The Hilltoppers

Infobox musical artist
Name = The Hilltoppers
Img_capt = The Hilltoppers(clockwise from top): Jimmy Sacca, Seymour Spiegelman, Don McGuire and Billy Vaughn.
Background = group_or_band
Origin = Bowling Green, Kentucky, United States
Genre = Traditional Pop
Years_active = 1952-1957
Label = Dot
URL = [http://www.tsimon.com/hilltop.htm The Hilltoppers Page]
Past_members = Original: Jimmy Sacca, Donald McGuire, and Seymour Spiegelman
Also: Billy Vaughn

The Hilltoppers were an American popular singing group.

Originally the group was a trio formed at Western Kentucky State College (now Western Kentucky University), Bowling Green, Kentucky. The original members were three students, Jimmy Sacca (born July 26, 1929), Donald McGuire (born October 7, 1931), and Seymour Spiegelman (October 1, 1930-February 13, 1987). Jimmy Sacca, the lead singer, was born in Lockport, New York. Don McGuire was born in Hazard, Kentucky. Seymour Spiegelman was born in Seneca Falls, New York.They took their name from the nickname of Western Kentucky athletic teams.

They later added a pianist, Billy Vaughn (April 12, 1919-September 26, 1991) who soon became the fourth member of the singing group as well. Vaughn was born in Glasgow, Kentucky. Vaughn was eventually to become famous in his own right as an orchestra leader.

In 1952 they recorded a song, "Trying," written by Vaughn. A local disk jockey sent a copy to Randy Wood, who was starting a new label, Dot Records, and he agreed to distribute the record. It became a top-ten charting hit, and the Hilltoppers became a member of Dot's family. They went on to record a number of additional hits until their breakup.

Spiegelman died in New York City. Vaughn died in Palomar, California. McGuire and Sacca are still alive.

Hit records

*"From the Vine Came the Grape" (1954) (also a hit for The Gaylords)
*"Ka Ding Dong" (1956)
*"Marianne" (1957) (bigger hit for Terry Gilkyson and The Easy Riders)
*"My Treasure" (1956)
*"Only You (And You Alone)" (1955)
*"Poor Butterfly" (1954)
*"P. S. I Love You" (1953)
*"The Joker" (1957)
*"The Kentuckian Song" (1955)
*"Trying" (1952)
*"Till Then" (1954) (revival of a 1944 hit for The Mills Brothers)

External links

* [http://www.tsimon.com/hilltop.htm The Hilltoppers Page]
* [http://www.wku.edu/Library/dlsc/ua/people/hilltopperscoll.html WKU site on the Hilltoppers]
* [http://www.wku.edu/Library/onlinexh/hilltoppers/textonly.htm Another WKU site on the Hilltoppers]
* [http://home.earthlink.net/~jaymar41/hilltoppers.html The Interlude Era page on the Hilltoppers]
* [http://www.wku.edu/Library/onlinexh/hilltoppers/ Department of Library Special Collections, Western Kentucky University]