STRATHCLAIR - At first glance, denim-clad
Bill Hillman looks like any rural Manitoba cowboy. It's only on closer
scrutiny that the decidedly Oriental flavor of his appearance becomes apparent.
Around the guitarist's neck hangs a 24-carat gold medallion
with his first name spelled out in Chinese and English. His jean shirt
is embroidered with almond blossoms and his large belt buckle gleams with
a Far East motif.
"Sometimes I think he is more Chinese than I am," says
his vivacious wife Sue-On. "He's adapted very well to my culture."
These are the Hillmans, a husband-and-wife country
music team known throughout rural Manitoba. The long-time residents of
Strathclair, a hamlet about 300 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg, are former
Manitoba Entertainers of the Year.
In July the Hillmans, with sideman Kerry Morris, will
be featured at the Call of the Wild Mountain Music Festival at Boggy Creek.
A Novelty
"It's more like country and eastern," laughs the 40ish
school teacher as he ponders how to describe their musical concoction.
After almost 20 years of entertaining, Sue-On remains
something of a novelty.
"Hillbilly Chinese drummers are hard to come by," laughs
husband Bill. "We've never downplayed the Oriental side. Rather than hide
a difference we capitalize on it."
Even their impressive brick home, built by his grandfather
in 1920, exemplifies the meeting of East and West. Old oak paneling
and bamboo furniture combine in tasteful harmony. In the basement, Bill's
assortment of shiny, metal guitars is offset by simple, traditional Chinese
musical instruments lining one wall.
The house is the centre of their modest recording empire.
Their eight-track studio is the heart of their own label, Maple Grove Records.
The Hillman discography lists 10 albums, including three recorded in England.
A Sideline
Thought the Hillmans perform virtually every weekend
of the year and tour extensively during the summer, their music is a sideline.
Bill, a graduate of Brandon University, is a high school
teacher, first and foremost. So was Sue-On, now in her mid-30s, until she
gave birth to the first of their two boys.
"Basically it (music) is my hobby," says Bill. "We
play with it. We dive in and out. It's part of our social life."
Like music, all his hobbies get out of hand. His collection
of old radio shows involves 10,000 to 15,000 tapes and discs. He has 1,000
classic movies on tape and thousands of vintage TV shows. Bookshelves are
stuffed with science fiction, comic books, and numerous first editions
of Edgar Rice Burroughs, creator of Tarzan.
"Anything I do, I attack with a vengeance," he says.
"Everything I've come in touch with I want to hold on to for future reference."
It was as a youth that he became enamoured with Elvis
Presley and later the guitar. He taught himself to play by listening to
Presley and Johnny Cash records.
"My first love is old rock 'n' roll. So much of what
was rock 'n' roll is now country. I guess I'm country because of the way
things have shifted.
"I've always had an appreciation for all music. I can't
understand these people who hate this or that. I don't like to see camps
set up. I can't think of any music I don't like," Hillman says.
During the early '60s, he played in The Blue Angels,
Del Keith and the Dovermen and the Shadows. In 1962 he also joined the
Country Gentlemen, a C & W band that appeared on Brandon TV. During
that period Hillman met his future bride in nearby Newdale.
Sue-On was born in China but was smuggled into Hong
Kong as a baby. She and Bill were married in 1966.
When her husband went on tour, "I didn't want to be
left on the sidelines," she recalls. And slowly she eased her way into
becoming a Country Gentleman. When the group needed a keyboardist, Sue-On
drew on her classical training to fill the gap.
"It was kind of weird. When she joined, she was like
a guest," Bill says. "Then, when she became a vital member, we changed
the name of the band to Western Union."
Later, when the group's drummer left, she picked up
the sticks, after Bill taught her how to keep a backbeat.
"It was frustrating," says Sue-On. "You have to get
your hand and feet going at the same time. It was hard work. I don't know
if the feminists will like me saying this but drumming is hard work for
a girl."
But on the grandstand circuit in Western Canada and
the U.S., a female Oriental drummer playing C & W was a drawing card.
"I felt like a curiosity. You didn't see many Chinese on stage but I was
always one for jumping around. I had a ball. I like having an audience."
Fiery Moments
A
couple of years ago Sue-On helped spark some life in a very subdued audience
at Brunkild. For the last set, she took a turn on the drums and within
seconds, the place was on fire -- the heat of a spotlight set the bass
drum aflame and the crowd, most of whom had been to a funeral earlier in
the day, came alive.
"People thought it was part of the act," recalls Sue-On.
When folks started throwing beer and water on them, the band feared they
might be electrocuted.
"The whole thing seemed to shock the sadness out of
the audience," says Sue-On. "After we got the fire out, we started playing
Smoke On The Water."
In and around the Brandon area, the Hillmans have a
high profile. They've appeared on TV since the '60s, and perform in anything
from the concert hall to a wilderness shack, from conventions to weddings.
And they've linked up with companies such as Federal Grain which set up
tours.
"We've always tried to go through the back door rather
than in by the front door," Bill says. "We've always tried a different
approach. We knew we wouldn't get ahead with a career of one-nighters."
Many marriages involving husband-wife entertainers
have been strained by artistic differences and the ravages of the road.
The Hillmans' secret is that they keep their disagreements in the studio.
"We don't carry any of the problems out of the basement,"
says Bill. "Maybe to the kitchen but not any farther."
The two take part in every facet of the recording business,
from the production, the photography and graphics on every album cover,
to the distribution and promotion. Basically they sell their LPs from the
stage during breaks in their shows.
"I can't say that any of the albums have made money,"
Bill says. "The profits go back into the operation."
But in a highly competitive profession, it can be frustrating
to rein in the dream of stardom. "I've been chasing it (the dream). I've
walked the streets of Nashville. Maybe we don't have 100 per cent commitment
but we've sent the records out.
One of Bill's dreams is to go to the West Indies and
do a country reggae album.
But he can look back with satisfaction on his career.
Besides 30 scrapbooks of past glories, there are his two songs, One Night
Stand and Bring Back the Good Times, which hit the Top 10 in Western Canada.
There have been the national television appearances, the performance for
Princess Anne in Brandon, and the three summer tours of England. Not bad
for a pair of school teachers who moonlight as entertainers.
"I feel successful," Bill says. "Only about one per
cent of all bands succeed. We've succeeded more than most.