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Groupe Vocals US du Kentucky formé en 1952 et composé de Jimmy Sacca
(né le 26 Juillet 1929 à Lockport, New York), Don
McGuire (né le 7 Octobre 1931 à Hazard, Kentucky) , Seymour Spiegelman ( (né
le 1er Octobre 1930 à Seneca Falls, New York), Billy Vaughn (né le 4
Avril 1919, décédé le 26 Septembre 1991), et plus tard, Ed Crowe.
The
Hilltoppers started out as a vocal trio consisting of Jimmy Sacca (born 26 July
1929 in Lockport, New York), Seymore Spiegelman (born 1 October 1930 in Seneca
Falls, New York) and Don McGuire (born 7 October 1931 in Hazard, Kentucky) who
were all students together at the Western Kentucky University in the town of
Bowling Green. Sacca was acquainted with a pianist by the name of Billy Vaughn (born
12 April 1919 in Glasgow, Kentucky) who although considerably older than the
trio of friends fitted their Vocals style well and was drafted into the group as
a full time member. He brought with him a song he had written called "Tryin"
which the foursome recorded and sent the tape to a local radio DJ who in turn
drew it to the attention of Randy Wood, the head of Dot Records in Nashville,
Tennessee who duly signed the Hilltoppers to the Dot label. The single was a
slow burner, breaking region by region but eventually secured a place in the top
10, peaking at no.7. They adopted a college look of beanies and letter sweaters
that would become their trademark and appeared on Ed Sullivan's Toast of the
Town in October 1952 and followed this with The Perry Como show in November as
well as appearances with Patti Page, Kate Smith, Sammy Kaye and Milton Berle.
Jimmy Sacca had been called up for military service and the Hilltoppers went
into the studio to record a series of tracks that could be released while he was
away. After "Tryin", a whole series of hits followed, "PS I Love You", "I'd
Rather Die Young", "To Be Alone", "Love Walked In", "From the Vine Came the
Grape" and "Till Then", all top 10s, making the Hilltoppers one of the top US
Vocals groups of the 1950s but rock n roll was on the way and their clean cut
college look and style was rapidly becoming old fashioned. Billy Vaughn also
left the group to begin his orchestral solo career in 1955, his place in the
Hilltoppers taken by Chuck Schrouder. Vaughn went on to have a very successful
chart career beginning with the no.2 hit "Melody Of Love" and included other top
10 singles "The Shifting Whispering Sands (Parts 1 & 2)", "Raunchy" and "Sail
Along Silvery Moon" while The Hilltoppers adapted their style in an attempt to
appeal to mid to late 1950s teenagers and recorded a series of songs that
competed with the top Vocals group of the late 1950s, The Platters, indeed one of
those songs was "Only You (And You Alone)", composed by Buck Ram for The
Platters and they also enjoyed their biggest US hit with "Marianne", originally
by Terry Gilkyson and The Easy Riders. In the UK they only had three hit
singles, Only you which hit no.3 in May 1956, a re-release a first recording "Tryin"
and "Marianne" in the Spring of 1957. The group remained a fixture of the Dot
Records roster for the next decade, finally splitting in 1963. They reformed
briefly in the mid 1970s and remade their biggest hits for ABC Paramount,
continuing to perform until 1975. After The Hilltoppers broke up, Jimmy Sacca
worked for Dot Records in the early 1960s before forming a new Hilltoppers group
which toured worldwide from 1968 to 1979. In 1979 Sacca and his son established
a talent agency. He lives in Jackson, Mississippi with his wife Ann. Seymour
Spiegelman also worked for Dot Records, and later for Peter Pan Industries. He
died on 13 February 1987 in New York. Don McGuire started a real estate business
in Lexington, and also worked as Western Kentucky University's liaison with the
state legislature. He lives in Lexington, Kentucky with his wife Maxine. Billy
Vaughn decided not to travel with the group, becoming the music director of Dot
Records. He also embarked upon his career as a well-known musician, arranger and
composer, hitting the charts in 1954 with the instrumental "Melody of Love" as
the Billy Vaughn Orchestra. He died on 26 September 1991 in Escondido,
California.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hilltoppers_(band)
Style musical : Vocals, Doo Wop
TRYING
(1952) 
LOVE WALKED
IN (1953)
I'D RATHER DIE YOUNG
(1953)
KA-DING-DONG
(1956) ONLY YOU
(AND YOU ALONE) (1955) |
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Years in activity :
| 1910 | 20 | 30 | 40 | 50 | 60 | 70 | 80 | 90 | 2000 | 10 | 20 |
DISCOGRAPHY
Singles & EP
| 03/1952 | SP DOT 45-15018 (US) | . |
Trying
/ You Made Up My Mind |
| 10/1952 | SP DOT 45-15034 (US) | . | Cry Again / Telling Myself Sol |
| 1953 | SP DOT 45-15055 (US) | . | The Hilltoppers featuring Jimmy Sacca - I Can't Lie To Myself / If I Were King |
| 05/1953 | SP DOT 45-15085 (US) | . | The
Hilltoppers featuring Jimmy Sacca
-
I'd Rather Die Young
/ P.S. I Love You |
| 09/1953 | SP DOT 45-15105 (US) | . |
Love Walked In
/ To Be Alone |
| 12/1953 | SP DOT 45-15127 (US) | . | From The Vine Came The Grape / Time Will Tell |
| 1953 | EP DOT DEP-1006 (US) |
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I Keep Telling
Myself /
Trying
/ Must I Cry Again / You Made Up Your Mind |
| 1953 | EP DOT DEP-1007 (US) |
 |
I Can't Lie to
Myself / If I Were King /
I'd Rather Die Young
/ P.S. I Love You |
| 01/1954 | SP DOT 45-15132 (US) | . | The Hilltoppers featuring Jimmy Sacca - I Found Your Letter / Till Then |
| 04/1954 | SP DOT 45-15156 (US) | . | Poor Butterfly / Wrapped Up In A Dream |
| 06/1954 | SP DOT 45-15201 (US | . | Old Cabaret / Sweetheart |
| 1954 | SP DOT 45-15218 (US) | . | Stormy Night / At Sundown |
| 07/1954 | SP DOT 45-15220 (US) | . | If I Didn't Care / Bettina |
| 10/1954 | SP DOT 45-15249 (US) | . | Time Waits For No One Side / You Try Somebody Else |
| 12/1954 | EP LONDON REP 102 (UK) |
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Presenting The Hilltoppers -
Love Walked In
/ Poor Butterfly /
Wrapped Up In A Dream / If I Didn't Care |
| 1954 | EP DOT DEP-1008 (US) |
 |
For Keeps / Bouquets And Kisses / I Found Your Letter / Till Then |
| 1954 | EP DOT DEP-1009 (US) |
 |
Time Will Tell / There Is No Greater Love / Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain / From The Vine Came The Grape |
| 01/1955 | SP DOT 45-15318 (US) | . | The Hilltoppers featuring Jimmy Sacca - D-A-R-L-I-N'/ Frivolette |
| 04/1955 | SP DOT 45-15351 (US) | . | Door Is Still Open / Teardrops From My Eyes |
| 05/1955 | SP DOT 45-15375 (US) | . | I Must Be Dreaming / Kentuckian Song |
| 08/1955 | SP DOT 45-15415 (US) | . | All I Need Is You / Searching |
| 10/1955 | SP DOT 45-15423 (US) | . | The
Hilltoppers featuring Jimmy Sacca
- Only You (And You Alone) / Until The Real Thing
Comes Along |
| 11/1955 | SP DOT 45-15437 (US) | . | The Hilltoppers featuring Jimmy Sacca - Last Word In Love / My Treasure |
| 12/1955 | EP LONDON RED 1030 (UK) |
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The Hilltoppers Vol. 2 - Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain / I Found Your Letter / Bouquets And Kisses / Till Then |
| 1955 | EP DOT DEP-1011 (US) |
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Glad, Glad, Glad / My Ann / Stormy Night / About A Quarter To Nine |
| 1955 | EP DOT DEP-1012 (US) |
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Frivolette / Tormented / Without You / Can't We Try Again |
| 02/1956 | SP DOT 45-15451 (US) | . | Do The Bop Side / When You're Alone |
| 1956 | SP DOT 45-15459 (US) | . | So Tired Side / Faded Rose |
| 04/1956 | SP DOT 45-15468 (US) | . | Eyes Of Fire, Lips Of Wine / I'm Walkin Through Heaven |
| 08/1956 | SP DOT 45-15489 (US) | . | Into Each Life Some Rain Must Fall (The
Hilltoppers featuring Jimmy Sacca) /
Ka-Ding-Dong
(The Hilltoppers featuring
Chuck Schrouder) |
| 10/1956 | SP DOT 45-15511 (US) | . | The Hilltoppers featuring Jimmy Sacca - No Regrets / Until You're Mine |
| 01/1957 | SP DOT 45-15537 (US) | . | The Hilltoppers featuring Jimmy Sacca - Marianne / You're Wasting Your Time |
| 03/1957 | SP DOT 45-15560 (US) | . | I Love My Girl / I'm Serious |
| 1957 | SP DOT 45-15594 (US) | . | A Fallen Star / Footsteps |
| 1957 | SP DOT 45-15626 (US) | . | Dedicated To You / My Cabin Of Dreams |
| 10/1957 | SP DOT 45-15662 (US) | . | Chicken Chicken / The Joker |
| 1957 | EP DOT / VERSAILLES 90 S 155 (F) |
 |
Marianne / You're Wasting Your Time (Tryin' To Lose The Blues) / Until You're Mine / No Regrets |
| 01/1958 | EP LONDON RED 1099 (UK) |
 |
The Hilltoppers Vol. 3 - I'm Walking Through Heaven With You / Eyes Of Fire, Lips Of Wine / No Regrets / Until You're Mine |
| 02/1958 | SP DOT 45-15712 (US) | . | The Hilltoppers featuring Jimmy Sacca - You Sure Look Good To Me / Starry Eyes |
| 1958 | SP DOT D 45-148 (DK) |
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The Hilltoppers featuring Jimmy Sacca - You Sure Look Good To Me / Starry Eyes |
| 1958 | SP DOT 45-15814 (US) | . | Singorina / Peggy's Sister |
| 10/1958 | SP DOT 45-15857 (US) | . | The
Hilltoppers featuring Jimmy Sacca
- Trying
/ Your Nobody Till Somebody Love |
| 1958 | EP DOT / VERSAILLES 90 S 215 (F) |
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My Cabin Of Dreams / Dedicated To You / The Joker / Ka Ding Dong |
| 1959 | SP DOT 45-16010 (US) | . | Alone / The Prisoner's Song |
| 12/1959 | SP DOT 45-16022 (US) | . | The
Hilltoppers featuring Jimmy Sacca
- P.S. I Love You /
Trying
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| 01/1960 | SP DOT 45-16024 (US) | . |
Love Walked In
/ From The Vine Came The Grape |
| 01/1960 | SP DOT 45-16054 (US) | . | The Hilltoppers featuring Jimmy Sacca - To Be Alone / P.S. I Love You |
| 1963 | SP DOT 45-16556 (US) | . | The
Hilltoppers featuring Jimmy Sacca
- Only You (And You Alone) / No Longer Lonely |
| 1965 | SP DOT 45-112 (US) | . | P.S. I Love You /
Trying
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| 1968 | SP DOT 45-114 (US) | . |
Only You (And You Alone) / Till Then |
| 1968 | SP DOT 45-115 (US) | . | Marianne / To Be Alone |
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Albums
| 1954 | LP 10" DOT DLP-104 (US) |
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HILLTOPPERS - I Keep Telling Myself / Trying / Must I Cry Again / You Made Up Your Mind / I Can't Lie To Myself / If I Were King / I'd Rather Die Young / P.S. I Love You | ||
| 1954 | LP 10" DOT DLP-105 (US) |
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HILLTOPPERS - Till Then / For Keeps / Time Will Tell / I Found Your Letter / Bouquets And Kisses / There Is No Greater Love / Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain / From The Vine Came The Grape | ||
| 11/1954 | LP 10" DOT DLP-106 (US) |
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HILLTOPPERS - Glad, Glad, Glad / My Ann / Stormy Night / About A Quarter To Nine / Frivolette / Tormented / Without You / Can't We Try Again | ||
| 1955 | LP 12" DOT DLP-3003 (US) |
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THE HILLTOPPERS PRESENT TOPS IN POPS - Trying / P.S. I Love You / I'd Rather Die Young / To Be Alone / Love Walked In / From The Vine Came The Grape / Till Then / The Kentuckian Song / If I Didn't Care / Time Waits For No One / D-A-R-L-I-N / Door Is Still Open | ||
| 1956 | LP 12" DOT DLP-3029 (US) |
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THE TOWERING HILLTOPPERS FEATURING THE VOICE OF JIMMY SACCA - I Can't Give You Anything But Love / Whispering Grass (Don't Tell The Trees) / That Old Feeling / I Can't Get Started / The Gypsy / With Every Breath I Take / At Sundown / Into Each Life Some Rain Must Fall / Trouble In Mind / Why Baby / I'm Glad For Your Sake / Maybe You'll Be There | ||
| 1958 | LP 12" DOT DLP-3073 (US) |
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LOVE IN BLOOM - Love In Bloom / I'm Confessin' / Then I'll Be Happy / Love, Your Magic Spell Is Everywhere / Love Is Here To Stay / This Love Of Mine / Let's Fall In Love / Together / So Beats My Heart For You / For Sentimental Reasons / Love Is Just Around The Corner / I Hadn't Anyone Till You | ||
| 10/1994 | CD VARESE VSD-5524 (US) |
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P.S. I LOVE YOU - THE BEST OF THE HILLTOPPERS - Trying / Must I Cry Again / I'd Rather Die Young / P.S. I Love You / To Be Alone / Love Walked In / From The Vine Came The Grape / Till Then / Poor Butterfly / D-A-R-L-I-N' / If I Didn't Care / Time Waits For No One / The Kentuckian Song / Only You (And You Alone) / My Treasure / Marianne / A Fallen Star / The Joker (That's What They Call Me) | ||
| ???? | CD EVERGREEN 2691755 (UK) |
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30 GREATEST HITS ! - Trying / P.S. I Love You / A Fallen Tear / Do The Bop / Till Then / I Must Be Dreaming / You Try Somebody Else / Ka Ding Dong / Time Waits For No One / I Love My Girl / Marianne / If I Didn't Care / From The Vine Came The Grape / Love Walked In / The Door Is Still Open / I'd Rather Die Young / The Joker / Until The Real Thing Comes A Long / When You're Alone / The Kentuckian Song / No Regrets / So Tired / My Treasure / Poor Butterfly / Bettina / Teardrops In My Eyes / Must I Cry Again / The Last Word In Love / Only You (And You Alone) / To Be Alone | ||
| 11/2003 | CD SFI / CD Baby ? (US) |
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Golden Memories - The Ultimate Collection - P.S. I Love You / Trying / Poor Butterfly / Time Waitsfor No One / Only You (And You Alone) / From The Vine Came The Grape / A Fallen Star / To Be Alone / Marianne / If I Didn't Care / The Kentuckian Song / Must I Cry Again / Till Then / My Treasure / I'd Rather Die Young / Love Walked In / D-A-R-L-I-N / The Joker (That's What They Call Me) | ||
| 02/2007 | 2 CD Jasmine JASCD 659 (UK) |
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Trying :
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| 10/2007 | CD Memory Lane PGNCD 923 (US) |
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Only You - Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain / D-A-R-L-I-N / For Keeps / I Found Your Letter / I'd Rather Die Young / The Kentuckian Song / Love Walked In / Only You (And You Alone) / Poor Butterfly / Till Then / Time Will Tell / Trying / Wrapped In A Dream / Bouquets And Kisses / The Door Is Still Open To My Heart / From The Vine Came The Grape / I Must Be Dreamin' / If I Don't Care / Last Word Is Love / My Treasure / PS, I Love You / There Is No Greater Love / Time Waits For No One / To Be Alone / Until The Real Thing Comes Along |
© Rocky Productions 18/07/2014
