Internationally renowned Canadian author and singer-songwriter Dan Hill will participate as a panelist and performer at this year’s fourth annual Vancouver Island Music Business Conference (VIMBC) in the Comox Valley.
The conference, which brings together music industry producers, promoters, songwriters, performers and publishers from across North America, will be held June 22-26. Attending professionals participate in workshops, social events and performance opportunities.
Pre-conference, Hill will perform and take part in a workshop June 18 at Vicfest from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at St. Ann’s Academy in Victoria.
In addition to co-hosting a songwriter’s retreat with Ralph Murphy and Steve Wilkinson at the Crown Isle Resort June 19 and 20 and participating in several other conference events, Hill will perform June 24 at 7 p.m. at the Sid Williams Theatre with Stef Lang, Sue Medley and Susie McGregor. Tickets for the performance are available at the theatre box office, at www.sidwilliamstheatre.com and delegate passes that provide full access to all scheduled events are on sale at www.vimbc.com.
“The Vancouver Island Music Business Conference is the only event in Western Canada where bands, artists and singer-songwriters can hear from Canadian icons like Dan Hill, Jake Gold, Terry McBride, Bill Henderson, & Ralph Murphy and get help to build their music business plans,” notes conference organizer and performer Susie McGregor. “We are so excited to have the support of these incredible teachers and mentors.”
Recently, Hill captured international headlines when his mega-hit “Sometimes When We Touch” was embraced by WBO welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao. Hill and Pacquiao released a seven-track CD and documentary DVD combo set, Sometimes When We Touch: Manny Pacquiao Sings featuring Dan Hill (Universal Music Canada) on May 31. The album was quickly the most-added record at U.S. adult contemporary secondary radio.
Best-known for his unusually passionate ballads, Hill began his music career at 18 when he landed a recording contract with RCA Records. In no time, such legendary performers as Harry Belafonte and Jose Feliciano approached him to record his songs. “Sometimes When We Touch”, from his third album, was an international hit that immediately inducted Hill into the music industry’s inner circle.
In addition to performing the title song for Rambo: First Blood, his songs have been recorded by such chart-toppers as Celine Dion, George Benson, Britney Spears, Alan Jackson, The Backstreet Boys, 98 degrees, Jully Black, Reba McEntire and Michael Bolton, among others.
In 1997, Hill was presented with the highest honour given to a Canadian songwriter for great international contributions in songwriting, The Harold Moon Award. In a career that spans over 30 years, Hill is credited with four No. 1 songs, 12 Top Ten records, one Grammy, five Junos, four Platinum Albums and two Gold Albums.
After devoting the last decade to writing prose and songwriting for the stars, and bolstered by his critically acclaimed memoir I Am My Father’s Son, Hill returned to the studio to record his 14th album Intimate (Spontaneous Records/Universal Music, 2010), which features new and never-released singles, versions of his hit songs covered by other artists and, prophetically, a stripped-down, acoustic version of “Sometimes When We Touch.”
— Dan Hill
