Ronnie Hilton, born Adrian Hill on January 26, 1926, in Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England, was a singer known for his contributions to pop and traditional pop music. He left school at 14 and worked in an aircraft factory during World War II before joining the Highland Light Infantry. After demobilization in 1947, he became a fitter in a Leeds sewing plant. Ronnie Hilton's musical career began when a private recording reached record producer Wally Ridley, who changed his name to Ronnie Hilton for his first record release in June 1954, "I Wish and Wish" and "I Live For You." He left his job as a fitter and made his debut on the variety stage at Dudley Hippodrome in March 1955. Throughout the 1950s, Ronnie Hilton gained fame with cover versions of popular American songs, including "No Other Love," which reached Number 1 on the UK Singles Chart in 1956. His last chart entry was "A Windmill in Old Amsterdam" in 1965. Despite the rise of rock and roll, Ronnie Hilton maintained a successful career with numerous best-sellers. He performed in three Royal Variety Performances and participated in the inaugural A Song For Europe contest in 1957. In later years, he presented Sounds of the Fifties on BBC Radio 2 and received the British Academy of Song Composers and Authors' gold medal for services to popular music in 1989. Ronnie Hilton died from a stroke in Hailsham, East Sussex, on February 21, 2001.
