Biography
Rosa Lee Hill (born Rosa Lee Hemphill on September 25, 1910, in Como, Mississippi) was an American blues musician rooted in the north Mississippi Hill Country tradition. The daughter of renowned multi-instrumentalist Sid Hemphill, she grew up in a highly musical family where everyone played instruments like guitar, fiddle, banjo, and fife. Learning guitar from her father at age seven, she began performing dances with the family band by age ten, developing a style of acoustic blues characterized by a broody mood, subtly varied repetition, and desolate intensity.
Hill's career blended family performances with sparse recordings later in life. In 1959, folklorist Alan Lomax captured her songs 'Bullyin' Well' and 'Rolled and Tumbled,' showcasing her keening vocal delivery. Sharecropping with her husband Ruffan sustained them in poverty; after their home burned, they moved to a shack near Como. Blues researcher George Mitchell recorded her again in 1967, capturing a spry version of 'Rolled and Tumbled' amid the Hemphill clan's waning musical spirit following Sid's 1961 death. Posthumously, her work appeared on the 1995 album Rosa Lee Hill and Friends via Fat Possum Records, reissuing Mitchell's tapes.
Hill died on October 22, 1968, at age 58 in Senatobia, Mississippi, leaving a legacy as a preserver of Hill Country blues through family tradition and rare field recordings that highlight the raw, repetitive essence of the style.
Fun Facts
- Despite her desolate, keening blues songs like 'Bullyin' Well,' contemporaries described Rosa Lee as a jolly woman.
- The entire Hemphill family was musical: as she told George Mitchell, 'Everybody in my family played... The whole Hemphill band played music - all of 'em.'
- After her father's 1961 death, most Hemphills lost motivation to play, but Rosa Lee revived her guitar by 1967 for Mitchell's recordings.
- She signed her 1959 contract with Alan Lomax as 'Rosalie Hill,' though commonly known as Rosa Lee.
Musical Connections
Mentors/Influences
- Sid Hemphill - Father and primary teacher who taught her guitar and involved her in family band performances (Family dances and performances) [1920s (started at age 7-10)]
Key Collaborators
- Jessie Mae Hemphill - Niece, featured on compilation album (Rosa Lee Hill and Friends (1995)) [1967 recordings, posthumous release]
- Jim Bunkley - Appeared on compilation album with Hill's recordings (Rosa Lee Hill and Friends (1995)) [1967 recordings, posthumous release]
- Catherine Porter - Appeared on compilation album with Hill's recordings (Rosa Lee Hill and Friends (1995)) [1967 recordings, posthumous release]
- Will Shade - Appeared on compilation album with Hill's recordings (Rosa Lee Hill and Friends (1995)) [1967 recordings, posthumous release]
- Essie Mae Brooks - Relative (possibly cousin), lived nearby and recorded by Mitchell; on compilation (Rosa Lee Hill and Friends (1995))
- Precious Bryant - Appeared on compilation album with Hill's recordings (Rosa Lee Hill and Friends (1995)) [1967 recordings, posthumous release]
- Lottie Kate - Appeared on compilation album with Hill's recordings (Rosa Lee Hill and Friends (1995)) [1967 recordings, posthumous release]
- Alan Lomax - Folklorist who recorded her songs ('Bullyin' Well,' 'Rolled and Tumbled')
- George Mitchell - Blues researcher who recorded her in 1967 (1967 sessions reissued on Rosa Lee Hill and Friends)
Connection Network
External Links
Tags: #blues, #delta-blues
References
Heard on WWOZ
Rosa Lee Hill has been played 2 times on WWOZ 90.7 FM, New Orleans' jazz and heritage station.