So Here It Is: The Autobiography

Heartwarming, humorous and revealing memoir from Slade's legendary guitarist and 70s rock icon, Dave Hill.

Over the years, when people hear stories about my life, they always say: 'Write it down, Dave!'

So, I've written my autobiography for you, my fans, and for my family, especially my grandkids. I turned seventy this year and for fifty of those years Slade have been a major part of my life. It seems the right time to finally to share my story with you. I've got plenty of funny tales but also some others which show that my life hasn't been all rock 'n' roll.

Most of all, I wanted to tell it as it is, and tell it my way, that's why I'm publishing my book with Unbound.

I was born in castle and then grew up in a council house in Wolverhampton. I had a smashing mum and dad, but things were tough growing up in post war Britain and my life really changed when I heard rock 'n' roll music. I said goodbye to an office job at Tarmac and never looked back. I played in various groups before fame came knocking at my door.

Slade's success didn't happen overnight but boy, were we big when we took off! We had 23 top twenty hits and six number one singles. Three of these went straight to the number one spot - a first, not even matched by The Beatles. Topping it all was 'Merry Xmas Everybody', which sold over one million copies. We also had six smash LPs, and one time had the number one and two spots on the LP chart. All this made Slade the biggest band in the UK in the 70s, and we were massive all over the world, too.

Slade had some great years but fashions change and the break-up of the original band was heartbreaking. I thought that would be it for me.

I battled through depression and got over a stroke, and decided to carry on doing the thing which I do best: I went back on the road with Slade. I've seen more of the world, and more fans, in the last twenty-five years than I did when the band were at their most famous.

Writing my book has been bit like researching an episode of 'Who Do You Think You Are?' I discovered that my mum and dad had pretended to be married, and even had a false wedding. Also, the burden of having an illegitimate daughter, my half sister, was a shame that nearly drove my mum to suicide. There's quite a few other surprises in my book too. Like the time Carol, my sister, was kidnapped and Jan, my wife, was held hostage in a bank robbery...

I'll always be the boy from Wolverhampton, where I still live, with my wife of over forty years, surrounded by my kids and grandkids. I'm also still Dave Hill, Superyob, rocking the world with Slade!

Influence
Many musicians have cited Slade as an influence, including grunge bands Nirvana and the Smashing Pumpkins, punk and indie pioneers the Ramones, the Sex Pistols, the Undertones and the Clash, heavy metal acts such as Kiss, Mötley Crüe, Def Leppard and Quiet Riot and rock groups including Cheap Trick and Oasis.