Mel Tillis facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mel Tillis
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Tillis at the Grand Ole Opry, 2007
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Lonnie Melvin Tillis |
| Born | August 8, 1932 Tampa, Florida, U.S. |
| Died | November 19, 2017 (aged 85) Ocala, Florida, U.S. |
| Genres | Country |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar |
| Years active | 1958–2017 |
| Labels | Columbia, Decca, Kapp, MGM, MCA, Elektra, Radio Records |
Lonnie Melvin Tillis (born August 8, 1932 – died November 19, 2017) was a famous American country music singer and songwriter. He started recording songs in the late 1950s. His biggest success came in the 1970s. He was part of the "outlaw country" movement. He had many songs that reached the Top 10 on the music charts.
Some of Tillis's most popular songs include "I Ain't Never", "Good Woman Blues", and "Coca-Cola Cowboy". On February 13, 2012, President Barack Obama gave Tillis the National Medal of Arts. This award honored his important contributions to country music. He also won the Country Music Association Awards' top prize, Entertainer of the Year. Tillis was a member of the Grand Ole Opry, the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, and the Country Music Hall of Fame. He was known for his stutter, but it never affected his singing voice. His daughter, Pam Tillis, also became a successful country singer in the 1990s.
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Early Life
Mel Tillis was born in Tampa, Florida, USA. His parents were Burma and Lonnie Lee Tillis. When he was young, his family moved to Pahokee, Florida. This town is near West Palm Beach. As a child, he got sick with malaria. After this, he developed a stutter.
Tillis learned to play the drums and guitar when he was young. At age 16, he won a local talent show. He went to the University of Florida. But he left college and joined the United States Air Force. While he was stationed in Okinawa, he formed a band called The Westerners. They played music at local nightclubs.
Career
After leaving the Air Force in 1955, Tillis went back to Florida. He worked many different jobs. He eventually worked for the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad in Tampa. He used his railroad pass to visit Nashville, Tennessee. There, he met Wesley Rose from the music company Acuff-Rose Music. Rose told Tillis to go back to Florida and keep working on his songwriting.
Tillis later moved to Tennessee and became a full-time songwriter. He wrote "I'm Tired," which became a No. 3 country hit for Webb Pierce in 1957. Other songs he wrote that became hits include "Honky Tong Song" and "Tupelo County Jail." Singers like Ray Price, Kitty Wells, and Brenda Lee also had hits with Tillis's songs. In the late 1950s, after writing many hit songs, he signed his own record deal with Columbia Records. In 1958, he had his first Top 40 hit, "The Violet and a Rose." Then came the Top 25 hit "Sawmill."
Rise to Fame
Tillis had some hits on Billboard's Hot Country Songs list. But he was even more successful as a songwriter. He wrote many songs for Webb Pierce, including "I Ain't Never." This song later became a big hit for Tillis himself. Other artists like Bobby Bare, Tom Jones, and Wanda Jackson also sang his songs. In 1967, Jack Greene had a No. 1 hit with "All the Time," which Tillis helped write.
In the mid-1960s, Tillis moved to Kapp Records. In 1965, he had his first Top 15 hit with "Wine." More hits followed, like "Stateside" and "Life Turned Her That Way." This last song was later covered by Ricky Van Shelton and became a No. 1 hit in 1988. Tillis also wrote "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town," a big hit for Kenny Rogers and The First Edition. He also wrote "Mental Revenge" for outlaw country star Waylon Jennings. In 1968, Tillis got his first Top 10 hit with "Who's Julie." He also often sang on The Porter Wagoner Show.
Height of His Career
Things really changed for Mel Tillis in 1969. He finally found the success he had always wanted. He had two Top 10 country hits: "These Lonely Hands of Mine" and "She'll Be Hanging Around Somewhere." In 1970, he reached the Top 5 with "Heart Over Mind." After this, Tillis's career as a country singer took off. Hits came easily, such as "Heaven Everyday" (1970) and "Arms of a Fool" (1970). He also had a duet hit with Sherry Bryce called "Take My Hand" (1971).
In 1972, Tillis had his first No. 1 song with his own version of "I Ain't Never." Even though Webb Pierce had a hit with it before, Tillis's version is more famous. Most of these songs were recorded with MGM Records. After "I Ain't Never," Tillis had another hit, "Neon Rose," which reached No. 3. "Sawmill" reached No. 2. "Midnight, Me and the Blues" was another song that almost reached No. 1 in 1974.
Tillis found his biggest success with MCA Records, which he joined in 1976. He had two No. 1 hits that year: "Good Woman Blues" and "Heart Healer". He once said he wrote five hits in one week! Because of his success, Tillis won the Country Music Association Awards' Entertainer of the Year award in 1976. He was also added to the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame that year. In 1977, he appeared on the game show Match Game. He had another No. 1 hit in 1978 with "I Believe In You." Then, in 1979, "Coca-Cola Cowboy" became a No. 1 hit. This song was featured in the Clint Eastwood movie Every Which Way but Loose. Tillis also made a small appearance in the movie.
In mid-1979, Tillis joined Elektra Records. He continued to make hit songs like "Blind In Love" and "Lying Time Again." Until 1981, Tillis was one of country music's most successful singers. "Your Body Is an Outlaw" reached No. 3 in 1980. "Southern Rains" in 1981 was his last No. 1 hit. That same year, he released Mel and Nancy, an album of duets with Nancy Sinatra. This album had two hit songs. He stayed with Elektra until 1982. He then went back to MCA for a short time in 1983. That summer, he had a Top 10 hit with "In The Middle Of The Night." His last Top 10 hit was "New Patches" in 1984.
By this time, Tillis had built a large financial business. He invested in music publishing companies. He also appeared in several movies. These included Smokey and the Bandit II (1980), The Cannonball Run (1981), and The Cannonball Run II (1984). He also starred with fellow country singer Roy Clark in comedy westerns like The Villain (1979). Tillis also owned radio stations for a while. He later signed with RCA Records, Mercury Records, and Curb Records. By the 1990s, his songs were not charting as high.
Later Career and Projects
After his most successful years in the 1970s, Tillis kept writing songs in the 1980s. He wrote hits for Ricky Skaggs and Randy Travis. He also wrote his life story, called Stutterin' Boy. Tillis appeared in TV commercials for the fast-food chain Whataburger in the 1980s. He continued to record music and had occasional hits. His last Top 10 hit was in 1984, and his last Top 40 country hit was in 1988.
He built a theater in Branson, Missouri. He performed there regularly until 2002. In 1998, he formed a group called The Old Dogs with Bobby Bare, Waylon Jennings, and Jerry Reed. The group released two albums of songs written by Shel Silverstein.
The Grand Ole Opry welcomed Tillis as a member on June 9, 2007. His daughter, Pam Tillis, inducted him into the Opry. Pam Tillis became a very successful country singer herself in the 1990s. On August 7, 2007, it was announced that Tillis would also be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
Personal Life and Death
Mel Tillis had six children. His daughter, Pam Tillis, is a well-known singer-songwriter. She had many country hit singles in the 1990s. His son, Mel "Sonny" Tillis Jr., is also a songwriter. Sonny co-wrote Jamie O'Neal's hit song "When I Think About Angels" in 2001.
Tillis became ill in January 2016. On November 19, 2017, he passed away from respiratory failure in Ocala, Florida. He was 85 years old. After his father's death, Sonny Tillis began touring to honor his father's music.
Discography
The Statesiders
The Statesiders were Mel Tillis's longtime backing band. They were named after his 1966 hit song "Stateside." Between 1969 and 1980, Mel Tillis and the Statesiders released many studio and live albums. The Statesiders also released one album on their own in 1975. Many famous musicians played with the Statesiders over the years. These included Buddy Cannon, Paul Franklin, and Hoot Hester.
See also
In Spanish: Mel Tillis para niños
