Black Top

is a rocking blues guitar player, a thumping, stomping rhythm section and two great lead singers. Black Top is a three piece blues rock band with a rock & roll attitude and a sound that’s large as life. Mick Hup, Martin van ‘Hills’ and Theo Thumper put there heads together to rock out and have a good time. They have a fresh view on traditional blues and blues rock songs and they play the classic songs with respect for the tradition. Black Top plays originals and songs by ZZ Top, Joe Walsh, Jimi Hendrix, Willie Dixon and Rory Gallagher. Put on your biker boots and your black leather jacket, but be sure to leave your pick-up and your Harley at home, because after a night of Black Top blues rock, you’ll be crawling home… The musicians in Black Top have all paid there dues in different bands. Mick Hup toured at the age of fifteen through Germany and played guitar at most American army bases with his big sisters soul rock band. In 2001 he recorded is debut album Soul Power and got picked up by Noel Redding (Jimi Hendrix Experience) to play in the Noel Redding band with which he played Ahoy. Mick also wrote a rock opera for Hot Sushi. Martin van ‘Hills’ is the singer and bass player in Black Top, but is also one of the men behind the Arabicana project NO Blues. Further more he toured the whole of Europe several times with American blues acts like the Tony Vega Band. In 2006 he recorded his debut album ‘Friday the 17th’. Together with Thumper he is the rocking back bone for this trio and for fifties blues band the MarbleTones. Theo Thumper is the veteran in the band and played drums with one of the Dutch most feared punk rock bands the Speedtwins. Later on he toured Europe with the American Jenny Kerr Band and played drums for the legendary T-model Ford.

Guitar-player, singer, songwriter and producer Mick Hup was born in Holland. He started playing the guitar at the age of 11, climbed on the stage at 14 and immediately made a big impression. Still very young and searching for new styles he jammed, joined and started a lot of different bands and projects. Jammed with Noel Redding (Jimi Hendrix), Mark Gilligan, Marcel Singor, Francie Conway, Stephen Housden (Little River Band) and wrote a rock opera for Suzanne van Amelsvoort (Hot Sushi).

Hills

Bass-player and singer Hills was fifteen when he bought his first bass guitar that started his musical career. The self taught bass player soon started playing in several local bands. At the age of seventeen he started writing his own songs. He lived in New York at the age of twenty three and that’s when Hills really started working on his own material. When he returned to Holland, he decided he was going to record a solo album. After his return to Holland, Hills played with a lot of Dutch bands such as the MarbleTones, NO Blues, Judge Abraham and the Jury, Kill City Rebel en Rude Rich and the High Notes. He also did European tours as bass player with American blues bands.

Thumper

Drummer and sometimes the funny guy in the band. Thumper was born and raised in Amsterdam, lived a while in Winchester CA, and is now living in Arnhem (The Netherlands). He started playing at the age of 5 and seven years later the blues music became an obsession. He made a side step to Funk and Punk. Graduated from the conservatory in 1976. Besides playing drums he composed music for commercials and the award winning documentary series Tycoons. Made a solo album for Columbia records rewarded with the prestigious Roland Midi Award. Besides Black Top, Thumper also plays the Hills Blues Collective, featuring “Hills” on guitar and the 60’s blues band the MarbleTones.