The H Files with Kevin Hillier

Brett Garsed is a hell of a guitar player and brilliant musician who came to prominence in the Whispering Jack days with John Farnham. Brett travelled the world with his guitar but has settled back in regional Victoria and chats about his latest work on the Horizon project, his solo material and the Farnham days.  For the first time we also open the H Files Vault and find an episode of Kev's...

An undisputed musical legend, Dion might be 85 but he is ageless and still rocks with the best of them. Dion and his friend Adam Jablin have collaborated to produce a new book full of Dion's great stories, life experiences and sage advice. The pair join Kevin for a fascinating chat about life and those classic Dion musical memories - The Wanderer, Ruby Baby, touring with Buddy Holly and his Rock '...

Concert goers have lots to choose from in the coming months and two of the most anticipated tours are my guests in this episode. JJ Burnel, an original member of The Stranglers, shares stories from the punk days of pub gigs and punch ups through to the success of Golden Brown and Skin Deep and now as older statesmen of the UK bands from that era. Their 50th anniversary tour is about to hit Austral...

Todd Rundgren is undoubtedly one of the most interesting musicians of our generation. He slips between musical genres with ease and has always kept the critics and fans wondering about what is coming next. On the eve of his latest Australian tour, Todd talks about a wide range of subjects including sport, his family, how to blow up AI, becoming a stage singer rather than a studio vocalist, his tho...

On the eve of his latest Australian tour, Gary Puckett joins Kevin to chat about his incredible career which saw his band The Union Gap outsell The Beatles in their prime. From Woman Woman to Lady Willpower and Young Girl, the hits rolled out, dominating the charts and radio and television worldwide in the late 1960s. Sixty years later, Gary is still packing venues and those songs have stood the t...

Jeff Baxter was and is the ultimate rock 'n roll gun for hire. His car full of guitars has travelled the length and breadth of the USA and there would hardly be a recording studio in which he hasn't plied his trade and left his mark.  'Skunk' is one of rock's most interesting characters, best illustrated by his current day job as a consultant for the US Department of Defence. It's not rocket...

There was no bigger band in the UK and Australia in the early seventies than Slade and  lead singer Noddy Holder was a superstar. At 78, he still is. Noddy shares memories of some amazing times, including how the first song he ever wrote became the band's biggest hit, getting his MBE at the palace, the unusual perks of getting the keys to his hometown Walsall, plus touring Australia back in t...

The Animals were one of the most successful and influential British invasion bands of the sixties. Iconic songs like House of the Rising Sun, We've Gotta Get Out of This Place and Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood have stood the test of time and original drummer John Steel reminisces about the good and bad times. Meeting Eric Burdon at Newcastle College of Art & Design in his teens, the story behi...

When you have seven Top Ten hits in a row, you have to be doing something right and Gary Lewis did just that in an extraordinary chart run in the sixties. His success had nothing to do with his famous surname ... oh yeah, he is the son of legendary comedy performer Jerry Lewis. Gary gave the world This Diamond Ring, Everybody Loves a Clown, She's Just my Style and Green Grass among a string of pop...

I am an unashamed fan of America and have been since the very first time I heard A Horse with No Name on Brisbane AM radio in the seventies. The harmonies, the songs and their story appealed to me and playing their songs on the radio was always a joy. You can imagine what a thrill it was to finally get to speak to the one and only Gerry Beckley. An original founding member of the trio and then one...

She's Not There introduced The Zombies to the music public and it is a love affair that has endured to today, some 60 years later. Singer, songwriter and founding member of The Zombies Colin Blunstone joins Kevin for a fascinating chat about The Zombies from go to whoa. The recent health battles of Rod Argent have seen the band call an end to their days on the road. Colin shares stories of forming...

"Write a song that will outlive you and me" said Sly Stallone to Jim Peterik. The story behind Jim's iconic song Eye of the Tiger is just one of the tales he shares in this incredibly entertaining chat with Kevin. Jim brought his guitar and highlights some of his other chart topping smash hits including Vehicle by The Ides of March.    Gary U.S. Bonds has been making memorable music since the earl...

Episode 2 is jam packed with exceptional guests.     He is not the Messiah or a very naughty boy, he is comedy icon Eric Idle. The Monty Python superstar is about to tour his latest one man show across Australia. Kevin was thrilled to have a chat about life, death, Elvis and the Beatles. Best remembered for her role as Jaime Sommers in The Bionic Woman, the star of the show Lindsay Wagner tells Ke...

Pete Best is my first guest on the H Files with Kevin Hillier and, as a total Beatles baby, it is a great thrill to bring the stories and memories of the band's original drummer back, some sixty years on. Pete takes us from the beginnings in Liverpool to Hamburg and back to the Cavern Club just prior to The Beatles' fame and and his unceremonious sacking. Pete shares the still raw emotions of that...