Our involvement in the Brandon, Manitoba, Canada and international music scene goes all the way back to the early '60s.
We have compiled dozens of career portfolio/scrapbooks which document our many colourful performance vignettes/anecdotes and the evolution of audiences, venues, electronic equipment, travel, management, costumes, stage presentation, music, Indie record promotion, personalities/entertainers.

Other topics might include:
* the evolution of recording techniques, since we have recorded 12 albums on vinyl, tape and CD since 1971 . . . first in Winnipeg studios and then during our three tours of England in studios in London, Newcastle and Durham -- incorporating top English musicians into our sessions (e.g. Alan Clark of Dire Straits, etc.)
www.hillmanweb.com/albums

* laying down most of the instrument and vocal tracks of our recordings, evolving from early primitive 4-track to 8-track, to 16-track, 32-track and digital. . .  followed by our own jacket design and photography -- released on our own indie label.

* song writing (half of our 100 recorded songs), record production and self-management

* the experience of being a visible minority musician on the prairies, US and UK in "the early years" - Sue-On is a dynamic Chinese girl drummer/keyboardist/singer . . . a bit of an oddity in the '60s/'70s

* the experience of working summer 6-week tours of one-nighters in English clubs - a band from the Canadian prairies competing with a multitude of top UK bands in the '70s
www.hillmanweb.com/uk

* awarded the M.A.C.A. Manitoba Entertainers of the Year Award in 1979/1980 followed by a string of other nominations

* a multitude of TV and radio appearances, locally and network in Canada and the UK – our huge A/V library contains tapes/discs of many of these performances

* a large vintage guitar collection
www.hillmanweb.com/guitars

We have done all of this while balancing our show biz activities with full-time careers in education (40 years as high school teachers and university professors), restaurateurs (265-seat Chinese restaurant), parents of three kids who eventually performed with us on our stage performances, and black belt karate instructors, etc.

 A perusal of our thousands of Web pages with the main portal at:
www.hillmanweb.com
will give some idea of our other accomplishments as Manitoba entertainers:

Canadian Venues:
• Festivals: blues, folk, bluegrass, c/w, rock ‘n’ roll, cowboy poetry, gospel & Christian rock, celtic, etc.
• Canadian Venues:
• Many Opry North shows – national radio show,
• Numerous televison and radio series on CKX-TV,
• CBC Network Special with top Canadian acts
• CBC’s Coleman & Co. profile,
• Backing band for Tommy Hunter’s Al Cherney
• Formal Party Show and Dance for Johnny Cash troupe, Tommy Hunter show cast, etc. – to entertain them after their concert shows with our own 3-hour show and dance.
• Big Country, CCMA and Country Music Week TV & live shows as Manitoba Entertainers of the Year,
• Centennial Auditorium shows,
• Manitoba & Saskatchewan TV Telethons,
• Boggy Creek Call of the Wild Country Music and Bluegrass Festival (8 years as performers and organizers),
• Canadian Forces Bases including Winnipeg, Rivers, G.A.T.E.S. German Army, Gimli, Shilo (the Guess Who once joined us for a 4-hour jam at Jr. Ranks)
• Rodeos (Morris, Dauphin, and across the USA northwest),
• Arena shows and dances,
• Summer Resorts: Clear Lake, Winnipeg Beach (the old Pavilion), Wascana SK, Kenora ON, etc.,
• Trade Shows,
• German Oktoberfest shows,
• Shows for inmates at Prince Albert Penetentiary, PA Women’s Jail, Brandon Correctional Institute,
• Charity shows for seniors, Cancer Society, personal care homes,
• TV and radio commercials and film soundtracks,
• Manitoba concert hall shows,
• Scores of Winnipeg & Brandon & country bars and dance halls,
• Feature shows at an early version of Folklorama on blocked-off Portage Avenue in front of Eatons,
• U of M graduation dances at major Winnipeg hotels (Marlborough Ball Room, Fort Garry Hotel, Winnipeg Inn, etc.)
• U of W and Brandon University shows,
• Cross-Canada Exhibition tours with “The Federal Grain Train,”
• Cross-Canada Exhibition tours representing Treflan Co.
• Opening act and backing band for major touring rock and C/W artists (Everly Brothers, Roger Miller, Newbeats, Opry stars, Bobby Curtola, Russ Gurr, etc.)
• Manitoba Exhibition, MB Winter Fair, Ag Days, and Red River Ex featured act on grandstands and special stages,
• Film Board of Canada music feature,
• Expo 67 act in Montreal featured 10,365 times at the Labyrinth Pavilion,
• Fly-in tours of Northern Manitoba,
• First major recording and touring act out of Western Manitoba.

England Venues: 3 Tours as “The Hillmans from Canada”
(sponsored by Canada’s Traynor Amps and UK promoters)
• Workingman’s Clubs,
• discos,
• social clubs,
• beach resorts,
• C&W clubs,
• military bases,
• Legions,
• studios (3 albums recorded at London, Durham, Newcastle – charted songs in UK and China)

US Venues as “Sue-On and the Western Union from Canada”:
(working for Bardine Productions on the US West Coast)
• Grandstand shows for county and state fairs,
• clubs,
• radio,
• rodeo circuit,
• album promotion

In addition to our 12 vinyl & CD albums, plus 8-tracks, cassettes, 45s, DVDs, posters, inserts, etc. we also have a vast amount of other career memorabilia  – including stage costumes such as our EAST MEETS WEST sets (Sue-On’s silk Chinese costumes vs. Bill’s leather and embroidered denim), instruments, stage banners from the UK, radio & TV tapes, clippings, articles, reviews, photos, etc.

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WebMaster: Bill Hillman
Bill and Sue-On Hillman Eclectic Studio
hillmanweb.com
Hillman Musical Odyssey