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Bill Hill
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Obituaries: Montreal Guitarist-Producer Bill Hill, Outlaw Country Star David Allan Coe
This week we also acknowledge the passing of Canadian country artist Hugh Scott, Ronettes singer and co-founder Nedra Talley Ross and English folk singer Beverley Martyn.
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Bill (Frank William) Hill, a guitarist and producer best known as a member of hit '60s Montreal band J.B. and The Playboys, died on April 23, at age 82.
The news was confirmed in a post on that group's Facebook page that noted "we lost original Playboy Billy Hill on Thursday after a brief illness."
When contacted by Billboard Canada, J.B. and The Playboys frontman Allan Nicholls recalls the origins of the band.
"I was introduced to Bill in about 1962. He had playing in my brother’s band, The Jesters — later to be known as Dave Nicholls and The Coins.I was playing in a band The Montereys and our guitarist Alistair Lemieux had just left and asked Bill to step in, which he did.
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"We just hit it off from the first note he played in his Gibson ES175D (with a Bigsby arm). His style and sound were so unique — a cross between Chet Atkins and Hank B Marvin. We became JB and The Playboys in late 1962 along with Doug, Andy, and Louis [Andy Kaye, drummer Lorne Douglas West and bassist Louis Atkins].
"We played out a lot — great shows all across Quebec, the Maritimes, Ontario, opening for every big act we could. We had a great live show and we were always in demand. We recorded singles and one album. In 1969, our manager suggested that I audition for the Broadway show Hair and that the band follow me down and we could work out of NYC and finally break into the U.S. market. That idea failed and I went on to have my own solo career and all the other guys went their separate ways and did really well."
A 2025 feature profile of Allan Nicholls in Seven Days Vermont reported that "Before he started working with [famed film director] Robert Altman on acclaimed projects [including A Wedding and A Perfect Couple] and and directing music videos for the likes of Meatloaf and Leonard Cohen [I'm Your Man] Nicholls fronted Canada’s original answer to the Beatles: J.B. and the Playboys.
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"From its formation in 1963 until its breakup six years later, the quintet brought the sounds of the British Invasion to Canadian airwaves and stages, scoring moderate local hits and touring the country with the Rolling Stones and the Beach Boys. While the band never broke through to achieve a headlining level of fame, it was regionally beloved in its day.
"Hill’s classic, crystal-clear tones evoke Dick Dale or the Ventures and underpinned much of the band’s sound. The Playboys — named after the American men’s lifestyle magazine Playboy, with 'J.B.' being an inside joke among the band — arrived just before Beatlemania had fully gripped North America, only months before the Fab Four made their fateful 1964 appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show.
"With a mix of originals and early Beatles covers such as 'Eight Days a Week,' they took Montréal by storm, playing high school dances, YMCA functions and eventually becoming a fixture at the Bonaventure Curling Club, one of the hottest rock clubs in the city in the ’60s. A local businessman who owned a cologne company took on the band of teenagers as their manager and had them fitted for suits, ready to become Canada’s next big thing.
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"After introducing their signature British Invasion-via-Canada sound on a handful of singles with the label RCA Victor, the lads found themselves touring the country in 1965 with the Rolling Stones, who were on the cusp of stardom and playing warm-up dates in Canada ahead of a U.S. tour. 'They were still trying to get to the next level,' Nicholls recalled of the Stones. 'They were touring Canada in two station wagons, and we just followed them around to the gigs.”
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To Seven Days Vermont, Nicholls explained that "Onstage, we were so good, and we knew it. But every time we went into the studio, we just couldn’t reproduce that magic. And we knew that if we didn’t get a record out soon, it would be a problem. But we just didn’t know what the hell we were doing.”
The band hooked up with several producers, including Gary Paxton, who had scored a No. 1 hit in 1962 for Bobby “Boris” Pickett with "Monster Mash.” Nothing stuck, so the Playboys flew to New York City in 1967 to cut their new record with producer Artie Kornfeld, who would later leave Capitol Records to co-create the Woodstock Music and Art Fair in 1969.
That session was disastrous, though, and Nicholls later admitted “it just sucked all the confidence and self-esteem out of us and pretty much finished the band off. Well, that and a lawsuit over being in debt from when our manager borrowed money under our name to buy some amps. By ’69 we were essentially done.” The Playboys’ 1965 debut would remain their only record from their heyday, though a compilation CD, J.B. & The Playboys – Anthology, was released by Super Oldies in 2005.
After the demise of The Playboys, Bill Hill continued to work as a session guitarist as well as playing in other bands, including Freedom North, who released their lone album in 1970 (self-titled and produced by Hill) and scored moderate hits with their singles "Dr. Tom" and "Losing You."
Hill expanded his music industry career as a producer and engineer, producing April Wine's self-titled 1971 album for Aquarius Records. Nicholls tells Billboard Canada that "Bill was busy for years recording all genres of music but the disco scene provided him with a great record production career."
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In 1974 , Hill founded Montreal Sound Studios, which he ultimately sold in 1985. He then became an audio production instructor at the Montréal campus of Trebas Institute. In the late 1980s he founded his music management firm Bill Hill Productions and its publishing division Rohill Music Publishing. His most recent management firm was named Chestnut Tree Productions.
One artist with whom Hill worked extensively was veteran roots singer-songwriter Don Graham. He tells Billboard Canada that "I worked with Billy off and on for over fifty years. He produced our first record with Graham County in 1970 and joined the band as musical director and lead guitarist. He was our rock, on stage and off.
"We played together later as a duo and trio and in 2010 he produced and played on my solo album, A Willing Heart. Of all my recordings that’s the album I’m most proud of, due mainly to Bill’s performance and contribution to the project."
Many decades after the demise of J.B. and The Playboys, Bill Hill and Allan Nicholls decided to reunite the band. Nicholls explains to Billboard Canada that "About seven years ago at the Old Orchard over a pint we hatched a plan to put J.B. and The Playboys together again. We did [with new members guitarist Ron Stutz, bassist Stuart Patterson and drummer R.D. Harris] and launched our reunion at the Hudson Music Festival.
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"Then Covid took us out for a couple of years but we came back and played again for the last three years. We loved playing and performing. At the close of each night Bill and I would say to each other 'can you believe we still get to do this?'"
A highlight of the reunion was the recording of a new album, 2025, at Howard Bilerman's famed hotel2tango studio in Montreal’s East End. They cut the nine tracks on 2025 in a week — a mix of old and new material, plus one cover — aiming to capture their late-’60s tone.
Seven Days Vermont wrote that "It’s almost shocking how vital the band still sounds, decades after recording its last note. A layer of ’60s pixie dust sits atop the songs, particularly on Hill’s pristine guitar work. And while there’s more grit and wear to Nicholls’ voice these days, he remains an engaging, energetic vocalist who fronts the band effortlessly, as if he were born to do it. 'When I heard the early mixes, I was ecstatic,' Nicholls said. 'Honestly, it feels like this record is truly the first time we’ve sounded like we do onstage.' The fact that we got to record it is the best legacy we/he could ever have.'"
As news of Hill's passing spread, many friends and former colleagues chimed in with memories and tributes.
On Facebook, Ian Howarth recalled that "In 2017, I would interview Bill Hill and Allan Nicholls about their heady days with JB & the Playboys. That conversation is in my book Rock ‘n’ Radio along with other stories about how Montreal bands like JB, The Haunted and The Rabble were on the Top 40 CFOX charts. I last saw JB and the Boys at the Hudson Music Festival some years ago with the distinct sound of the Bill Hill’s guitar cracking crisply through the summer haze."
Also on Facebook, Ian Cooney posted that "I got to know Bill when he had his studio in the same building that my parents had their music distributor company in the 70’s. I cut quite a few jingles and records there. Good guy. He was fun to work with. May he rest in peace."
Peter Dowse, on Facebook: "Like Ian, I got to know Bill at Montreal Sound studio cutting countless Disco tracks. He was great to work with. Memorable times."Paul Lifsches, on Facebook: "In the era when the girls were literally chasing the band. Bill fessed up with that excited little chuckle under his breath, “'I was SCARED, Man!'"
Singer-songwriter Shari Chaskin, on Facebook: "We were blessed to have this beautiful human and talent in our lives. I learned so much from Bill about having a professional and work ethic, singing jingles in his Montreal studio. He later on produced my solo album Secrets which was a dream project. He hand picked his Montreal musicians and continued to believe in my gifts and talents. Billy was a treasure to work with, creatively and passionately. He was a huge cheerleader and one of the kindest people on the planet. Godspeed Bill Hill."
Don Graham, to Billboard Canada. "He was the best guitar player I’ve heard and the best friend my songs and me have ever had. I’ll miss not being able to look to my right and see and hear my friend playing his sweet licks. "
Veteran Montreal drummer Robert D. Harris played with Hill in the recently reincarnated version of J.B. and The Playboys. On Facebook, he recalled that "My relatively short relationship with Billy was cemented by our chats pre- rehearsal. You see Billy hated the parking on my street on Decarie (where we rehearsed) and would arrive early by a lot. He was so soft spoken that it was the only time I could actually hear him..! I shall miss our brief one on one time. I found out he really hated Van Morrison.! Rock on Billy...we'll miss you."
Allan Nicholls, to Billboard Canada: "I visited Bill a few times at the Lakeshore General and he knew what was inevitable and didn’t mind talking about it. We had some great times we had some great laughs. He was grateful that we got to do this 'repeat' of what we had started 60 years ago.I’m going to miss him ,but I know that I’ll never forget him.The fact that we got to record our album 2025 last summer is the best legacy we/he could ever have. I love you Bill."
Hugh Scott, a popular Canadian country/rockabilly recording artist and performer, died on April 29, at age 86.
Country music historian Larry Delaney (Cancountry) informs that the Ottawa Valley-born Scott "began playing fiddle at age 5 and by his mid-teens was playing in his first professional band, Smokey Rand & The Drifters, working shows at the popular Chamberland Hotel in nearby Aylmer, Quebec.
"Later, while heading-up his own group The Meteors, Hugh Scott generated a huge fan following with his 'E11111lvis' routine and mixing rock 'n roll with his country offerings. A 14-year stay as the headline attraction at The Chamberland Hotel ended when the venue burned to the ground. Scott was then signed to a lucrative contract to perform nightly at the nearby Chaudiere Rose Room, a world renowned entertainment venue.
"While his live shows were the foundation of his career, Hugh Scott also enjoyed sizeable success as a recording artist, recording four albums for Rodeo/Banff Records during the late '60s and through the 1970s and a 1979 album on Snocan Records, all of which yielded a series of nationally charted singles."
Seven of the single releases reached the RPM Country Charts including his 1967 debut hit "You're The Least Of My Worries" which peaked at No. 6 .
Of note: Scott's music was greatly admired by the late country legend Waylon Jennings. Scott opened and closed shows for Jennings, who would later promote a Hugh Scott album with a complimentary letter featured on the back cover of the LP.
Hugh Scott was inducted into the Ottawa Valley Country Music Hall Of Fame in 1987.
International
David Allan Coe, a singer-songwriter and a leading member of country music’s outlaw movement in the 1970s, died on April 29, at age 86.
His representative confirmed Coe's passing to People in a statement that read: "David was a Country Music treasure and loved his fans,” his rep said. “Most importantly, he was a true outlaw and a great singer, songwriter, and performer.”
In its obituary, Billboard noted that "Coe's music reached a loyal following that has grown into something bordering on cult status. The controversial artist wasn’t a prolific mainstream hitmaker, but he played to the beat of his own drum. With a sound that blended country, rock and blues, he landed eight singles in the Top 40 on the Country Singles chart, and is remembered for such songs as 'You Never Even Called Me By My Name,' 'Mona Lisa Lost Her Smile, 'The Ride,' 'If This Is Just a Game,' 'Waylon, Willie, and Me,' and 'Long Haired Redneck.'
"Coe’s checkered past made him headline material, from his marriages, to incarceration in his native Ohio Penitentiary, time spent in a hearse parked outside of the Ryman Auditorium, and the release of his infamous X-rated albums, Nothing Sacred and Underground Album, after which critics denounced him as a racist and misogynist, accusations he strongly denied."
His early years were marred by two decades in and out of various correctional institutions, for crimes including possession of burglary tools and auto theft. In 1967, a freed Coe travelled to Nashville to pursue his dream in music.
Billboard reports that "in the years that followed, he would earn a reputation as one of the more mysterious artists in the genre’s history. Coe could litter his throaty baritone-fueled output with profanities, and with tales of excesses. He was an in-demand songwriter, penning tunes for Billie Joe Spears, Tanya Tucker, and ,in 1977, Johnny Paycheck bagged a hit with his version of Coe’s song 'Take This Job and Shove It, 'a song that would soundtrack the 1981 feature film of the same name.
"As time marched on, the solo hits dwindled, though Coe was often the subject of colorful stories in the press, from disputes with the IRS to a serious vehicle crash."
He continued to tour and in the late '90s he bonded with Dimebag Darrell, the late guitarist with metal legends Pantera. A collaborative album, Rebel Meets Rebel, didn’t see the light of day until 2006, after Dimebag’s murder.
Coe also befriended and did some work with Kid Rock, including as the opening act of a 2000 tour. In 2003, Coe wrote a song for Kid Rock, "Single Father," which appeared on Kid Rock's self-titled album, and was released as a single, which peaked at number 50 on the Billboard Country Singles chart.
In 2000, The New York Times published an article by journalist Neil Strauss, who described the material on Nothing Sacred and Underground Album as "among the most racist, misogynist, homophobic, and obscene songs recorded by a popular songwriter." Coe denied accusations of racism, stating that the songs in question were intended as ribald satire.
In 2024, Coe and Hank Williams III collaborated with Hardy on his song "Live Forever."
Beverley Martyn (born Beverley Kutner), a British folk singer known for her collaborations with her former husband John Martyn as well as acclaimed solo work, has died aged 79.
A statement from the family of the late John Martyn announced the news, saying she died peacefully at home on Monday. “Beverley was a remarkable woman of great inner strength,” the statement continued. “She was beautiful, intelligent, warm and kind.”
A Guardian obituary reports that "she moved to London in her mid-teens to attend drama school and worked her way into the city’s folk music scene, which was flourishing in the early 1960s: she learned to play guitar from British folk legend Bert Jansch, an early boyfriend.
"She released a single with her band, the Levee Breakers, the stridently jangling 'Babe I’m Leaving You,' and also recorded solo songs including the enduring 'Happy New Year,' a fuzz-guitar romp written by Randy Newman and featuring a pre-Led Zeppelin Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones among the session musicians.
Page later said: “It was a remarkable session, at the time it was recorded I knew that she was a shining talent in the world of performance and songwriting.” Another single, "Museum," was written by Donovan.
After becoming romantically involved with Paul Simon during his developmental years in London, she travelled with him to perform at the Monterey pop festival in 1967 and briefly appeared on the Simon & Garfunkel album Bookends, a US and UK No 1.
She met noted British folk star John Martyn in 1969, soon marrying him. Immersed in the folk-rock counterculture in the US, they recorded a duo album, Stormbringer!, in 1969 in Woodstock, with the Band’s Levon Helm on drums and Joe Boyd producing. It was released in 1970, and later that year they recorded and released another, The Road to Ruin.
John Martyn's substance abuse issues and threatening behaviour doomed the marriage and Beverley Martyn moved to Brighton. She worked with Loudon Wainwright III and Wilko Johnson, then returned more fully with her 2014 solo album, The Phoenix and the Turtle. British folk legend Nick Drake and Martyn wrote a song together, Reckless Jane, which Martyn completed in 2014.
In 2018 she released a compilation of her 1960s songs entitled Where the Good Times Are.
Nedra Talley Ross, last surviving member of famed '60s girl pop group the Ronettes, died on April 26, at aged 80. Her cause of death has not been reported.
“She was a light to those who knew and loved her,” read the official statement, on her passing, one posted on the official Ronettes page on Facebook.
“As a founding member of The Ronettes, along with her beloved cousins Ronnie and Estelle, Nedra’s voice, style and spirit helped define a sound that would change music,” the message continued. “Her contribution to the group’s story and their defining influence will live forever. Rest peacefully dear Nedra."
A Billboard obituary reports that "With Ronnie Bennett (later known as Ronnie Spector) and Estelle Bennett, Ross formed The Ronettes and recorded songs that would live on as classic pop staples, including the group’s influential 1963 hit “Be My Baby.'"
The Guardian notes that "Ronnie formed the Ronettes in 1957. They earned a residency at a local club and a record deal, but early singles failed to chart. Their careers took off in 1963 after Estelle cold-called the office of producer Phil Spector, who recently had a run of huge hits. According to Ronnie Spector’s memoir, when the trio launched into a version of Frankie Lymon’s 'Why Do Fools Fall In Love, 'Phil Spector jumped from his piano and exclaimed, ;that’s the voice I’ve been looking for!'
"Though the Ronettes released just one studio album, they were both popular and enduring. They had their first big hit with 'Be My Baby' (which also reached the UK top five), followed by others that reached the US Top 40 and deepened their legend, including 'Walking in the Rain,' 'Baby, I Love You,' and 'Do I Love You? “Our songs sang to boys, where other girl groups sang about boys,” Talley later said when asked about the group’s appeal."
"Be My Baby" was famously used in many films including Mean Streets and Dirty Dancing; the songwriters’ agency BMI once calculated that 'Be My Baby 'had been played in 3.9m feature presentations on radio and television since 1963, or “the equivalent of 17 years back to back”.
The Rolling Stones were their support act on a 1964 UK tour, and Talley briefly dated Brian Jones. The Ronettes also supported the Beatles on the band’s final US tour in 1966. Talley took lead vocals alongside Bennett for the latter, after the increasingly controlling Phil Spector forbade Ronnie, by then his partner, to go on the tour.
The Ronettes split in 1967. Talley then married Scott Ross, a DJ at a New York radio station. She released a solo album in 1978, Full Circle, of Christian contemporary music, and later began a career in real estate. Talley and Bennett turned down being part of a short-lived 1973 Ronettes reunion.
In 2007, the Ronettes were inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, with Talley describing the honour as deeply emotional: “I broke down and cried … it had been emotions and feelings that I had just sort of put to the side.” Talley performed with Ronnie Spector at the induction ceremony.
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