Vince Hill
Encyclopedia
Vince Hill is an English
traditional pop music
singer
, songwriter
and record producer
.
called The Prospect in Margate
, Kent
, when he was fifteen years old. But the decision to become a full time musician
came after he had worked as baker
, truck driver
, 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, 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. The Raindrops also had in its ranks Jackie Lee
, Len Beadle and Johnny Worth. After leaving The Raindrops, Lee went on to record
the popular singles
"White Horses", and "Rupert", whilst Johnny Worth worked as a songwriter
(under his pen-name, Les Vandyke
he wrote many hits
including the early successes of Eden Kane
and Adam Faith
). By late 1961 however, 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 #41 in June 1962. In 1963, he participated in A Song for Europe, the UK
heat of the Eurovision Song Contest
, with another Vandyke penned song, "A Day at the Seaside". The next few years proved fallow as a succession of single releases failed to chart
. His first song in the Top 20 was "Take Me To Your Heart Again" - Hill's cover
of the Édith Piaf
hit, "La Vie En Rose
" climbed to #13 in 1966. "Roses of Picardy
", composed during the First World War, was another Top 20 success, reaching #13 in the summer of 1967. Further notable songs that he recorded
included "Heartaches
" (#28, 1966); "Merci Cherie" (written by the Austria
n singer Udo Jürgens
), which was the winning song in the Eurovision Song Contest 1966
, (#36, 1966); "Love Letters in the Sand
" (#23, 1967); "The Importance of Your Love" (music by Gilbert Bécaud
; English
lyrics
by Norman Newell
) and "Look Around (And You'll Find Me There)". The latter track, taken from the soundtrack
to the film
, Love Story
was another Top 20 hit, but proved to be his chart swansong, reaching a pinnacle of #12 in the latter half of 1971.
His most successful hit was "Edelweiss
". This song, from the soundtrack to the musical film
, The Sound of Music
, was a #2 hit in the UK Singles Chart in March 1967. "Edelweiss" was to become his signature tune
for the rest of his career, that saw him top the bill at the London Palladium
and Talk of the Town
. His album
Edelweiss was his only hit album for Columbia
, but between 1966 and 1973 he recorded albums normally including hits of the time mixed with his own title song.
Another notable Hill recording was "Pray for Love", based on a melody
by Mascagni
, with a lyric by Norman Newell. He also made a vocal recording of the Russ Conway
favourite, "Always You and Me", which became the title of an album.
Once the hits had dried up, Hill continued to perform regularly in clubs
, cabaret
, and various stage productions. He still recorded albums and moved to CBS Records
in 1975, where his first album for them Mandy included more contemporary material like "Streets of London
". However, the albums failed to chart but he was a regular on TV
shows
in the 1970s, and beyond.
His later career took his voice
on to work on cruise ship
s. Although known mainly for his voice he has composed songs as well. He and his musical director
Ernie Dunstall wrote a song for Brendan Dougan that went to number one in the New Zealand
chart
.
In 1982 he appeared on the Children's TV show Rainbow
. In October 1983, he performed on one of the last episodes of BBC One
's, light entertainment show, The Good Old Days
. Other television appearances occurred in shows including Cash in the Attic
, 3-2-1
, Top of the Pops
, The Morecambe & Wise Show and Seaside Special
. In the mid 1980s Hill also appeared in an episode of Jim'll Fix It
performing a ballad
called "Sharon", requested by a viewer who claimed nobody had ever written a love song of that name.
By 1983 he had added acting
to his CV
, first in the radio
drama
, Tolpuddle (which he also wrote) and playing Ivor Novello
in the stage play
, My Dearest Ivor. Hill also wrote the stage musical
, Zodiac.
Hill's first production
credit for an album was the 1997 In Thine Eyes, CD
a collection of classical church music
and voices
. His most recent tour, was entitled the 'I'm Still Standing Show', so named because of his recent battle with cancer
.
Hill currently lives in Lower Shiplake, which is a village
in Oxfordshire
on the River Thames
, near Henley-on-Thames
.
He has also written his autobiography, Another Hill to Climb (Bank House Books), in collaboration with Nick Charles MBE.
at CBS Records
at EMI
at Capitol Records
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
traditional pop music
Traditional pop music
Traditional pop or classic pop or standards music denotes, in general, Western popular music that either wholly predates the advent of rock and roll in the mid-1950s, or to any popular music which exists concurrently to rock and roll but originated in a time before the appearance of rock and roll,...
singer
Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
and record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
.
Biography
Hill first sang professionally in a public housePublic house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
called The Prospect in Margate
Margate
-Demography:As of the 2001 UK census, Margate had a population of 40,386.The ethnicity of the town was 97.1% white, 1.0% mixed race, 0.5% black, 0.8% Asian, 0.6% Chinese or other ethnicity....
, Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, when he was fifteen years old. But the decision to become a full time musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
came after he had worked as baker
Baker
A baker is someone who bakes and sells bread, Cakes and similar foods may also be produced, as the traditional boundaries between what is produced by a baker as opposed to a pastry chef have blurred in recent decades...
, truck driver
Teamster
A teamster, in modern American English, is a truck driver. The trade union named after them is the International Brotherhood of Teamsters , one of the largest unions in the United States....
, and coal miner.
When he called up for military service
Military service
Military service, in its simplest sense, is service by an individual or group in an army or other militia, whether as a chosen job or as a result of an involuntary draft . Some nations require a specific amount of military service from every citizen...
, 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
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
called Floradora, and he then became a singer with the Teddy Foster's Band, a big band
Big band
A big band is a type of musical ensemble associated with jazz and the Swing Era typically consisting of rhythm, brass, and woodwind instruments totaling approximately twelve to twenty-five musicians...
based in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
At the beginning of the 1960s, he joined the critically acclaimed British vocal group, The Raindrops, which gave him his first opportunity to perform in television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
and radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
shows, especially on the BBC radio
BBC Radio
BBC Radio is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927. For a history of BBC radio prior to 1927 see British Broadcasting Company...
show Parade Of The Pops. The Raindrops also had in its ranks Jackie Lee
Jackie Lee
Jackie Lee is an Irish popular music singer, who has recorded under various names.-Career:Lee was a musical child prodigy. She won a scholarship and trained as a soprano for four years...
, Len Beadle and Johnny Worth. After leaving The Raindrops, Lee went on to record
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
the popular singles
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
"White Horses", and "Rupert", whilst Johnny Worth worked as a songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
(under his pen-name, Les Vandyke
Les Vandyke
Les Vandyke was a popular music singer and later songwriter in the 1950s and 1960s. He was also known as Johnny Worth and John Worsley...
he wrote many hits
Hit record
A hit record is a sound recording, usually in the form of a single or album, that sells a large number of copies or otherwise becomes broadly popular or well-known, through airplay, club play, inclusion in a film or stage play soundtrack, causing it to have "hit" one of the popular chart listings...
including the early successes of Eden Kane
Eden Kane
Eden Kane is an early 1960s British pop singer.-Life and career:Like Cliff Richard, Pete Best, and Engelbert Humperdinck, Eden Kane was born in India, but returned to Britain as a child...
and Adam Faith
Adam Faith
Terence "Terry" Nelhams-Wright, known as Adam Faith was a Teen idol English singer, actor and later financial journalist. He was one of the most charted acts of the 1960s. He became the first UK artist to lodge his initial seven hits in the Top 5...
). By late 1961 however, Hill left The Raindrops for a fledgling solo
Solo (music)
In music, a solo is a piece or a section of a piece played or sung by a single performer...
career.
His debut entry in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
was the Vandyke penned "The River's Run Dry", which went to #41 in June 1962. In 1963, he participated in A Song for Europe, the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
heat of the Eurovision Song Contest
United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest 1963
The United Kingdom held a national preselection to choose the song that would go to the Eurovision Song Contest 1963. It was held on February 24, 1963 and presented by David Jacobs.-Results: Artist Song Place Anne Shelton...
, with another Vandyke penned song, "A Day at the Seaside". The next few years proved fallow as a succession of single releases failed to chart
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
. His first song in the Top 20 was "Take Me To Your Heart Again" - Hill's cover
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of the Édith Piaf
Édith Piaf
Édith Piaf , born Édith Giovanna Gassion, was a French singer and cultural icon who became widely regarded as France's greatest popular singer. Her singing reflected her life, with her specialty being ballads...
hit, "La Vie En Rose
La vie en rose
"La Vie en Rose" was the signature song of French singer Édith Piaf.-Signature song of Édith Piaf:Édith Piaf first popularized La Vie en Rose in 1946. The lyrics were written by Piaf and the melody of the song by "Louiguy" . Initially, Piaf's peers and her songwriting team did not think the song...
" climbed to #13 in 1966. "Roses of Picardy
Roses of Picardy
Roses of Picardy is a wartime ballad written by lyricist Frederick Weatherly while he was an army officer in 1916. Set to music by Haydn Wood, it was one of the most famous songs from World War I....
", composed during the First World War, was another Top 20 success, reaching #13 in the summer of 1967. Further notable songs that he recorded
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
included "Heartaches
Heartaches (song)
"Heartaches" is a popular song with music by Al Hoffman and lyrics by John Klenner. The song was published in 1931.-Ted Weems cover:The biggest recorded version of the song was by the Ted Weems Orchestra, with Elmo Tanner whistling...
" (#28, 1966); "Merci Cherie" (written by the Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n singer Udo Jürgens
Udo Jürgens
Udo Jürgens is an Austrian composer and singer of popular music whose career spans over fifty years...
), which was the winning song in the Eurovision Song Contest 1966
Eurovision Song Contest 1966
The Eurovision Song Contest 1966 was the 11th edition and was held on 5 March 1966 in Luxembourg, Luxembourg. The rule stating that a country could only sing in any of its national languages was originally created in this year. This was possibly created due to the 1965 Swedish entry, "Absent...
, (#36, 1966); "Love Letters in the Sand
Love Letters in the Sand
"Love Letters in the Sand" is a popular song first published in 1931. The music was written by J. Fred Coots and the lyrics by Nick Kenny and Charles Kenny. The song was "inspired" by an 1881 composition, "The Spanish Cavalier"...
" (#23, 1967); "The Importance of Your Love" (music by Gilbert Bécaud
Gilbert Bécaud
Gilbert Bécaud was a French singer, composer and actor, known as "Monsieur 100,000 Volts" for his energetic performances. His best-known hits are "Nathalie" and "Et Maintenant", a 1961 release that became an English language hit as "What Now My Love"...
; English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
lyrics
Lyrics
Lyrics are a set of words that make up a song. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist or lyrist. The meaning of lyrics can either be explicit or implicit. Some lyrics are abstract, almost unintelligible, and, in such cases, their explication emphasizes form, articulation, meter, and symmetry of...
by Norman Newell
Norman Newell
Norman Newell, OBE was born in Plaistow, Essex , and was a successful British record producer in the 1950s and 1960s, as well as co-writer of many notable songs...
) and "Look Around (And You'll Find Me There)". The latter track, taken from the soundtrack
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
to the film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
, Love Story
Love Story (1970 film)
Love Story is a 1970 romantic drama film written by Erich Segal and based on his novel Love Story. It was directed by Arthur Hiller. The film, well known as a tragedy, is considered one of the most romantic of all time by the American Film Institute , and was followed by a sequel, Oliver's Story...
was another Top 20 hit, but proved to be his chart swansong, reaching a pinnacle of #12 in the latter half of 1971.
His most successful hit was "Edelweiss
Edelweiss (song)
"Edelweiss" is a show tune from the 1959 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical The Sound of Music. It is named after the edelweiss, a white flower found high in the Alps...
". This song, from the soundtrack to the musical film
Musical film
The musical film is a film genre in which songs sung by the characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, though in some cases they serve merely as breaks in the storyline, often as elaborate...
, The Sound of Music
The Sound of Music
The Sound of Music is a musical by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. It is based on the memoir of Maria von Trapp, The Story of the Trapp Family Singers...
, was a #2 hit in the UK Singles Chart in March 1967. "Edelweiss" was to become his signature tune
Theme music
Theme music is a piece that is often written specifically for a radio program, television program, video game or movie, and usually played during the title sequence and/or end credits...
for the rest of his career, that saw him top the bill at the London Palladium
London Palladium
The London Palladium is a 2,286 seat West End theatre located off Oxford Street in the City of Westminster. From the roster of stars who have played there and many televised performances, it is arguably the most famous theatre in London and the United Kingdom, especially for musical variety...
and Talk of the Town
Hippodrome, London
The Hippodrome is a building on the corner of Charing Cross Road and Leicester Square in the City of Westminster, London. The name was used for many different theatres and music halls, of which the London Hippodrome is one of only a few survivors...
. His album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
Edelweiss was his only hit album for Columbia
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
, but between 1966 and 1973 he recorded albums normally including hits of the time mixed with his own title song.
Another notable Hill recording was "Pray for Love", based on a melody
Melody
A melody , also tune, voice, or line, is a linear succession of musical tones which is perceived as a single entity...
by Mascagni
Pietro Mascagni
Pietro Antonio Stefano Mascagni was an Italian composer most noted for his operas. His 1890 masterpiece Cavalleria rusticana caused one of the greatest sensations in opera history and single-handedly ushered in the Verismo movement in Italian dramatic music...
, with a lyric by Norman Newell. He also made a vocal recording of the Russ Conway
Russ Conway
Russ Conway was a British popular music pianist. Conway had 20 piano instrumentals in the UK Singles Chart between 1957 and 1963, including two number one hits.-Career:...
favourite, "Always You and Me", which became the title of an album.
Once the hits had dried up, Hill continued to perform regularly in clubs
Nightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
, cabaret
Cabaret
Cabaret is a form, or place, of entertainment featuring comedy, song, dance, and theatre, distinguished mainly by the performance venue: a restaurant or nightclub with a stage for performances and the audience sitting at tables watching the performance, as introduced by a master of ceremonies or...
, and various stage productions. He still recorded albums and moved to CBS Records
CBS Records
CBS Records is a record label founded by CBS Corporation in 2006 to take advantage of music from its entertainment properties owned by CBS Television Studios. The initial label roster consisted of only three artists; rock band Señor Happy and singer/songwriters Will Dailey and P.J...
in 1975, where his first album for them Mandy included more contemporary material like "Streets of London
Streets of London
Streets of London may refer to:* "Streets of London" , 1969 song written by Ralph McTell* Streets of London , 1983 text adventure* The Streets of London * The Streets of London , 1929 crime film...
". However, the albums failed to chart but he was a regular on TV
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
shows
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
in the 1970s, and beyond.
His later career took his voice
Human voice
The human voice consists of sound made by a human being using the vocal folds for talking, singing, laughing, crying, screaming, etc. Its frequency ranges from about 60 to 7000 Hz. The human voice is specifically that part of human sound production in which the vocal folds are the primary...
on to work on cruise ship
Cruise ship
A cruise ship or cruise liner is a passenger ship used for pleasure voyages, where the voyage itself and the ship's amenities are part of the experience, as well as the different destinations along the way...
s. Although known mainly for his voice he has composed songs as well. He and his musical director
Music director
A music director may be the director of an orchestra, the director of music for a film, the director of music at a radio station, the head of the music department in a school, the co-ordinator of the musical ensembles in a university or college , the head bandmaster of a military band, the head...
Ernie Dunstall wrote a song for Brendan Dougan that went to number one in the New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
chart
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
.
In 1982 he appeared on the Children's TV show Rainbow
Rainbow (TV series)
Rainbow is a British children's television series, created by Pamela Lonsdale, which ran twice weekly at 12:10 on Tuesdays and Fridays on the ITV network, from 16 October 1972 to 6 March 1992...
. In October 1983, he performed on one of the last episodes of BBC One
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
's, light entertainment show, The Good Old Days
The Good Old Days
The Good Old Days is a popular BBC television light entertainment programme which ran from 1953 to 1983.It was performed at the Leeds City Varieties and recreated an authentic atmosphere of the Victorian–Edwardian music hall with songs and sketches of the era performed by present-day...
. Other television appearances occurred in shows including Cash in the Attic
Cash in the Attic
Cash in the Attic, also Cash in the Celebrity Attic, is a UK television show on the BBC. The show, made by , premièred in 2002 and has run for sixteen series; as of February 2010, the seventeenth series is currently in production, along with the fifth celebrity series...
, 3-2-1
3-2-1
3–2–1 was a popular British game show that was made by Yorkshire Television for ITV. It ran for ten years, between 29 July 1978 and 24 December 1988. Throughout its run, the show was hosted by former Butlins Redcoat Ted Rogers. It was based on a Spanish gameshow called Un, dos, tres.....
, Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops, also known as TOTP, is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006. After 25 December 2006 it became a radio program, now hosted by Tony Blackburn...
, The Morecambe & Wise Show and Seaside Special
Seaside Special
Seaside Special was a BBC light entertainment show broadcast from the mid-late 1970s. It was an outside broadcast and was always filmed in a big top in a British seaside resort. Originally the big top belonged to various circuses , but in later seasons, the BBC purchased their own big top to act...
. In the mid 1980s Hill also appeared in an episode of Jim'll Fix It
Jim'll Fix It
Jim'll Fix It was a long-running British television show, broadcast by the BBC between 1975 and 1994. It was presented by Jimmy Savile. It was produced by Roger Ordish, who also worked on other BBC shows, including A Bit of Fry & Laurie...
performing a ballad
Ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of British and Irish popular poetry and song from the later medieval period until the 19th century and used extensively across Europe and later the Americas, Australia and North Africa. Many...
called "Sharon", requested by a viewer who claimed nobody had ever written a love song of that name.
By 1983 he had added acting
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
to his CV
Résumé
A résumé is a document used by individuals to present their background and skillsets. Résumés can be used for a variety of reasons but most often to secure new employment. A typical résumé contains a summary of relevant job experience and education...
, first in the radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
drama
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
, Tolpuddle (which he also wrote) and playing Ivor Novello
Ivor Novello
David Ivor Davies , better known as Ivor Novello, was a Welsh composer, singer and actor who became one of the most popular British entertainers of the first half of the 20th century. Born into a musical family, his first successes were as a songwriter...
in the stage play
Play (theatre)
A play is a form of literature written by a playwright, usually consisting of scripted dialogue between characters, intended for theatrical performance rather than just reading. There are rare dramatists, notably George Bernard Shaw, who have had little preference whether their plays were performed...
, My Dearest Ivor. Hill also wrote the stage musical
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
, Zodiac.
Hill's first production
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
credit for an album was the 1997 In Thine Eyes, CD
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
a collection of classical church music
Church music
Church music may be defined as music written for performance in church, or any musical setting of ecclestiacal liturgy, or music set to words expressing propositions of a sacred nature, such as a hymn. This article covers music in the Judaeo-Christian tradition. For sacred music outside this...
and voices
Human voice
The human voice consists of sound made by a human being using the vocal folds for talking, singing, laughing, crying, screaming, etc. Its frequency ranges from about 60 to 7000 Hz. The human voice is specifically that part of human sound production in which the vocal folds are the primary...
. His most recent tour, was entitled the 'I'm Still Standing Show', so named because of his recent battle with cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
.
Hill currently lives in Lower Shiplake, which is a village
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
in Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
on the River Thames
River Thames
The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...
, near Henley-on-Thames
Henley-on-Thames
Henley-on-Thames is a town and civil parish on the River Thames in South Oxfordshire, England, about 10 miles downstream and north-east from Reading, 10 miles upstream and west from Maidenhead...
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He has also written his autobiography, Another Hill to Climb (Bank House Books), in collaboration with Nick Charles MBE.
Albums
at Columbia RecordsColumbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
- At The Club
- Edelweiss - UK Albums ChartUK Albums ChartThe UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
#23 - Always You and Me
- Look Around (And You'll Find Me There)
- And I Love You So
at CBS Records
CBS Records
CBS Records is a record label founded by CBS Corporation in 2006 to take advantage of music from its entertainment properties owned by CBS Television Studios. The initial label roster consisted of only three artists; rock band Señor Happy and singer/songwriters Will Dailey and P.J...
- Mandy
at EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
- They Sold a Million (1973)
at Capitol Records
Capitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
- Have You Met? Vince Hill
Singles
| Year | Title (Songwriter Songwriter A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer... s) |
UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
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| 1962 | "The River's Run Dry" (Les Vandyke Les Vandyke Les Vandyke was a popular music singer and later songwriter in the 1950s and 1960s. He was also known as Johnny Worth and John Worsley... ) |
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| 1966 | "Take Me To Your Heart Again La vie en rose "La Vie en Rose" was the signature song of French singer Édith Piaf.-Signature song of Édith Piaf:Édith Piaf first popularized La Vie en Rose in 1946. The lyrics were written by Piaf and the melody of the song by "Louiguy" . Initially, Piaf's peers and her songwriting team did not think the song... " (Édith Piaf Édith Piaf Édith Piaf , born Édith Giovanna Gassion, was a French singer and cultural icon who became widely regarded as France's greatest popular singer. Her singing reflected her life, with her specialty being ballads... /Louis Guglielmi/Mack David Mack David Mack David was an American lyricist and songwriter, best known for his work in film and television, with a career spanning from the early 1940s through the early 1970s. Mack was credited with writing lyrics and/or music for over one thousand songs... ) |
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| 1966 | "Heartaches Heartaches (song) "Heartaches" is a popular song with music by Al Hoffman and lyrics by John Klenner. The song was published in 1931.-Ted Weems cover:The biggest recorded version of the song was by the Ted Weems Orchestra, with Elmo Tanner whistling... " (Al Hoffman Al Hoffman Al Hoffman , a member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame since 1984, was a hit songwriter active in the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s, usually co-writing with others and responsible for number one hits through each decade, many of which are still sung and recorded today... /John Clenner) |
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| 1966 | "Merci Cherie" (Udo Jürgens Udo Jürgens Udo Jürgens is an Austrian composer and singer of popular music whose career spans over fifty years... /Thomas Hörbiger) |
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| 1967 | "Edelweiss Edelweiss (song) "Edelweiss" is a show tune from the 1959 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical The Sound of Music. It is named after the edelweiss, a white flower found high in the Alps... " (Richard Rodgers Richard Rodgers Richard Charles Rodgers was an American composer of music for more than 900 songs and for 43 Broadway musicals. He also composed music for films and television. He is best known for his songwriting partnerships with the lyricists Lorenz Hart and Oscar Hammerstein II... /Oscar Hammerstein II Oscar Hammerstein II Oscar Greeley Clendenning Hammerstein II was an American librettist, theatrical producer, and theatre director of musicals for almost forty years. Hammerstein won eight Tony Awards and was twice awarded an Academy Award for "Best Original Song". Many of his songs are standard repertoire for... ) |
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| 1967 | "Roses of Picardy Roses of Picardy Roses of Picardy is a wartime ballad written by lyricist Frederick Weatherly while he was an army officer in 1916. Set to music by Haydn Wood, it was one of the most famous songs from World War I.... " (Frederic E. Weatherly Frederick Weatherly Frederic Edward Weatherly was an English lawyer, author, lyricist and broadcaster. He is estimated to have written the lyrics to at least 3,000 popular songs, among the best-known of which are the sentimental ballad Danny Boy set to the tune Londonderry Air, the religious "The Holy City", and the... /Haydn Wood Haydn Wood Haydn Wood was a 20th century English composer and a respected violinist.-Life:Haydn Wood was born in the Yorkshire town of Slaithwaite on 25 March 1882... ) |
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| 1967 | "Love Letters in the Sand Love Letters in the Sand "Love Letters in the Sand" is a popular song first published in 1931. The music was written by J. Fred Coots and the lyrics by Nick Kenny and Charles Kenny. The song was "inspired" by an 1881 composition, "The Spanish Cavalier"... " (J. Fred Coots/Nick Kenny Nick Kenny (poet) Nicholas Aloysius Kenny was a syndicated newspaper columnist, a song lyricist and a poet who wrote light verse in the Edgar Guest tradition.-Biography:... /Charles Kenny Charles Kenny Charles Francis Kenny was an American composer, author, and violinist. His hit songs include "There's A Gold Mine In The Sky" and "Love Letters in the Sand", and "Laughing at Life" and "Because It's Your Birthday Today" which he wrote with his brother Nick Kenny. The birthday song was made popular... ) |
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| 1968 | "The Importance of Your Love" (Amade/Gilbert Bécaud Gilbert Bécaud Gilbert Bécaud was a French singer, composer and actor, known as "Monsieur 100,000 Volts" for his energetic performances. His best-known hits are "Nathalie" and "Et Maintenant", a 1961 release that became an English language hit as "What Now My Love"... /Norman Newell Norman Newell Norman Newell, OBE was born in Plaistow, Essex , and was a successful British record producer in the 1950s and 1960s, as well as co-writer of many notable songs... ) |
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| 1969 | "Doesn't Anybody Know My Name?" (Rod McKuen Rod McKuen Rod McKuen is an American poet, songwriter, composer, and singer. He was one of the best-selling poets in the United States during the late 1960s. Throughout his career, McKuen produced a wide range of recordings, which included popular music, spoken word poetry, film soundtracks, and classical music... ) |
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| 1969 | "Little Blue Bird" (Vince Hill) |
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| 1971 | "Look Around (And You'll Find Me There)" (Francis Lai Francis Lai Francis Lai is a French accordionist, and composer noted for his film scores.While in his twenties, Francis Lai left home and went to Paris where he became part of the lively Montmartre music scene... ) |
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