Ronnie Hilton
Ronnie Hilton | |
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 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Adrian Hill |
| Born | 26 January 1926 Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England |
| Died | 21 February 2001 (aged 75) Hailsham, East Sussex, England |
| Genres | Pop |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, radio presenter |
| Years active | 1954–1989 |
| Labels | His Master's Voice, Columbia |
Ronnie Hilton (born Adrian Hill; 26 January 1926
A true Yorkshireman, Hilton always remained loyal to his roots – especially to Leeds United.[4] He composed, sang and recorded several anthems as tribute to the club.[4]
Biography
Born Adrian Hill in
Career
Whilst singing with local dance bands in his spare time, he made a private recording to help sell a song and this eventually reached record producer Wally Ridley. Ridley did not like the song but he liked the voice and arranged a recording session for the singer. Ridley did not like the name “Adrian Hill” either and he changed this to Ronnie Hilton for the first record release in June 1954 which was “I Wish and Wish" and "I Live For You."[5] Later in 1954, Hilton left his safe job as a fitter in a Leeds-based engineering factory[4] and he made his debut on the variety stage at Dudley Hippodrome in March 1955 after previously having been heard on radio and seen on television.[6]
He came to fame by supplying smoothly delivered
Despite the prominence of rock and roll in his recording career, he amassed a formidable array of best-sellers in the UK Singles Chart, albeit mainly with cover versions of US hit records. This was common practice at the time, and many British recording artists followed this trend. His chart single recording career alone spanned from 1954 to 1965, which flew in the face of the rapidly changing trends of pop music.
From a comparatively unknown
Hilton kept on performing well into the 1960s, in summer seasons and Christmas shows, and was also a regular fixture in pantomimes in Hull, at the New Theatre, but knew that his chart days were behind him. In 1967 he released a single with covers of "If I Were a Rich Man" and "The Laughing Gnome" on the A-side and B-side respectively.[4] It did not chart. In 1968, he participated in a successful album of songs from the then newly released film, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. This was issued on the budget Music For Pleasure label, and was his only charting album.[1] He appeared as a guest on the BBC's Morecambe & Wise Show in June 1971.
Hilton suffered a stroke in 1976, which hindered his progress for a time. He also encountered financial problems.
He was twice married.[2] He had three children (Geraldine, Jane and Derry) with his first wife, Joan. She died in 1985. He was married to Christine Westoll from 1989 to 2001; together they had a son, Simon (born in 1966 during their earlier affair).[10]
Discography
- "I Still Believe" (1954) – UK Chart– no. 3
- "Veni Vidi Vici" (cover of the Gaylords) (1954) – no. 12
- "A Blossom Fell" (cover of Nat King Cole) (1955) – no. 10
- "Stars Shine in Your Eyes" (1955) – no. 13
- "The Yellow Rose of Texas" (cover of Mitch Miller/Johnny Desmond) (1955) – no. 15
- "Bella Notte" (1955)
- "Young and Foolish" (1956) – no. 17
- "No Other Love" (cover of Perry Como) (1956) – no. 1
- "Who Are We" (cover of Gogi Grant) (1956) – no. 6
- "A Woman in Love" (cover of the Four Aces) (1956) – no. 30
- "Two Different Worlds" (cover of Jane Morgan) (1956) – no. 13
- "Around the World" (cover of Bing Crosby) (1957) – no. 4
- "Wonderful! Wonderful!" (cover of Johnny Mathis) (1957) – no. 27
- "Magic Moments" (cover of Perry Como) (1958) – no. 22
- "I May Never Pass This Way Again" (cover of Perry Como) (1958) – no. 27 (with the Michael Sammes Singers)
- "The World Outside" (based on the Warsaw Concerto) (1959) – no. 18 (with the Michael Sammes Singers)
- "The Wonder of You" (cover of Ray Peterson) (1959) – no. 22
- "Don't Let the Rain Come Down" (cover of The Serendipity Singers) (1964) – no. 21
- "A Windmill in Old Amsterdam" / "Dear Heart" (1965) – no. 23 (with the Michael Sammes Singers)[11]
- "The Ballad of Billy Bremner" / "The Lads of Leeds" / "The Tale of Johnny Giles" (1971)[3]
See also
- List of Eurovision: Your Decision contestants
- Early British popular music
- List of artists who reached number one on the UK Singles Chart
- Bands and musicians from Yorkshire and North East England
References
- ^ a b c "Ronnie Hilton | Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 28 January 2014.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Michael Freedland. "Obituary: Ronnie Hilton". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 January 2014.
- ^ ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ^ a b c d e "Ronnie Hilton". 45 rpm. Retrieved 13 June 2007.
- ^ "Daily Mirror". Daily Mirror: 10. 11 June 1954.
- ^ "Birmingham Daily Post". Birmingham Daily Post: 3. 18 March 1955.
- ^ "A Windmill in Old Amsterdam". Officialcharts.com. Retrieved 20 December 2017.
- ^ "The Ivors 1966". Theivors.com. Retrieved 20 December 2017.
- ^ ISBN 0-85112-250-7.
- ^ "Ronnie Hilton". Telegraph.co.uk. 22 February 2001. Retrieved 20 December 2017.
- YouTube
External links
- Ronnie Hilton discography at Discogs
- Ronnie Hilton at IMDb
- Ronnie Hilton Obituary
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