The Hilltoppers

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 vocal 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 vocal 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...