23 Facts About Vince Hill

Vincent Brian Hill was an English traditional pop singer, best known for his cover version of the Rodgers and Hammerstein show tune "Edelweiss", which reached No 2 on the UK Singles Chart.

Vince Hill recorded 25 studio albums and several soundtracks, wrote songs and plays and hosted TV shows during the 1970s and 1980s, including They Sold a Million, Musical Time Machine and the chat show Gas Street.

Vincent Hill was born in Holbrooks, Coventry, on 16 April 1934.

Vince Hill first sang professionally in a public house named The Prospect in Margate, Kent, when he was 17 years old.

Vince Hill decided to become a full-time musician after working as a baker, truck driver and coal miner.

Vince Hill travelled to Catterick camp in Yorkshire where the band was based, performed the audition, and gained the job.

At the beginning of the 1960s Vince Hill joined a 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.

In January 1965, Vince Hill was offered an international recording contract with the EMI group, which signed him to their Columbia label.

Vince Hill's album Edelweiss was a hit for EMI Columbia.

Vince 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.

Vince Hill continued to perform regularly in clubs, cabaret and various stage productions.

In 1982, Vince Hill added acting to his CV, in the BBC radio drama, Tolpuddle.

In 1990, Vince Hill took to the stage to play Ivor Novello in the stage play My Dearest Ivor.

Vince Hill's stage acting continued, including a starring role as The Cowardly Lion in an adaptation of the Royal Shakespeare Company's production of The Wizard Of Oz.

In 2004, Vince Hill was diagnosed with prostate cancer and underwent successful keyhole surgery.

Vince 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.

Vince Hill came out of retirement again in March 2018, when he returned to the stage in The Good Old Days of Variety at the Cast in Doncaster.

In December 2018, Vince Hill was billed to host an event celebrating the BFI's Missing Believed Wiped at 25 at BFI Southbank.

Vince Hill became a Patron of the Macular Society in October 2010.

Vince Hill suffered from AMD from 2011; this was a major reason for his reluctantly retiring from live performances.

In support of the society, Vince Hill donated all proceeds from sales of his Legacy greatest hits CD to the Society to help beat macular disease.

Vince Hill released a limited edition 2021 charity calendar, with proceeds going to the Macular Society.

Vince Hill died at home in Henley-on-Thames on 22 July 2023, at the age of 89.