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Budding star Tyler Hilton returns for intimate local showThe Desert Sun
May 29, 2005
Tyler Hilton, a seasoned veteran of 21, is taking on world responsibilities even as he struggles to find his first top 10 national hit.
The La Quinta High School graduate returned to his old neighborhood last weekend to give a private recital for 25 fans old enough to be his parents. In fact, his folks were there, watching Tyler from opposite sides of Dana Webster's living room.
Tyler's mother, Christie, had traveled from her home in Fresno, where she teaches at a university. Her ex-husband, Bob, travels with Tyler as his manager. The next day, Bob and Tyler were due in Florida for a radio promotion. The next night they would probably watch Tyler's season finale of "One Tree Hill," the WB show that has moved him a step closer to multi-media stardom.
He'll play Elvis Presley in the Johnny Cash biopic, "Walk the Line" in November. Celebrity portrait artist Annie Leibowitz has asked to photograph him.
Webster's mom, Beverly Davis, is one of Hilton's high school English teachers. They exchange books and letters when Hilton is on the road. Hilton calls her "Aunt B."
Easy to like Hilton was appearing at Webster's house as part of a promotion to reward his fans. Webster collected 100 receipts from tickets to Hilton's concerts, so Tyler gave her a private "house party."
He played songs from his first Maverick Records CD, "Tracks of Tyler Hilton," including "Insomnia," which he wrote as a "high school rebel," staying up late and winning Shakespeare acting competitions. He also sang some new songs, such as the pretty "Hard to Love," performed on a piano Webster had tuned just for the party.
Hilton has had a husky, bluesy voice since I first heard him in a coffee shop at age 14. But he goes deeper inside himself now, like a fine actor who taps into emotional memories to make his songs more meaningful.
He first single, "When It Comes" (including the line, "Well, I'm cruising El Paseo/In my off-white coup back '65") brims with teen optimism on "Tracks of." He tells a girlfriend he won't be able to see her much while "I wait for fate to find me/A ball of string unwind me." But the song doesn't sound so carefree now. The single stalled before reaching the top 40 rotation level and Maverick hurried to get another single out.
It picked a more world-wise song Hilton recently wrote titled "How Love Should Be." In this one, he's looking for a girlfriend to stick with him. He sings, "I'm not quite the knight I used to be." The video won't be shot until next month, but Bob Hilton says it broke into the Billboard top 100 faster than "When It Comes."
The intimate crowd at Webster's house loved all of Hilton's material. Even Tyler was surprised by the prolonged applause to his songs. He noted that in his short career he's seen audiences become impatient for the next song instead of savoring the last one. This audience stoked him with appreciation.
But Hilton no longer acts like a wowed kid who can't believe his good fortune to have a career. He's poised now and able to make his wit fit any occasion. He got a laugh saying he never expected to be singing before two of his high school English teachers. He got a bigger laugh when a dog walked in front of him and he said, "Do you need an usher?" He even recalled some Victor Borge jokes.
Literary bent After the music faded, he showed how important his English teachers were to him.
One of them, Dan Morris, wouldn't take credit for his interest in literature.
"I think he's always been interested in reading," he said. "That didn't begin with us. I think it began in the home."
Davis and Webster played an important role in parlaying Hilton's love of books into a crusade for reading.
Davis recalled Tyler saying at his 21st birthday in November, "I wish I could put a book into the hands of every child in the world." So, when Webster won the house party, they turned it into a fund-raiser for that cause.
Most of their friends are Josh Groban fans and Groban's fan club has a foundation supporting the Zamimpilo Orphanage for children of AIDS victims in South Africa. Most donations are for food, clothing and general upkeep, but Webster's party raised $400 to give Zamimpilo a chance to buy books for the orphans.
Hilton sees reading as remedy to many social ills, not the least of which is impatience.
"It teaches you to slow down in general," Hilton said away from Webster's living room. "I think a lot is missed by impatience."
Hilton has made friends he never expected to have through books. It's made him a better conversationalist and opened new horizons.
Another teacher once described his "intellectual curiosity" and that's certainly fueled by his love of books.
"I think the world would be better if more people had books," he said. "Everything's about ideas and creativity and invention, and anything that promotes that can help you get out of any problem you face."
Nancy Bucher watched Hilton patiently sign autographs for her fellow fans at Sunday's house party. She said "Tracks of" reminded her of Paul Simon's music. But her admiration for Hilton goes well beyond the tracks on his CD.
"What a sweet kid," she said. "He's younger than my kids and he's from this area and I definitely want to support the kids in the orphanage."
