Culture's Joseph Hill Dies

[Tom Roche]

Reggae icon, Joseph Hill, dies
published: Sunday | August 20, 2006


Hill in performance

Petrina Francis, Staff Reporter
The Jamaica Gleaner

Joseph Hill, lead vocalist of reggae group Culture, collapsed after 
doing a show in Germany yesterday morning. He was 57.

His daughter, Andrea Hill, said he died from a liver failure. She 
described him as a "well rounded, well known and well loved" 
individual.

Mr. Hill's last performance in Jamaica was at the Reggae Sunsplash 
show, held in St. Ann earlier this month.

He began his career in 1972 as a percussionist with the Soul 
Defenders from Linstead, St. Catherine. His first recording was a 
forgettable track called Picture on the Wall with Freddie McKoy.

However, it was in the years 1976-77, that he broke from the ranks of 
the unknown with the message-oriented smashes, Jah See Dem a Come and 
the cathartic Two Sevens Clash.

As the 1970s stumbled to a close, the nation was in the grip of 
violence and Joseph tried to prepare a salve for the war-torn Western 
Kingston communities with Stop Fussing and Fighting. It became the 
theme song for the famous 'One Love' peace concert in 1978.

Mr. Hill has more than 30 albums and the group has toured Africa, 
Israel, Japan, United Kingdom and other Scandinavian countries 
extensively.

In 2003, he came out with World Peace album seeking peace worldwide 
and rejecting war.

Other hits include:

Natty Never Get Weary

The International Herb

This Train

Love Shines Bright

Trod On



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 From the Culture website





JOSEPH HILL (1949-2006)

On August 19 the reggae world lost one of its most prominent figures. 
Joseph Hill, the leader of the veteran reggae group, Culture 
unexpectedly passed away from a sudden illness. At the time, the 
group was in Berlin, Germany at the mid-point of a European tour.

Recently, Hill had received a number of honors - including an 
induction into the Jamaican Reggae Walk of Fame and a 2005 
Independence Award presented by the Prime Minister of Jamaica. This 
year the group continued to draw rave reviews with typically upbeat 
performances at the 'Bob Marley 61st Birthday Celebration' in Ghana 
and 'Reggae Sunsplash 2006'.

Joseph Hill will probably be best remembered for the impact Culture 
had on the reggae scene when they first appeared in 1976. During this 
period the group had a string of highly successful singles for 
producers Joe Gibbs and Sonia Pottinger. Perhaps most well known was 
the song 'Two Sevens Clash' which, due to its infectious rhythm and 
apocalyptic imagery, left a lasting impression on both Jamaicans and 
UK punks. The 'Two Sevens Clash' album was a landmark in reggae music 
and was named by Rolling Stone magazine in 2002 as one of the '50 
Coolest Records' - the only single artist reggae album to make the 
list. The group also scored a major hit with 'Stop Fussing and 
Fighting', a song that addressed the chaotic political climate of the 
late 1970s and the attempt on Bob Marley's life.

  Joseph Hill and Culture quickly developed a reputation as a fearsome 
performing group. The group put in a stunning performance at the 'One 
Love Peace Concert' in 1978, and was soon regularly touring the 
United States, Europe and Africa. In recent years the group has not 
displayed any signs of slowing down as they continued to perform at 
least one hundred concerts each year - with Hill's wife Pauline 
performing road manager duties. Fans of the group know that Hill 
continued to be an electrifying presence on stage - part deejay as he 
directed his band to reconfigure songs on stage and part teacher as 
he commented on Jamaican history and current political issues. In his 
lyrics, Hill often explored how the legacy of slavery continued to 
have an influence on Jamaican citizens. Yet, what made Culture unique 
was that Hill always tempered his messages by having a smile on his 
lips and a dance in his feet. He was never without a good joke at 
hand.

Growing up in the parish of St. Catherine Jamaica, Joseph Hill has 
often recounted how he built a homemade drum as a child. He first 
became involved in the Jamaican music scene as a sound system deejay. 
By the late 1970s he was performing as a percussionist for the Soul 
Defenders group who were based out of Linstead. It was with this 
group (which included such figures as Nana McLean and Vincent Morgan) 
that Hill made his first recording at Coxsone Dodd's legendary Studio 
One - both as a musician and lead singer. Notably, the group backed 
such Studio One stars as Burning Spear and Dennis Brown.

In the early 70s, Joseph performed with two groups that included 
future reggae star Glen Washington - C35 Incorporated and Stepping 
Stone. In 1976, Hill formed the harmony trio Culture with his cousin 
Albert Walker and Kenneth Dayes. The group immediately struck a chord 
with audiences by combining sharp social commentary and catchy 
rhythms. Hill has often noted that the group earned their name 
Culture. The group gained the reputation as one of the most reliable 
and enjoyable acts in reggae music. They had a string of memorable 
albums - most recently the album World Peace for Heartbeat Records in 
2003. Significantly, Hill was not content to let Culture be a mere 
oldies act. In recent years he had recorded duets with Buju Banton 
and Anthony B., and demonstrated a keen desire to be both faithful to 
his roots and a contemporary artist. Joseph Hill was remarkable for 
his ability to simultaneously look backward and forward. He will be 
greatly missed by both Culture fans and the reggae community.

Condolences go out to Pauline Hill, Kenyatta Hill, the entire Hill 
family, Albert Walker, Telford Nelson, long time agent George 
Michailow and the numerous musicians who formed the backing groups 
Dub Mystic, Moja Nya and Forces of Justice.

Jim Dooley

Ottawa, Canada