In Memory: Country’s Golden Hillbilly, Goldie Hill and Her Golden Answer Song

In an era when male dominates the airwaves, one would think a female’s success like Kitty Well’s hit song; It Wasn’t God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels is a rarity. Yet, once more, Goldie Hill proved that to be a moot point when her answer song I Let the Stars Get in my Eyes to pop star Perry Como’s Don’t let the Stars get into Your Eyes rose to No. 1 in 1953. It was the second country song by a woman to reign the music world.

Hill’s chart-topper song was written by her brother Tommy Hill. It was originally intended for Kitty Wells but later given to her. Following the success of her song, she was honored as Best Female Artist by the Country Song Round-Up. She was also inducted into the Grand Ole Opry and was a solid performer the following years.

ABOUT GOLDIE HILL

With that strong, confident voice, she is sometimes branded as the female Hank Williams Sr. which won’t come as a surprise since Goldie and her brothers, Tommy and Ken Hill, backed the late Williams during his heydays. What stuck as her title though was the Golden Hillbilly. She was a major star in the 1950s singing solo or in duets.  Hers and Kitty Wells successes inspired other female musicians to showcase their talents and carve their names in Country music like Jean Sheppard and Patsy Cline.

Prior to her country stardom, she was Argolda Voncile Hill who, growing up picked cottons with her brothers in Texas. When her brother Tommy Hill started off a career in country music, she joined his group and rose to fame as the Goldie Hill we now know. (Well, at least to her fans.)

In 1957, she married fellow country singer Carl Smith, (June Carter’s ex-husband) and their union lasted until her death in 2005. She maintained performances and recordings in the 60’s but later decided to slow down and retire in their horse farm.