Campbell Riverite Goes From Local Mascot to Trooper Drummer
Clayton Hill says he learned 26 Trooper songs before his first show and stayed after a last-minute audition in 2006.
- This September marks 20 years since Clayton Hill joined the rock band Trooper, with the Campbell River native remaining a central fixture of the group after building a career that took him to Vancouver.
- Hill's musical journey began in Campbell River, where he learned fundamentals from brothers Dave and Steve Hillis of the band Big Rock and sang an original song, "Sweet Julie," at Discovery Passage.
- In 2006, tour manager Randy Bergner, a former bandmate, called Hill to audition for Trooper, prompting him to quickly learn 26 songs for his first show in Port Alberni.
- During his audition, Hill nearly walked away after struggling with an unfamiliar drum kit, but bandmates Ra Maguire and Brian Smitty Smith talked him through it during a break, and he stayed.
- Decades later, Hill returns to Campbell River regularly to visit friends, maintaining the same instincts that first pulled him toward a drum kit as a kid: a desire to keep playing and coming home.
13 Articles
13 Articles
Campbell Riverite goes from local mascot to Trooper drummer - Creston Valley Advance
“I’ve never played a Trooper song in my life and I’d rather keep it that way.” That’s what Clayton Hill told a bandmate during a 2006 fill-in gig in Quesnel, moments before floundering his way through the classic rock staple We’re Here for a Good Time (Not a Long Time). Less than a day later, he got a phone call on his Nokia that would change his life, an invitation to audition as the new drummer for Trooper, one of Canada’s most enduring rock b…
Campbell Riverite goes from local mascot to Trooper drummer - Fort St. James Caledonia Courier
“I’ve never played a Trooper song in my life and I’d rather keep it that way.” That’s what Clayton Hill told a bandmate during a 2006 fill-in gig in Quesnel, moments before floundering his way through the classic rock staple We’re Here for a Good Time (Not a Long Time). Less than a day later, he got a phone call on his Nokia that would change his life, an invitation to audition as the new drummer for Trooper, one of Canada’s most enduring rock b…
Campbell Riverite goes from local mascot to Trooper drummer - Grand Forks Gazette
“I’ve never played a Trooper song in my life and I’d rather keep it that way.” That’s what Clayton Hill told a bandmate during a 2006 fill-in gig in Quesnel, moments before floundering his way through the classic rock staple We’re Here for a Good Time (Not a Long Time). Less than a day later, he got a phone call on his Nokia that would change his life, an invitation to audition as the new drummer for Trooper, one of Canada’s most enduring rock b…
Campbell Riverite goes from local mascot to Trooper drummer - Vanderhoof Omineca Express
“I’ve never played a Trooper song in my life and I’d rather keep it that way.” That’s what Clayton Hill told a bandmate during a 2006 fill-in gig in Quesnel, moments before floundering his way through the classic rock staple We’re Here for a Good Time (Not a Long Time). Less than a day later, he got a phone call on his Nokia that would change his life, an invitation to audition as the new drummer for Trooper, one of Canada’s most enduring rock b…
Campbell Riverite goes from local mascot to Trooper drummer - Northern Sentinel
“I’ve never played a Trooper song in my life and I’d rather keep it that way.” That’s what Clayton Hill told a bandmate during a 2006 fill-in gig in Quesnel, moments before floundering his way through the classic rock staple We’re Here for a Good Time (Not a Long Time). Less than a day later, he got a phone call on his Nokia that would change his life, an invitation to audition as the new drummer for Trooper, one of Canada’s most enduring rock b…
Penticton Western News
Campbell Riverite goes from local mascot to Trooper drummer
“I’ve never played a Trooper song in my life and I’d rather keep it that way.” That’s what Clayton Hill told a bandmate during a 2006 fill-in gig in Quesnel, moments before floundering his way through the classic rock staple We’re Here for a Good Time (Not a Long Time). Less than a day later, he got a phone call on his Nokia that would change his life, an invitation to audition as the new drummer for Trooper, one of Canada’s most enduring rock b…
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