Vince Hill
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Vince Hill (born Vincent Hill, 16 April 1937 in Holbrooks, Coventry) is a British popular music singer.
[edit] Biography
He first sang professionally in a public house, when he was just fifteen. But the decision to become a full time musician came after he had worked as baker, teamster, and coal miner.
When he called up for military service, Hill received the deciding trigger for a professional career. He went on to be a singer with the Royal Signals Band. After leaving the military service he toured with a musical called 'Floradora', and he then became a singer with the Teddy Foster's Band, a big band based in London.
At the beginning of the 1960s, he joined the critically acclaimed, British vocal group, "Jackie and the Rainbows", which gave him his first opportunity to perform in television and radio shows. Especially on the BBC radio show "Parade Of The Pops". The Raindrops also had in its ranks Jackie Lee, and Johnny Worth. After leaving The Rainbows, Lee recorded the popular singles "White Horses", and "Rupert". Whilst Johnny Worth worked as a composer and band leader of some stature. By late 1961 however, Hill left The Rainbows for a fledgling solo career.
His debut entry in the UK Singles Chart was "The Rivers Run Dry", which went to Number 41 in June 1962. His first song in the Top 20 was "Take Me To Your Heart Again". The cover of the Édith Piaf hit, "La Vie En Rose" climbed to number 13 in 1966. "Roses Of Picardy" was another Top 20 success, reaching number 13 in the summer of 1967. Further notable songs that he recorded included "Heartaches" (Number 28, (1966); " Mercie Cherie" (written by the Austrian singer Udo Jürgens, Number 36, (1966); "Love Letters In The Sand" (Number 23, (1967); and "Look Around (And You'll Find Me There)". The latter track was another Top 20 hit, but proved to be his chart swansong, reaching a pinnacle of Number 12 in the latter half of 1971.
His most successful hit was "Edelweiss". This song, taken from the musical The Sound of Music was a Number 2 hit in the UK Singles Chart in March 1967.
Once the hits had dried up, Hill continued to perform regularly in clubs, cabaret, and various stage productions. He was a regular on TV shows in the 1970s, and beyond. His later career took his voice on to work on cruise ships.
Hill lives in Lower Shiplake which is a village in Oxfordshire, England on the River Thames, near Henley-on-Thames and opposite the village of Wargrave.
