Introduction
Steven Bernard Hill (born April 19, 1958), known professionally as Stevie B, is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer who was influential in the freestyle and hi-NRG dance music scene of the late 1980s, mostly in Miami. He had a 1990 number-one hit ballad, "Because I Love You (The Postman Song)".
Early life and career
Steven Bernard Hill was born on April 19, 1958, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, He worked a variety of jobs – from car washing to fast food – before gaining recognition for his 1987 national club smash, "Party Your Body". It was also the title track of his 1988 debut LP, which eventually went gold. In 1989, he had his first top 40 hits with "I Wanna Be the One," "In My Eyes" and "Love Me For Life." With his 1990 album, Love & Emotion, he reached the height of his success, with the accompanying single, "Because I Love You" enjoying four weeks at number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in December 1990. He had two other top 15 hits from Love and Emotion with "I'll Be by Your Side" and the title track from the album.
In 1995, a quasi-greatest hits album was released by Universal Records in the Philippines, simply titled "Dream About You." It contained singles from his previous albums including "Funky Melody," "Running Back," and "Waiting for Your Love," among others. It also included as bonus the live version of "Because I Love You" which was recorded in his Tokyo concert, along with a ballad version of "If You Still Love Me." Two more tracks were added as bonus: "You're the One I Think About" and "Quiereme Por Vida." This album likewise featured 2 additional versions of "Dream About You," one with only synthesizers as accompaniment with no drums and percussion, and the other called 'Drop Mix' which prominently featured heavy bass guitar and bass drums.
In 1998, The Best of Stevie B was re-released, highlighting the light dance-pop sound that marked the start of his career.
In August 2009, he released The Terminator which features the lead single "Running for Miles" and a remixed rendition of one of his biggest hits, "Spring Love", with a guest performance by Pitbull and the music video featuring Polish model Anita Sikorska.
On April 10, 2019, Hill took to Facebook to make a critical commentary about the lack of freestyle music and the current state of the genre in general.
Personal life
On September 30, 2011, after his concert at MassMutual Center in Springfield, Massachusetts, police arrested Hill because he owed $420,000 in unpaid child support.
Comedian Dulcé Sloan is Hill’s niece.
Discography
Studio albums
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party Your Body |
|
78 | — | — | — | — |
|
| In My Eyes |
|
75 | — | 28 | — | — |
|
| Love & Emotion |
|
54 | 87 | — | — | 50 |
|
| Healing |
|
— | — | — | — | — | |
| Running Back |
|
— | — | — | — | — | |
| Funky Melody |
|
— | — | 29 | — | — | |
| Waiting for Your Love |
|
— | — | — | — | — | |
| Summer Nights |
|
— | — | — | — | — | |
| Right Here, Right Now! |
|
— | — | — | — | — | |
| Freestyle Then and Now! |
|
— | — | — | 83 | — | |
| It's So Good |
|
— | — | — | 99 | — | |
| This Time... |
|
— | — | — | — | — | |
| The Terminator |
|
— | — | — | — | — | |
| The King of Hearts |
|
— | — | — | — | — | |
| Never Gonna Let You Go |
|
— | — | — | — | — | |
| Best of Life |
|
— | — | — | — | — | |
| "—" denotes items that did not chart or were not released. | |||||||
Compilation albums
- 1991: Best of Stevie B
- 1992: Best of Stevie B (different track list)
- 1993: The Best of Stevie B (Brazil edition)
- 1996: The Best of Stevie B Vol. 2 (Brazil edition)
- 1996: Finally
- 1997: Hit Collection
- 1998: Best of Stevie B (reissued)
- 2001: The Greatest Hits
- 2004: The Greatest Hits Volume 2
- 2005: The World of Stevie B
- 2008: Greatest Freestyle Ballads
- 2009: B-Sides and Outtakes
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | "Party Your Body" | — | 40 | 69 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Party Your Body | ||
| 1988 | "Dreamin' of Love" | 80 | 21 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Spring Love (Come Back to Me)" | 43 | 5 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| "I Wanna Be the One" | 32 | 39 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | In My Eyes | |||
| 1989 | "In My Eyes" | 37 | 21 | — | — | — | 58 | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Girl I Am Searching for You" | 56 | — | — | — | — | 4 | — | — | — | — | ||||
| 1990 | "The Stevie B. Megamix" | — | — | — | — | — | — | 17 | — | — | — | |||
| "Love Me for Life" | 29 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| "Love & Emotion" | 15 | 43 | — | — | — | 55 | 31 | — | — | — | Love & Emotion | |||
| "Because I Love You (The Postman Song)" | 1 | — | — | 1 | 8 | 7 | 9 | 4 | 22 | 6 |
| |||
| 1991 | "I'll Be by Your Side" | 12 | — | — | 16 | 73 | 38 | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Forever More" | 96 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| 1992 | "Pump That Body" | — | 15 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Healing | ||
| "Prayer" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| 1994 | "Funky Melody" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Funky Melody | ||
| 1995 | "Dream About You" | 29 | — | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "If You Still Love Me" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| "Waiting for Your Love" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Waiting for Your Love | |||
| 1997 | "Summer Nights" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Right Here, Right Now! | ||
| 1998 | "Megamix Vol. 2" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "If You Leave Me Now" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| 1999 | "It's So Good" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | It's So Good | ||
| "Mega Freestyle" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| "Mega Mixx 2000" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| 2000 | "You Are the One" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | The Greatest Hits | ||
| "Megafreestylemix" / "Young Girl" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| "MegaMix 2001" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| 2008 | "Running for Miles" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | The Terminator | ||
| "Get This Party Started" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| 2009 | "It Ain't Over" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| 2013 | "Spring Love 2013" | — | — | — | — | — | — | 87 | — | — | — | Non-album single | ||
| 2016 | "Changing Faces" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Never Gonna Let You Go | ||
| "Freestyle" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| 2023 | "Take It All Back" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album single | ||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||||||||||||||
Music videos
| Year | Video |
|---|---|
| 1988 | "Dreamin' of Love" |
| "Spring Love (Come Back to Me)" | |
| "I Wanna Be the One" | |
| 1989 | "In My Eyes" |
| 1990 | "Love Me for Life" |
| "Love & Emotion" | |
| "Because I Love You (The Postman Song)" | |
| 1992 | "Pump That Body" |
| 1995 | "Dream About You" |
| 2000 | "You Are the One" |
| 2008 | "Running for Miles" |