Conservatory of Music

The New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, is the oldest independent school of music in the United States.The conservatory is home each year to 750 students pursuing undergraduate and graduate studies along with 1400 more in its Preparatory School as well as the School of...

 under Carl Muck, and played with the Boston Symphony Orchestra

Boston Symphony Orchestra

The Boston Symphony Orchestra is an orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts. It is one of the five American orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five". Founded in 1881, the BSO plays most of its concerts at Boston's Symphony Hall and in the summer performs at the Tanglewood Music Center...

. Hill left home at the age of seventeen and headed west, where he worked as a cowboy

Cowboy

A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the vaquero traditions of northern Mexico and became a figure of...

 in Montana

Montana

Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...

, and as a surveyor and prospector in Death Valley

Death Valley

Death Valley is a desert valley located in Eastern California. Situated within the Mojave Desert, it features the lowest, driest, and hottest locations in North America. Badwater, a basin located in Death Valley, is the specific location of the lowest elevation in North America at 282 feet below...

, California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

. He returned to music and played violin and piano in dance hall

Dance hall

Dance hall in its general meaning is a hall for dancing. From the earliest years of the twentieth century until the early 1960s, the dance hall was the popular forerunner of the discothèque or nightclub...

s until forming his own jazz band in Salt Lake City, Utah

Salt Lake City, Utah

Salt Lake City is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. The name of the city is often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC. With a population of 186,440 as of the 2010 Census, the city lies in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, which has a total population of 1,124,197...

.

Songwriting career

In 1930, Hill moved to New York City seeking success as a songwriter while working another series of odd jobs. In 1933, he wrote his first hit song, "The Last Roundup", which was introduced by Joe Morrison at the Paramount Theater and eventually made the 1933 Hit Parade. The song's success made Billy Hill one of the most successful songwriters on Tin Pan Alley

Tin Pan Alley

Tin Pan Alley is the name given to the collection of New York City music publishers and songwriters who dominated the popular music of the United States in the late 19th century and early 20th century...

.

Hill collaborated with many songwriters, including Peter De Rose, Dedette Hill (his wife), Victor Young, William Raskin, Edward Eliscu, and J. Keirn Brennan

J. Keirn Brennan

J. Keirn Brennan was an American songwriter. He joined ASCAP as a charter member in 1914 and collaborated with many notable songwriters...

, producing standards such as "They Cut Down the Old Pine Tree", "Have you ever Been Lonely", "Wagon Wheels", "Empty Saddles", "In the Chapel in the Moonlight", "The Call of the Canyon", "On a Little Street in Singapore", "The Old Man of the Mountain", "The Old Spinning Wheel", "Lights Out", "There's a Cabin in the Pines", "Put on an Old Pair of Shoes", "Lights Out", and "The Glory of Love".

Under the name of George "Funky" Brown, he co-wrote the song "Have You Ever Been Lonely?

Have You Ever Been Lonely?

"Have You Ever Been Lonely?" is a popular song with music by Peter De Rose and lyrics by Billy Hill , published in 1932. It has been recorded by many singers, becoming a standard.**1933 Ted Lewis, Ray Noble**1955 Jaye P...

" and "That's When Your Heartaches Begin", which later became hit songs for the Ink Spots and Elvis Presley

Elvis Presley

Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....

.

Billy Hill died on Christmas Eve, December 24, 1940 in Boston, at the age of 41.

Songs

• "All Ashore"
• "Alone at the Table for Two"
• "Angeline"
• "Arizona Moon"
• "Brills of Normandy"
• "Buggy Song"
• "Cabin in the Carolines"
• "Call of the Canyon"
• "Candlelights and Roses"
• "Clouds Will Soon Roll By"
• "Colorado Memories"
• "Colorado Moon"
• "Dream River"
• "Empty Saddles"
• "Everything Has Changed by You"
• "Face in the Fireplace"
• "Forbidden Love"
• "Glory of Love"
• "Have You Ever Been Lonely"
• "Hook and Ladder 31"
• "Hot Tamales"
• "I Wonder Where My Old Girl"
• "I'm Going to Yodel My Way"
• "If I Had Somebody to Love"
• "In a Little Town Across the Border"
• "In a Mission by the Sea"
• "In Chapel in the Moonlight"
• "In the Dark"
• "Just Say Aloha"
• "Ladies of the Night"

• "Last Round Up"
• "Lights Out"
• "Little Black Shawl"
• "Little Old Buryin' Ground"
• "Locked Up in Prison"
• "Lost"
• "Louisville Lady"
• "Maker of Dreams"
• "Manyana Tomorrow"
• "May I Have This Waltz You"
• "Meet Me Tonight in the Old Bunkhouse"
• "Moon Over Monterey"
• "Night After Night"
• "Night on the Desert"
• "Nobody Sings Me a Love Song"
• "Oh Muki Muki Oh"
• "Old Man of the Mountain"
• "On a Little Dream Ranch"
• "On a Little Street in Singapore"
• "Oregon Trail"
• "Playmates"
• "Prairie Lullaby"
• "Put on an Old Pair of Shoes"
• "Rain"
• "Rock a Bye Baby Blues"
• "Rock Me to Sleep"
• "Rollin' Home"
• "Sleepy Head"
• "Smoke from a Chimney"
• "So Little Time"

• "Something to Remember"
• "Street in Havana"
• "Sweet Misery of Love"
• "Sweethearts in Paradise"
• "Take Those Mountains Out"
• "That's What I Call Heaven"
• "That's When Your Heartaches Begin"
• "That's Where the South Belongs"
• "The Mountaineers Sweetheart"
• "The Old Covered Bridge"
• "The Old Spinning Wheel"
• "The Scene Changes"
• "There's a Cabin in the Pines"
• "There's a Home in Wyoming"
• "There's Little Box of Pine O"
• "There's No Light in the Lighthouse"
• "There's a Wild Rose that Grows"
• "They Cut Down the Old Pine"
• "Till the Clock Strikes Three"
• "Timber"
• "The Tree that Father Planted"
• "Wagon Wheels"
• "Was I a Rooster"
• "West, a Nest, and You"
• "When I Was a Boy"
• "When Twilight Comes"
• "When Your Love Knocks at Your Heart"
• "Why Am I Blue"
• "You Should Have Told Me"
• "You'll Grow Sweeter Sweetheart"

External links

• American Music Preservation Billy Hill biography
• Western Music Hall of Fame Songwriting career