Biography
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Born
16 April 1937
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Born In
Coventry, West Midlands, England, United Kingdom
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Died
22 July 2023 (aged 86)
Vince Hill (born Vincent Hill in Coventry on 16 April 1934; died 22 July 2023) was an English pop singer and songwriter best known for his 1967 recording of the Rodgers and Hammerstein show tune "Edelweiss", which reached No. 2 on the UK Singles Chart (staying on the chart for 17 weeks). Along with a successful recording career in the 1960s, Hill hosted several hit UK TV shows during the 1970s and 1980s.
Hill first sang professionally in a public house called The Prospect in Margate, Kent, when he was seventeen years old. He did not become a full-time musician after he had worked as baker, truck driver and coal miner. His first lucky break as a singer came when he read an advert in the 'Melody Maker' magazine, which said The Band of the Royal Corps Of Signals needed a vocalist. After completing his military service, he toured with the musical 'Florodora', and he then became a singer with Teddy Foster's Band, a big band based in London. At the beginning of the 1960s, Hill joined the critically acclaimed British vocal group, The Raindrops, which gave him his first opportunity to perform in television and radio shows, especially on the BBC radio show 'Parade of the Pops'.
By late 1961, Hill left The Raindrops for a fledgling solo career. His debut entry in the UK Singles Chart was the Vandyke penned 'The River's Run Dry', which went to No. 41 in June 1962. In January 1965, Hill was offered an international recording contract with the EMI group, which signed him to their Columbia label. His first Top 20 chart success with his new label came a year later with 'Take Me To Your Heart Again', Hill's cover of the Édith Piaf hit, 'La Vie En Rose', which climbed to no. 13 on the UK Singles Chart in 1966. His most successful hit was his cover recording of the Rodgers and Hammerstein song 'Edelweiss', from their 1959 musical 'The Sound of Music'. The recording was a no. 2 hit in the UK Singles Chart in March 1967. It was to become his signature tune for the rest of his career,
Hill's long-term recording contract with EMI Columbia came to an end in 1974, by which time he had released 14 studio albums and countless singles. The following year, Hill signed a new recording deal with CBS Records, for whom he released a further three studio albums of contemporary song material. Hill hosted several hit UK TV shows during the 1970s and 1980s.
From the 1980s onwards, Hill concentrated mainly on his live performances. Hill came out of semi-retirement in April 2012 to make a successful return to the stage for one night only in which he performed in a big band night at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club in London.
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