The Hilltoppers
c. 1954
Background information
Origin	Bowling Green, Kentucky, United States
Genres	Traditional pop
Years active	1952–1963[1]
Labels	Dot, London
Past members	Jimmy Sacca Donald McGuire Seymour Spiegelman Billy Vaughn
Website	The Hilltoppers Page

The Hilltoppers were an American popular music 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, Lockport, New York, died March 7, 2015, in Lexington, Kentucky); Donald McGuire (born October 7, 1931, Hazard, Kentucky, died September 7, 2018, in Lexington);^[2] and Seymour Spiegelman (October 1, 1930 – February 13, 1987). Spiegelman was born in Seneca Falls, New York and died in New York City. They took their name from the nickname of the Western Kentucky athletic teams.^[1]

They later added a pianist, Billy Vaughn (April 12, 1919 – September 26, 1991). 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.^[1] A local disc jockey sent a copy to Randy Wood at Dot, and he agreed to distribute the record.^[1] It became a top 10 hit single.^[1] They went on to record a number of additional hits until their break-up.^[1] Their 1953 release, "P.S. I Love You," sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc.^[3]

Spiegelman died in New York City. Vaughn died in Escondido, California. Both Sacca and McGuire died in Lexington.^[2]

• The Hilltoppers Page
• Remembering the Hilltoppers on the Western Kentucky University website
• The Interlude Era page on the Hilltoppers
• Department of Library Special Collections, Western Kentucky University