Ronnie Hilton
| Ronnie Hilton | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| 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 | Crooner |
| Occupation(s) | Musician radio presenter |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 1954–1989 |
| Labels | His Master's Voice, Columbia |
Ronnie Hilton (26 January 1926 – 21 February 2001) was an English singer and radio presenter. According to his obituary in The Guardian newspaper, "For a time Hilton was a star – strictly for home consumption – with nine Top 20 hits between 1954 and 1957, that transitional era between 78 and 45rpm records. A quarter of a century later he became the voice of BBC Radio 2's Sounds of the Fifties series".
Born Adrian Hill in Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, Hilton left school at 14 and worked in an aircraft factory at the beginning of the Second World War, then was part of the Highland Light Infantry. Following demobilisation in 1947, he became a fitter in a Leeds sewing plant.
He started singing professionally under his adopted name in 1954 after leaving his safe job in a Leeds engineering factory. A true Yorkshireman, Hilton always remained loyal to his roots – especially to Leeds United. He composed, sang and recorded several anthems as tribute to the club.
He came to fame by supplying smoothly delivered cover versions of popular American songs during the 1950s. His most enduring recordings were "No Other Love"; and his last chart entry in 1965 with "A Windmill in Old Amsterdam" written by Myles Rudge. Hilton was a favourite 1950s balladeer in the UK. 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.
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