Vince Hill first sang in pub contest

Press, 19 October 1976, Page 25

Vince Hill first sang in pub contest

Vince Hill, the star of the popular British variety series, “They Sold a Million,” who began his 11 day toncert tour of New Zealand on Saturday, is firmly established as one of Britain’s top male vocalists.

The New Zealand tour, jointly organised by TV2 and Radio New Zealand finishes in Auckland on October 27.

Touring with him are local entertainers Ray Woolf and Bridgette Allen plus the Vince Hill Show Orchestra and the best from the Radio New Zealand Music Quest. Hill is visiting Dunedin, Invercargill, Christchurch, Nelson, Wellington, Palmerston North, Napier, Rotorua, Hamilton and Auckland.

In Britain, Hill hosts his own successful TV series every year; is a box-office draw in British threatres and clubs, and as a recording artist has had many hit singles and albums during his career.

His initial 8.8. C. 2 series “They Sold A Million” is now a firm favourite in many overseas countries, including Spain, Australia and New Zealand, and his latest series "The Musical Time Machine” proved such a success in Britain that another series is now being planned. In the meantime, Hill is kept busy with “live” appearances, in theatres

and clubs, which this year included a three : week season at the London Palladium with Shirley Maclaine, as well as his Australian and New Zealand tours.

With such success it seems ironical that Vince might not hate become a singer had it not been for a holiday in Margate.

He was 15 at the time and his parents persuaded him to enter a pub talent contest.

He didn’t win, but the experience was sufficient to decide him on a career in show business.

Though he is a naturally shy person even Vince was surprised at the response to his rendering of

“Because of You,” and it was at that moment he decided to pursue a career as a singer.

Back home in Coventry his mother insisted on singing lessons, and it was in this way that young Vince made his first steps on the ladder that was to bring him eventual stardom.

But success did not come quickly. In between the singing lessons, Vince had to earn a living, so he tried his hand at various jobs, including bakery and coalmining. His first professional step on the road to a singing career came when he auditioned for the role of soloist to the Band of the Royal Corps of Signals. He was successful and in his new capacity as operatic baritone with the band he toured the world and made two appearances at the Edinburgh Festival. After this he joined the Teddy Foster Orchestra, progressed to a vocal-in-strumental group, “The Four Others” helped form yet another group, the highly successful “Raindrops,” and then, with the help of his wife, Anne, whom he married in 1959, began a lucrative solo career.

The Hill recording career began with “The River’s Run Dry” and “A

Day At The Seaside," and soon he was in demand for TV, radio, club and theatre work.

His first big TV break came when he became a regular in the “Stars and Garters” series at the same time he was also appearing on radio's “Parade of the Pops,” and the name and the voice of Vince Hill soon became synonymous with top-class singing. A milestone in his career came with his first top-twenty hit, “Take Me To Your Heart Again,” but even this success was eclipsed by his chart-topping "Edelweiss.” which still remains a best seller. Since that time the Hill recording career has been consolidated with a whole string of hit records, together with best-selling albums; and in 1975 he signed a contract to

record on the CBS record label. Now internationally recognised, Vince has hosted his own TV series in -Canada, toured Australia, appeared in several song festivals in such countries as Yuogoslavia and Rio de Janeiro, and entertained at the Mandarin Hotel in Hong Kong. Yet another side of his talent is his ability as a song-writer.

Vince Hill compositions have appeared on the “B” sides of many of his own singles, and in conjunction with hjs musical director, Ernie Dunstall, he wrote the winning song in the Castlebar Song Festival in 1973 — a song called “I’m Gonna Make It,” which later went on to top the Irish hit parade.