Canadian Music Hall of Fame Ceremony Program
An international music industry legend, Dan Hill is a winner of a Grammy (as co-producer of "Seduces Me" on Celine Dion's 32 million- selling "Falling Into You" album), nominated for a Grammy for Best Male Vocal, and has won five Juno Awards, received the Harold Moon Award (Canadian Lifetime Songwriting Achievement Award), and will be inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 2025.
Born in Toronto, Ontario, in 1954 to activist parents his Black father, Daniel G. Hill, was the first full-time director of the Ontario Human Rights Commission and later an Officer of the Order of Canada; his White mother, Donna Mae (Bender) Hill, was a former US Senate staffer and a co-founder of Ontario's Black History Society Dan achieved stardom at the age of 21 with his hit song "You Make Me Want to Be (a Father)." He has since become an acclaimed singer-songwriter, producer, and prose writer.
Hill has recorded and released multiple gold and platinum albums and is beloved for his classic, timeless hits such as "Sometimes When We Touch," which Dolly Parton called her "favorite song of all time" and one she wishes she had written. With 67 million YouTube views and over 100 million downloads, "Sometimes When We Touch" has been recognized as one of the Top 100 Songs of the Century and one of the Top 100 Most Played Songs of All Time (BMI). Covered by thousands of diverse artists- including Oscar Peterson, Rod Stewart, Dolly Parton, Kenny Rogers, and Bonnie Tyler—it is one of the most covered songs in history.
Other hits penned and recorded by Dan include "Can't We Try," which was the #1 Billboard AC Record of the Year in 1987, spending 29 weeks on the Billboard charts, and "Never Thought (That I Could Love)," another #1 AC record. These songs have garnered over 100 million views collectively across YouTube video, lyric video, covers, and live performances. Hits like "I Fall All Over Again," "All I See Is Your Face," "Carmelia," and "Unborn Heart" I have all reached Billboard or Record World Top 3 positions and remain staples of AC radio stations around the world. Collectively, Dan's music amasses well over one million listeners per month on Spotify.
Hill has also enjoyed consistent success as a behind-the-scenes songwriter, with compositions recorded by a wide array of artists across multiple genres. Pop singers include Celine Dion, Britney Spears, 98 Degrees, and The Backstreet Boys, while R&B artists feature Tina Turner, George Benson, Jully Black, and Jeffrey Osborne. Country artists include Tammy Wynette, Sammy Kershaw, Mark Wills, Reba McEntire, Alan Jackson, Dolly Parton, Kenny Rogers, and Lorrie Morgan, alongside jazz artists Joe Sealy, Salome Bey, and Jackie Richardson. Dan's co-write "I Do (Cherish You)" soared to #1 on the U.S. country charts (Mark Wills), #1 on the U.S. AC charts, and #3 on the U.S. pop charts (98 Degrees), achieving as many U.S. radio spins as "Sometimes When We Touch" in half the time. Overall, Dan has enjoyed over 100 million units sold worldwide.
In addition to his music, Hill has carved out a reputation as an essayist and author. His critically acclaimed memoir, "I Am My Father's Son: A Memoir of Love and Forgiveness," published by HarperCollins in February 2009, was selected as one of NOW magazine's Top 10 Books of the Year. He has published essays in The Globe and Mail, Maclean's (including a piece nominated for a Canadian Magazine Award), The Wall Street Journal, Zoomer, Canadian Running, iRun, and FYI Music News.
Recently, Dan became chairman of Anthem Entertainment's new diversity, equity, and inclusion committee. Inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2021, Dan Hill is widely celebrated as one of Canada's most distinguished, authentic, and multi-talented artists. Vanessa Thomas, Executive Director of The Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame, stated on Hill's induction: "Dan's songs are authentic and intimate, whether he is singing about love or social injustice...his lyrics resonate as loudly and powerfully as if he were shouting it from the mountains."
Dan Hill