Shelby musician releases new single, shares story of addiction and sobriety

For 10 years, musician Trey Hill struggled with addiction, and he is now sharing his battle to sobriety through his songs.

The Shelby native and Crest High grad moved to Nashville after high school to pursue music and recently released a single, Coast Highway, which tells some of his redemption story after moving to California for a fresh start.

Hill is a 20-year veteran of the music industry and has toured with and or recorded for artists such as Jessica Simpson, Big & Rich, Kellie Pickler, Rascal Flatts, Carrie Underwood, Taylor Swift and many more.

He said he left Nashville - and went solo - in 2020 after COVID-19 shut down the city, and he was in the grip of a cocaine and alcohol addiction.

"I moved out here, cleaned myself up and did the solo thing," he said.

It took some time to find his footing and a pivotal moment got him on the path to sobriety.

"I moved out here and sort of kind of fumbled and couldn't really find my way. I'd backtrack and relapse," Hill said. "That happened twice, and the third time I got mugged. I have a huge scar on the back of my head. I was sitting in they hospital and just had a moment. This is it. I'm done. I cant do this anymore."

He said he sought help and started going to AA meetings and developed a new outlook on life. He said he now seeks out the good in life, which has led to the title of his next soon-to-be-released single and name of his EP coming out on Sept. 13, "The Search for Something Good."

After a decade-long battle with addiction, he called it a miracle to be on the other side.

Hill said he still gets calls from people he's played with in the past, but now he picks and chooses who he works with. He said he recently went on a cruise with Rascal Flatts.

"I love working for myself now," he said.

As a solo artist, he has more time for his kids and his health and to focus on his own career.

"I'm very serious getting this going and sustaining myself as a solo artist," he said.

He currently performs around 25 shows a month, mostly in California and Nevada.

His title track, "The Search for Something Good," will also be aired on Steve Ferrone “The New Guy Show” Tom Petty Radio XM channel 31, beginning Wednesday at 2 p.m.

Hill said his interest in music began early when his mom and her friend, Peggy Panther, would call in to radio stations and win tickets to concerts.

"I was in meet and greet lines from 7 years old," he said. "I think that’s honest to God how it happened."

He said not only was he attending concerts beginning at an early age, but he started playing guitar when he was around 6 years old. He said he's played other instruments, including drums, but gravitated toward the guitar.

By the summer of 2004, not long after high school, he was in Nashville, playing music and on the road.

He said his parents were also instrumental in his success.

"I was an only child, and it was just the three of us, we were like the three musketeers," Hill said. "They were very supportive."

Now, two decades after launching his career in music, he's still going strong.

He said it's his love for what he does that keeps him going.

"If you do it right it doesn't feel like work," he said.

Hill said his first single, Coast Highway is out now, and the plan is to release another song in July and one in August before the full five song EP is released in September.

For more information on Trey Hill and his music, visit his website, treyhilltunes.com.

Reach reporter Rebecca Sitzes at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on The Shelby Star: Shelby musician releases new single, shares story of path to sobriety