The Band

Touring with Lil Jimmy are Bob Hall and his partner Hilary Blythe. Critically acknowledged as Britain’s finest blues and boogie pianist, Bob Hall’s distinctive and original piano style has influenced many of our piano players. 

He first came to fame in the rhythm ‘n’ blues explosion of the sixties and played and recorded with Alexis Korner, and Spencer Davis. He also accompanied to a host of touring bluesmen including: John Lee Hooker, Howlin’ Wolf, Little Walter, Jimmy Witherspoon, Chuck Berry, Homesick James, Lightnin’ Slim, Lowell Fulsom, Charlie Musselwhite, Snooky Prior, J B Hutto, Lazy Lester, Baby Boy Warren, Eddie Burns, Eddie Taylor, Big John Wrencher, Mickey Baker, Cousin Joe Pleasants, Sonny Terry and Eddie Clearwater. 

Bob subsequently led head-lining bands Tramp and Rocket 88, whose sidemen included Jack Bruce of Cream, Charlie Watts of The Rolling Stones and Mick Fleetwood and Danny Kirwan of Fleetwood Mac.

From 1979 he has been a regular featured guest with The Blues Band, an all star line-up including Paul Jones, Dave Kelly, Tom McGuinness, Gary Fletcher and Rob Townsend.

Hilary Blythe

Starting with a promising career in West Country folk clubs, Hilary became a world traveller, with lengthy stop-overs in Hong Kong (where she became a founder member of the Hong Kong Folk Society) and the USA, where she toured extensively off the beaten track, absorbing all kinds of folk and country music influences. Returning to the UK in 1996, she won the Best Newcomer award at Wath Folk Festival in 1997 as half of the duo Church Mice. Around this time she met her future husband, legendary blues and boogie woogie pianist Bob Hall, and was swept up in his mercurial career, mastering bass guitar, singing harmonies and later lead blues vocals with him for over twenty years.