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JEFF HILL BAND: A (very) brief history.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION: Origin: Warrington, England Genres: Punk / New Wave / Power Pop

YEARS ACTIVE: 1977 – 1980

LABELS: Chiswick Records, Rabid Records, Balloon Records, RGK (Holland), Sing Sing (USA) Different Class Records (Portugal)

ASSOCIATED ACTS: John Cooper Clarke, Jilted John, Fast Cars, Ed Banger And The Nosebleeds, Radiators From Space, Radio Stars.

MEMBERS: Jeff Hill, Dave Buckley, Ray Humphries

BIOGRAPHY: The Jeff Hill Band were a New Wave / Power Pop band that formed in late 1977 and were based in Warrington, Cheshire.

Guitarist Jeff had recorded a single for Chiswick Records and needed a band to promote it.

A chance meeting with drummer Dave Buckley on a National Express coach put the wheels in motion and, once bassist Ray Humphries was in place, the line-up was complete.

During their first gig at Burtonwood Air Base, they met the sole punk in the audience who instantly became their roadie for the rest of the band’s existence. Enter Gary Blair!

Another recording session was commissioned by Ted Carol for Chiswick at Pathway Studio in London but the recordings were not used at that time, only surfacing bit by bit until the full session was eventually released in 2020.

The band gigged heavily all over the country for the next three years and was part of the legendary Rabid Records Tour headlined by John Cooper Clarke.

Despite some high-profile gigs alongside Clarke, Jilted John, Fast Cars, The Out and Ed Banger and the Nosebleeds, and with interest from several labels including EMI and Virgin (which came to nothing!), the band’s final single was released on Balloon, a small independent local label.

Despite good reviews and plays by John Peel, they were unable to gain major label support and disbanded in early 1980.

Jeff, Dave and Ray continued in the music business - but only played together once more at a wedding in 1984, though they remained in touch and worked together on none JHB projects from time to time.

Jeff worked with various artists including Angie Gold, The Houghton Weavers and Blueberryhill.

Dave and Ray worked together for several years in a band called ‘The Tribal Elders‘ which put out a single “Cardboard City” in 2008.

Sadly Jeff passed away in 2019.

DISCOGRAPHY: 1977 Single “I Want You To Dance With Me” - Chiswick

1979 Single “Something’s Wrong With My Baby” - Balloon

2002 LP “Something’s Wrong With The Jeff Hill Band” Real Gone Kids - RGK (Holland)

2009 Single rerelease “Something’s Wrong With My Baby” - Sing Sing (USA)

2020 EP “The Pathway Sessions” - Different Class Records (Portugul)