by Nikki Hill
Hill draws on vintage female rhythm and blues influences such as LaVern Baker, Etta James and Ruth Brown, as well as some of her favorite male singers Otis Redding and Solomon Burke, her tough vocal style fits with contemporary sensibilities yet evokes all the great blues shouters of previous decades.
She has been hailed “The Southern Fireball”, “the new soul sensation” and even “the new Queen of Rock and Roll”. North Carolina born Nikki Hill’s career is rising fast and she is only in her twenties. Nikki will be playing the Bluesfest stage for the first time with her guitar-playing husband Matt Hill and their band.
Her musical roots began while singing in gospel choirs at church as a child. A stint living in nearby college town Chapel Hill introduced her to many different styles of music and the awareness of music (and more importantly, unique and non-mainstream music) as a possible career. Making a name for themselves worldwide, Nikki and her band deliver a high energy show and take all the flavours of American roots music to deliver a sound that reminds us all why we love rock n’ roll.
This week's Top 10:
