For many people, Edelweiss will be for ever associated with Christopher Plummer singing it while playing a guitar in the film version of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s The Sound of Music, but for Vince Hill the song took on a more particular significance. His recording of it became his most successful release and the signature hit of his career, reaching No 2 on the UK singles chart in March 1967. His album of the same title also became a Top 30 hit.
Hill, who has died aged 89, was already becoming a familiar name by the time of his success with Edelweiss. Having signed with EMI Columbia in 1965, he had reached No 13 in early 1966 with Take Me to Your Heart Again, then had a Top 30 hit with Heartaches and made the Top 40 with Merci Cherie. His successful streak brought him further hits in 1967 with Roses of Picardy (No 13) and Love Letters in the Sand (No 23), and he was back in the Top 40 with The Importance of Your Love (1968).
