Eddie Hill (21 July 1921 - 18 Jan 1994) was an American musician, singer, songwriter and country music DJ., also often known as "Smilin' Eddie Hill."
James Edward Hill was born in Delano, Tennessee. At the age of 17, after winning a radio contest, Eddie was given an early morning show on WROL radio in Knoxville, Tn. In the early 1940's he joined the Mid-Day Merry-Go-Round on WNOX with Chet Atkins, Roy Acuff, and June Carter and the Carter sisters, among others.
In the mid-1940's he partnered with the Louvin brothers as well as Johnnie and Jack, and in 1948 he signed with Decca Records and made his first recordings at Castle Studios in Nashville. During this time, he played on many sessions with Kitty Wells and wrote the song "Someday, You'll Call My Name", which was a hit for Jimmy Wakely in 1949.
By the early 1950's he moved to Memphis, where he hosted a network radio show on WMPS. Soon thereafter he was starring in Eddie Hill's Ranch on WMC-TV. As well as being a DJ, Eddie was also a prolific recording artist, recording for Decca, Mercury, RCA and Columbia. His biggest record was his rompin', stompin' 1951 hit The Hot Guitar. Also that year he recorded the song, Steamboat Stomp, with Hank Garland. His musical style was rooted in traditional country and rockabilly, and he played guitar in addition to singing. Hill always had top session men on his recordings, such as Chet Atkins and Grady Martin trading licks on Educated Fool.
In 1952 he moved to Nashville, where he joined WSM and hosted "The Eddie Hill All-Night Show." He was the emcee for the first Grand Ole Opry telecast on WSM-TV in 1955 and soon was doing commercials for the Ralston Purina company during the Opry telecasts. By 1956 he had his own popular television show, Country Junction, which ran for eleven years on WLAC-TV. Notably, it was the first show to feature a then unknown Dolly Parton, whom he paid out of pocket to perform.
In 1964 he appeared in the Andy Griffith film A Face in the Crowd and in Forty Acre Feud in 1965. Hill suffered a brain haemorrhage in 1968 that left him partially paralyzed, abruptly halting his career. In 1975 Hill and Grant Turner were the first living inductees into the Country Music Disc Jockey Hall of Fame.
Eddie died in the St. Thomas Hospital, Tennessee on Jan. 18, 1994, aged 72.
(Edited from Find A Grave, Country Music Archive & Bear Family notes)
