Remembering the Hilltoppers
Menu: Introduction || About
Jimmy Sacca || About Seymour Spiegelman || About
Don McGuire || About Billy Vaughn || 1952
|| 1953-54 || 1955-56 || 1957-59
|| Published Writing About the Hilltoppers || Hilltoppers
50th Anniversary Exhibit || Hilltoppers CD || Contact
Us || About this Web Site ||
Return to Graphics Page ||
Introduction
One Saturday in April 1952, four young men recorded a song in Western Kentucky
State College's Van Meter Auditorium. They were: Jimmy Sacca, Seymour Spiegelman,
Don McGuire and Billy Vaughn. The song was Trying, a composition of Vaughn's,
and it would be the first of many chart-toppers by one of the most popular groups
of the 1950s. Created to commemorate the 50th anniversary of that recording,
this web site remembers The Hilltoppers, their songs, their shows, and their
loyal fans.
Return to Menu
About Jimmy Sacca: Born: July 26, 1929 in Lockport, New
York Education: Eastman School of Music, Western Kentucky State College Military
Service: U. S. Army 1953-55 Likes: Miniature golf, football, steaks, pizza and
spaghetti Tall, dark, and handsome, with a strong and expressive lead voice,
Jimmy was the sound of The Hilltoppers. After The Hilltoppers broke up, Jimmy
worked for Dot Records in the early 1960s, then formed a new Hilltoppers group
which toured worldwide from 1968 to 1979. In 1979 Jimmy and his son established
a talent agency. Jimmy lives in Jackson, Mississippi with his wife Ann.
Return to Menu
About Seymour Spiegelman: Born: October 1, 1930 in Seneca
Falls, New York Education: Western Kentucky State College, George Peabody College
Military Service: U. S. Army 1954-56 Likes: Drawing, fishing, chicken and dumplings,
potato salad Jimmy's roommate at Western, a tuba player in the college band
and the clown of the group, Seymour added his tenor voice to The Hilltoppers'
sound. After The Hilltoppers broke up, Seymour worked for Dot Records, and later
for Peter Pan Industries. He died on February 13, 1987 in New York.
Return to Menu
About Don McGuire: Born: October 7, 1931 in Hazard, Kentucky
Education: Western Kentucky State College Military Service: U. S. Army 1954-56
Likes: Basketball, baseball, golf, fried chicken and macaroni Given his baby-faced
good looks, Don surprised listeners with his deep bass voice. After The Hilltoppers
broke up, Don 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.
Return to Menu
About Billy Vaughn: Born: April 12, 1919 in Glasgow, Kentucky
Education: Western Kentucky State College Military Service: World War II veteran
Likes: Drawing, baseball, corn bread, green beans and buttermilk The senior
member of The Hilltoppers, Billy was playing piano with a band in Bowling Green
when he recruited Jimmy Sacca to sing Trying. After deciding early in The Hilltoppers'
career not to travel with the group, Billy became music director of Dot Records
in Gallatin, Tennessee. He also embarked upon his career as a well-known musician,
arranger and composer; in 1954, Melody of Love established the popularity of
the Billy Vaughn Orchestra. Billy Vaughn died September 26, 1991 in Escondido,
California.
Return to Menu
1952
Hilltopper Headlines:
Randy Wood and Dot Records Market Trying
Trying Didn't Sell Two Copies At First, Says Sacca
Trying Catches On; Record Distributors Place Orders
Hilltoppers Are New York-Bound!
Trying Hits #8 on Billboard List; More Hits Follow!
Photo Captions:
Wearing the beanies and letter sweaters that would become their trademark, The
Hilltoppers appeared on Ed Sullivan's Toast of the Town on October 26, 1952.
How you gonna feel, the director asked the nervous group, in two minutes with
40 million people looking at you? But Ed Sullivan later told the group: You
don't have to try any more-you're home.
The Hilltoppers followed Toast of the Town with an appearance on The Perry Como
Show on November 14.
Hilltoppers Songs on the Jukebox in 1952 were Trying, You Made up My Mind, Must
I Cry Again, and I Keep Telling Myself.
Question: What other artists recorded Trying?
Answer: Ella Fitzgerald, Johnny Desmond, Todd Rhodes, Jimmy Palmer and Grady
Martin.
Return to Menu
1953-54
Hilltopper Headlines:
Spiegelman Graduates; Sacca's Drafted
Hilltoppers Top 1953 Cash Box poll of Best Vocal Combinations
P. S. I Love You Goes Gold
McGuire Graduates, Begins Military Service
Hilltoppers Still Busy With TV, Radio, Concert Dates
Photo Captions:
At Christmas 1953, The Hilltoppers were performing seven shows a day at the
Chicago Theatre.
The release of songs pre-recorded before Jimmy Sacca's induction into the Army
kept The Hilltoppers in the public eye. They also appeared on the Patti Page,
Kate Smith, Sammy Kaye, Milton Berle and Perry Como TV shows.
Hilltoppers Songs on the Jukebox in 1953-54 were P. S. I Love You, I'd Rather
Die Young, If I Were King, I Can't Lie to Myself, To Be Alone, Love Walked In,
From the Vine Came the Grape, Time Will Tell, Till Then, Poor Butterfly, and
If I Didn't Care.
Question: Which was more popular in the Northern U.S. and why? P.S. I Love You,
or its flip side, I'd Rather Die Young?
Answer: P.S. I Love You. Northern DJ's were reluctant to play a song with the
word die in the title.
Return to Menu
1955-56
Hilltopper Headlines:
Eddie Crowe Joins Hilltoppers
Clive Dill and Bob Gaye Substitute for Don and Seymour
Karl Garvin and Lou Mastor Replace Clive and Bob
Hilltoppers Play in 20 States and Canada, Tour Great Britain
Hilltoppers Fan Club Goes National
Photo Captions:
In October and November 1956, The Hilltoppers played 19 dates at colleges, ballrooms,
auditoriums and a Texas Air Force base.
The new Hilltoppers album included a selection of standards plus a new tune,
Why Baby, written by former Hilltopper Billy Vaughn.
Fan Club members were encouraged to ask local disk jockeys to play Hilltoppers
tunes. The first edition of Hilltopper Highlights was a 28-page news-filled
journal issued by the National Officers of The Hilltoppers Fan Club.
Hilltoppers Songs on the Jukebox in 1955-56 were D-A-R-L-I-N, Frivolette , The
Door is Still Open, Teardrops from Your Eyes, The Kentuckian Song, I Must Be
Dreaming, Searching, All I Need is You, Only You, My Treasure, Do The Bop, Faded
Rose, Eyes of Fire, Lips of Wine, Ka-Ding-Dong, and No Regrets.
Question: The Hilltoppers' National Fan Club president wrote about them in her
Pulitzer Prize-nominated memoir. Name the author and the book. Answer: Bobbie
Ann Mason, Clear Springs
Return to Menu
1957-59
Hilltopper Headlines:
Seymour and Don Are Back!
Hilltoppers Complete Encore Tour of British Isles
Doug Cordoza Replaces Eddie Crowe
Hilltoppers Re-Release Trying
Hilltoppers On Rock and Roll: They Prefer Love Ballads
Photo Captions:
The Hilltoppers did much of their touring in Jimmy's Cadillac.
Their two local fan clubs threw a picnic for The Hilltoppers when they played
Kansas City in August 1957.
Hilltoppers Songs on the Jukebox in 1957-59 were Marianne, I'm Serious, I Love
My Girl, A Fallen Star, Footsteps , Dedicated To You, My Cabin of Dreams, The
Joker, Chicken Chicken, Starry Eyes, Peggy's Sister, Lots of Luck, Lizzie Darlin',
and Alone.
Question: In 1957, how many Hilltoppers were married with children?
Answer: Three. Jimmy, Don (2 children each), and Seymour (1 child).
Return to Menu
Published Writing about the Hilltoppers:
Four Western Musicians Hit National Spotlight, College Heights Herald (Western
Kentucky State College), June 27, 1952, p. 5
The Hilltoppers Quartet of Bowling Green Is On The Way to Becoming Musical Sensation,(Louisville)
Courier-Journal, October 26, 1952, sect. 5
Hilltoppers, Musical Variety, Are Invading New York To Appear on TV, Park City
Daily News (Bowling Green, Ky.) October 26, 1952, p. 7
Rise of the Hilltoppers, Newsweek, November 10, 1952
The Hilltoppers are Hit-Toppers, In Kentucky, Winter 1952-53, p. 37
Fly-Away Collegians, Nashville Tennessean Magazine, Feb. 1, 1953, pp. 6-7
Sacca Now Trying for Uncle Sam, College Heights Herald, March 20, 1953, p. 3
Western's Hilltoppers Continue as Singing Hits, College Heights Herald, December
11, 1953, p. 2
The Hilltoppers' Get Together Again To Warble Like They Did Back at Western
State College, Courier-Journal, December 26, 1953, p. 5
Formed By Accident, Hilltoppers Still Operate on Parttime Basis, Down Beat,
February 10, 1954, p. 3
They're Really Teenagers at Heart: the Hilltoppers, Recordland, September 1954,
p. 29
The Hilltoppers, Billboard, Oct. 9, 1954, pp. 46-47
The Hilltoppers Are Back! Record Whirl, June 1955, pp. 12-13
Topping 'Em All: The Hilltoppers, Hit Parader, August 1957, p, 20
Western Music Student Joins The Hilltoppers, College Heights Herald, December
12, 1958, p. 8
Hilltoppers Add New Hilltopper, Park City Daily News, December 15, 1958
Hilltoppers Appear Here in Program, College Heights Herald, May 22, 1959, p.
15
Hilltoppers to appear, Park City Daily News, November 2, 1972, p. 20
Hilltoppers play a return engagement on The Hill, Courier-Journal, November
5, 1972
Tunes for the trip down nostalgia lane, Courier-Journal, May 19, 1975
From the Hill to the Hit Parade, College Heights Herald, October 29, 1981
The Hilltoppers in Norm N. Nite, Rock On: The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rock
n' Roll. Vol. 1: The Solid Gold Years (New York: Thomas Y. Crowell, 1982)
A little touch of magic, Bowling Green Magazine, Fall/Winter 1986, pp. 26-27
Reaching The Stars: My Life as a Fifties Groupie, Bobbie Ann Mason, The New
Yorker, May 26, 1986, pp. 30-38
Seymour Spiegelman, original Hilltoppers member, dies at 56, Park City Daily
News, February 15, 1987
Top of the pops: Doo-wop student group remembers early days of rock 'n' roll,
College Heights Herald, March 22, 1988, p. 13
The Hilltoppers, in Jay Warner, The Billboard Book of American Singing Groups:
A History 1940-1990 (New York: Billboard Books, 1992), pp. 221-24
Hilltopping the charts, College Heights Herald, October 22, 1998, p. 6A
Kings of the Hill, Kentucky Monthly, December 1999, pp. 16-18
Backstreet Boys not state's first hot warblers, (Lexington) Herald-Leader, January
13, 2000
The Hill was alive with the sound of music, Courier-Journal, May 27, 2000, p.
15
Other Sources
Ed McClanahan, Famous People I Have Known (New York: Farrar Straus Giroux, 1985)
Hilltoppers 50's Group Member McGuire, (National Public Radio) Morning Edition,
January 16, 1995
Bobbie Ann Mason, Clear Springs: A Memoir (New York: Random House, 1999)
Return to Menu
Hilltoppers 50th Anniversary Exhibit:
Over 200 people attended a reception and the official opening of the exhibit
on Saturday, May 11, 2002 at The Kentucky Building on the campus of Western
Kentucky University. The exhibit includes photographs, wardrobe articles, sheet
music, records and fan club items from The Hilltoppers' years as a popular 1950s
vocal group. The exhibit was scheduled to run until November 1, 2003 but has
been extended.
Return to Menu
Hilltoppers CD: All your favorite Hilltoppers songs were collected
and reissued in 2003 on a new CD!
Return to Menu
Contact Us:
To check on hours of operation for the exhibit, or to share your Hilltoppers
memories, or to ask about donating items to the Hilltoppers collection at Western
Kentucky University, contact Sue Lynn Stone, University Archivist (phone 270-745-4793,
or e-mail). Link to an inventory of the
Hilltoppers collection here.
Return to Menu
About this web site:
All images courtesy of Department of Library Special Collections, Western Kentucky
University. We gratefully acknowledge the assistance of Jimmy Sacca, Don McGuire
and Bobbie Ann Mason in preparing this site. Any errors or inaccuracies, however,
are not their responsibility. Site designed by Lynn Niedermeier, University
Archives and maintained by University Libraries Web Site Team. Copyright 2003
Western Kentucky University. Last modified October 21, 2003. URL: http://www.wku.edu/Library/onlinexh/hilltoppers/textonly.htm
Return to Menu