Today we’d like to introduce you to Christopher Hill.
Christopher, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I was born in Grand Prairie and raised in Alabama. I’ve always loved music and started showing an interest in drums when I was about 12 or 13. After seeing I was really into it, my mom bought me a marching snare, followed by comedic regret because she hadn’t realized how loud it would be. My mother was my biggest source of support. She passed from cancer when I was 15. Shortly thereafter, I moved to Arizona, where my passion really picked up. I didn’t have much experience but I practiced A LOT. I made drumline my junior year of High School and participated in concert bands, orchestras and jazz bands. That’s when I fell in love with drum set. After hearing Danny Carey from Tool play, I was hooked and knew then that this is what I’d be doing for the rest of my life. I became the drumline section leader my senior year. After graduating high school, I moved to Los Angeles to attend the Musicians Institute. I had the opportunity to study under some of the best musical educators of all time! Circumstances prompted a return to Texas after just a short time, where I was able to start my professional career.
Since then, I’ve been blessed to jam in front of thousands of people in over 17 countries, playing various styles of music. One of the cooler experiences being; my time spent all throughout Europe with Ryan McGarvey. I also got to groove with one of the all-time legendary bassists in Carmine Rojas for some of those Euro trips. If you’re not familiar with him by name, you are by groove! If you’ve ever heard the Bowie record “Let’s Dance”, then you know just a fraction of work he’s been a part of. Getting to spend time with him was life-changing. I’ve had countless awesome opportunities since then. I’ve played with Jennifer Holiday, an original Broadway Dreamgirl, and the Dallas symphony orchestra opened for bands like REO Speedwagon, Grand Funk Railroad, and Lynyrd Skynard. Currently, I’ve got a three song EP out titled Stratosphere, which includes some super talented features. My main project is with Chet Stevens. He’s been one of my best friends for a long time and we have this unreal writing and performing chemistry. He’s featured on the title track of my EP. We also have a record out now called “Altered Courses. “Retrograde” with Mark Lettieri (Snarky Puppy, Frequent Flyers, Erykah Badu) and Katrina Cain (NBC’s The Voice). Currently, I’m still playing around DFW and abroad!
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Losing my mother to cancer when I was 15 was devastating. I was a full-blown, unashamed mamas boy! She put so much love, joy, and truth into me over the years. After that, I ended up leaving Alabama and transferring to Arizona, which is where my father lived at the time. A couple of months after I lost my mom, I lost my grandmother. Both of them essentially raised me. Basically, over the course of about 2-3 months, my entire world collapsed on me. I’d already battled heavy depression, anxiety attacks, and other things long before then, but that was like the straw that broke the camels back. But I had a fantastic support system of friends and family that were always there to encourage me. All of that deepened my faith as well as my connection to music.
We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
So I’m a musician. More specifically a drummer. Most people know me for my smile and my feel. That’s the fun thing about being a musician. Everyone has their own approach. My feel is what sets me apart from other drummers!
What were you like growing up?
Growing up, I was a pretty shy, nerdy kid. But was pretty goofy as well. I was, and still am into sports, sciences and philosophy and things of the sort. All of that has contributed to who I’ve become as a musician.
Contact Info:
- Email: pocketdrummer1@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/officialhilldrummer/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/christopher.hugheshill
Image Credit:
Rhonda Pierce, Jessica Waffles, Fons Kersbulck
Suggest a story: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
