Real name: Raymond Ensor

Effective period / Period of releases: 1963 - 1965

a 16-year-old singer from Coventry named Nicky Hilton, with a slightly goofy song ‘Your Nose Is Gonna Grow’.

Nicky’s real name was Raymond Ensor. He was from the Stoke area of Coventry and went to Briton Road Stoke Secondary Modern School, where he played rugby and football and excelled in English.

His singing career began when visiting The Stoke Ex Club and he realised that’s what he wanted to do. He ended up singing in the club after winning an audition, earning £3 entertaining on Saturday and Sunday nights.

He was eventually spotted at a singing competition in London by artist manager Lena Davies who, along with her husband David Taylor, took Nicky onto their books, with Lena becoming his manager.

Nicky was earning an enviable £40 a week in those days, not bad for a 16-year-old in 1962. Indeed, he was often seen driving around in his 1959 Ford Consul, driven by his brother (and Road Manager) Peter Ensor.

Your Nose is Gonna Grow was a song that has a great verse, but a chorus that could have done with a little bit of work. Having said that, Emile Ford, Johnny Crawford and Christine Quaite, all had versions of the song on release, though none of them charted.

That didn't stop Parlophone releasing a second single by Nicky Hilton ‘I'm Gonna Lock My Heart Away and Throw Away The Key’, though that too failed to make any impact on the charts.

It’s testament to Nicky’s talent when another major label Decca Records, signed him and released in 1965 what would be his last ever single ‘Give Us Your Blessing’. Needless to say this too failed to chart.

Nicky had an all time wish to play at the Coventry Theatre , whether he ever achieved it I have no idea.