Connie Hillman
Acting
Biography
Connie Papas Hillman is an AR executive, former executive vice-president of Elton John's Rocket Records and wife of Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Chris Hillman. She began her career working for Elton John’s agent, Howard Rose. At 24, she moved to the recording side as Executive VP of the Rocket Record Company, joining John Reid, Elton’s former manager. She was later appointed Executive VP of John Reid Enterprises, co-managing Elton John, Bernie Taupin, Queen, Kiki Dee and Carole Bayer Sager. In subsequent years, she served as North American his tour producer (1982-2016), which included co-production of the Face to Face tours with Elton John and Billy Joel (1994-2010). She was also the VP of the Elton John Charitable Fund (2003-2016) and served on the board of the Elton John AIDS Foundation (1993-2003). Then, in 1982, Connie Hillman formed her own US-based company, Constant Communications Corporation. Between liaising with the British wing of Elton’s management company, her company became the production enterprise for all of Elton John’s North American tours. The company continues to be active as she diversifies her business activities.
Known For
A documentary series about pop and rock albums that are considered the best or most distinctive of a well-known band or musician or that exemplify a stage in the history of music.
Classic Albums
The worlds of glitz, glam, and pop-rock fused immortally on Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, born of the formidable partnership of Elton John and Bernie Taupin. This 1973 double album may well have been the peak of their collaboration. Ranging from perennial favorites like "Candle in the Wind," "Bennie and the Jets," and the title track to more ambitious compositions like "Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding" and everything in between, Goodbye is unmatched in its depth and scope. This entry in the Classic Albums series of DVDs documents the often tumultuous writing and recording sessions for that masterpiece through vintage clips of the musicians in the studio and new interviews with Elton, Bernie, producer Gus Dudgeon, and the band members. We may never know how the John-Taupin team achieved their magic, but this release offers a both a peek at the process and a few reasons why the album endures today.