Anne Hills - Biography

Anne Hills was the recipient of the Kerrville music Foundation's Outstanding Female Vocalist Award in 1997. In 1998, her voice was heard alongside Bruce Springsteen, Bonnie Raitt, The Roches, Ani DeFranco, The Indigo Girls and many others on two classic compilations, "Where Have All the Cowboys Gone, The Songs of Pete Seeger" and "What's That I Hear?", a tribute to Phil Ochs.

"Bittersweet Street," Anne's debut release on Redwing Music, is the second album to feature her own original songs. Visiting such diverse subjects as the Civil War, love lost and found, alcoholism, a yard of dreams and the dreams of the exiled, she reaches to the heart with a poet's evocative palette and a singer's love of melody.

Anne Hills was born in Moradabad, India, the third daughter of educational missionaries. she was raised in Michigan, and went to Interlochen Arts Academy where she was female soloist with the Big Bad that turned out future greats Peter Erskine, Bob Mintzer and Chris Brubeck. She moved to Chicago in 1976, and co-founded the folklore center Hogeye Music, still a force in the Chicago music scene.

Her first three recordings, 1982's "The Panic is On" (with Jan Burda), 1984's "Don't Explain," and the "Chicago Folk" Christmas album "On This Day Earth Shall Ring," were released on her own Hogeye Records label. In 1983, she joined forces with folk luminaries Tom Paxton and Bob Gibson to travel as a trio, helping her to develop her own style of songwriting and performing.

As Anne's touring schedule and prominence grew, Flying Fish Records assumed Hogeye's catalog. Shortly after the release of her second solo recording, 1987's "Woman of a Calm Heart" (produced in Woodstock by Artie Traum), Anne began an occasional but very fruitful musical partnership with Priscilla Herdman and Cindy Mangsen, resulting in Herdman, Hills, and Mangsen's debut recording, "Voices" (1990).

Anne followed the trio recording with "October Child" (1993), produced by jazz drummer and former classmate Peter Erskine (Weather Report). Her 1994 traditional music project "Never Grow Old" (1994) received an Honorable Mention in the Folk category of the Indie Awards of the National Association of Independent Record Distributors. Recorded with Cindy Mangsen, it featured a host of guests including John Hartford, Laurie Lewis, Tom Paxton, and Gordon Bok.

In 1995, Anne finally released a recording devoted to her own compositions. The critically acclaimed "Angle of the Light" is currently her best selling record and a perennial favorite on folk radio. 1997 saw the release of the second album by Herdman, Hills, and Mangsen, "Voices of Winter." In the spring of 1998, Anne and Cindy Mangsen released "Never Grow Up" on Flying Fish/Rounder, a sequel to their previous collaboration.

Hills' commitment to social justice and children keeps her busy with benefit concerts and community service. In September 1997, The Carole Robertson Center for Learning gave her its Award for Outstanding Service and Loyalty. Located in Chicago, the Center aids families and children in need and is named for one of the four children killed in 1963 in the Birmingham, Alabama church bombing. Earlier in the year Anne had produced her second in a series of benefit recordings, "Part of the Village," for the Center, enlisting a variety of other musicians to contribute songs for the project. The award acknowledges Anne's timeless efforts as a fundraiser for the Center through her production and promotion of the recordings and benefit concerts.

For more information about Anne Hills, visit her Web site.

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