Pam Tillis facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Pam Tillis
Tillis in 2010
Born	Pamela Yvonne Tillis (1957-07-24) July 24, 1957 (age 67) Plant City, Florida, U.S.
Alma mater	University of Tennessee
Occupation	Singer songwriter record producer actress
Years active	1977–present
Spouse(s)	Rick Mason ​ ​ (m. 1978; div. 1978)​ Bob DiPiero ​ ​ (m. 1991; div. 1998)​ Matt Spicher ​ (m. 2009)​
Parent(s)	Mel Tillis (father)
Musical career
Origin	Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.
Genres	Country
Instruments	Vocals acoustic guitar
Labels	Elektra Warner Arista Nashville Lucky Dog Stellar Cat Red River Entertainment

Pamela Yvonne Tillis (born July 24, 1957) is an American country music singer, songwriter, and actress. She is the oldest child of famous country singer Mel Tillis.

Pam started her music journey trying out pop music in the early 1980s. But she soon found her true calling in country music. In 1989, she joined Arista Nashville and quickly became a star. Her song "Don't Tell Me What to Do" was her first big hit in 1990. This song was from her successful album Put Yourself in My Place.

Over the next ten years, Pam released five more albums with Arista Nashville. She had twelve songs reach the top ten on the Billboard country music charts. Her biggest hit was "Mi Vida Loca (My Crazy Life)", which reached number one in 1995. Other popular songs include her signature song "Maybe It Was Memphis", "Shake the Sugar Tree", "Spilled Perfume", and "All the Good Ones Are Gone". Several of her albums, like Homeward Looking Angel (1992) and Sweetheart's Dance (1994), sold over a million copies!

Pam has won important awards for her music. She received a Grammy Award for Best Country Collaboration with Vocals in 1999 for the song "Same Old Train". In 1994, she won the Country Music Association Award for Female Vocalist of the Year. A great honor came in 2000 when she became a member of the Grand Ole Opry, a famous country music show. Besides singing her own songs, Pam has also written hits for other artists like Barbara Fairchild. Her music style mixes country, pop, and jazz, and she's known for her strong singing voice.

Pam Tillis's Early Life and Musical Beginnings

Pam Tillis is the daughter of country singer Mel Tillis, pictured in 2007

Pamela Yvonne Tillis was born on July 24, 1957, in Plant City, Florida. She is the oldest of five children born to country singer Mel Tillis and his wife, Doris. Because her dad was a country musician, Pam grew up mostly in Nashville, Tennessee, the heart of country music.

When she was eight, her father invited her to sing on stage at the Grand Ole Opry. This was a very special moment! She also started piano lessons at this age and taught herself to play guitar by the time she was 12. At 16, Pam was in a serious car accident. She needed several years of surgery, including facial reconstruction, to recover.

Pam described her relationship with her father as "strict." She felt that he didn't always approve of her musical interests, which included artists like Linda Ronstadt and the Eagles.

Pam's College Years and First Bands

Pam went to the University of Tennessee. There, she performed in two different music groups. One was a jug band called the High Country Swing Band. The other was a folk duo with Ashley Cleveland. In 1976, she left college and moved to San Francisco, California. She started a band called Freelight, which played jazz and rock music. To earn extra money, Pam also sold Avon products.

She briefly sang backup for her father's band. But she later left because they had different ideas about music. Even so, she sang backup on his 1980 hit song "Your Body is an Outlaw." Her father also hired her to work at his music publishing company. This led to her writing the song "The Other Side of the Morning" for Barbara Fairchild in 1978.

Pam Tillis's Music Career Highlights

Early Recordings and Finding Her Sound

In 1981, Pam Tillis signed her first record deal with Elektra Records. Her first song, "Every Home Should Have One," was a disco song. This was different from her later country music. She then released her first album, Above and Beyond the Doll of Cutey, in 1983 with Warner Records. The album had singles like "Killer Comfort," but they didn't become big hits.

Pam wasn't happy making pop music. So, she moved back to Nashville and started focusing on country music. In 1984, she had her first song, "Goodbye Highway," appear on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts. She released a few more singles that didn't climb very high on the charts. One of her songs, "Those Memories of You," later became a top-five hit for Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris, and Linda Ronstadt. Because her songs weren't big hits, Warner Records dropped her in 1987.

Even without huge success, the Academy of Country Music nominated her for Top New Female Vocalist in 1986. During this time, Pam performed in nightclubs and local shows. She sang country classics and performed with other female songwriters. These shows helped her get noticed in Nashville. She also sang jingles for commercials, like for Coca-Cola and Coors beer.

Breaking Through with Arista Nashville

In 1989, Arista Records started its country music division, Arista Nashville. Pam Tillis was one of the first artists to sign with them! Other artists who joined at the same time included Alan Jackson and Lee Roy Parnell.

Pam's first song with Arista Nashville was "Don't Tell Me What to Do" in late 1990. It became a big success, reaching number five on the Billboard country charts in early 1991. This song was the first single from her breakthrough album, Put Yourself in My Place, released in January 1991. The album had other popular songs, including "One of Those Things" and the title track.

The album's most famous song was "Maybe It Was Memphis", which reached number three in early 1992. This song is now known as Pam Tillis's signature song. Put Yourself in My Place sold over 500,000 copies, earning a gold certification!

Pam was nominated for several awards during this time. The Country Music Association (CMA) nominated her for the Horizon Award (for new artists) in 1991 and 1992. "Maybe It Was Memphis" also earned her a Grammy Award nomination in 1993.

Continued Success with Homeward Looking Angel and Sweetheart's Dance

Tillis in 1995.

In 1992, Pam released her next album, Homeward Looking Angel. The first single, "Shake the Sugar Tree", became a top-five hit. Another song, "Let That Pony Run", also reached the top ten. This album sold over a million copies, earning a platinum certification!

Pam also sang on two other popular songs in 1993: Dolly Parton's "Romeo" and George Jones's "I Don't Need Your Rockin' Chair". The song with George Jones won the Vocal Event of the Year award from the CMA. Pam was also nominated for Female Vocalist of the Year by the CMA.

Her third Arista album, Sweetheart's Dance, came out in April 1994. This album also sold over a million copies and became her second platinum album. Pam helped produce this album herself, which was a big step! The album had several big hits:

• "Spilled Perfume" (top five)
• "When You Walk in the Room" (number two)
• "Mi Vida Loca (My Crazy Life)" (her only number-one single!)
• "In Between Dances" (top five)

The closing song on the album, "'Til All the Lonely's Gone," featured bluegrass legend Bill Monroe and even Pam's father and siblings singing backup. In 1994, the CMA awarded Pam Tillis Female Vocalist of the Year, a huge honor!

All of This Love and Greatest Hits

In late 1995, Pam released All of This Love, her fourth album for Arista. This album had top-ten hits like "Deep Down" and "The River and the Highway". Pam produced this album all by herself, which was rare for female artists in country music at the time. All of This Love sold over 500,000 copies, earning a gold certification.

A Greatest Hits album followed in 1997, collecting her most successful songs. It also included two new songs that became hits: "All the Good Ones Are Gone" and "Land of the Living". Both reached the top five on the country charts. Her Greatest Hits album also sold over a million copies!

Later Albums and Grand Ole Opry Induction

Pam released Every Time in 1998. The lead single, "I Said a Prayer", was a top-twenty hit. After this album, Pam worked on many collaborations. She sang "After a Kiss" for the movie Happy, Texas. She also was part of the song "Same Old Train," which won a Grammy Award for Best Country Collaboration with Vocals in 1999.

In 2000, country singer Little Jimmy Dickens invited Pam Tillis to become a member of the Grand Ole Opry. This is one of the highest honors in country music! Marty Stuart officially welcomed her on August 26, 2000.

Pam's last album with Arista was Thunder & Roses, released in 2001. It included a duet with her father, Mel Tillis, called "Waiting on the Wind." The song "Please" from this album was a top-twenty-five hit.

Starting Her Own Record Label

Tillis singing at the 2006 Missouri State Fair.

Pam left Arista Nashville in 2002. She wanted more control over her music. She then recorded a tribute album to her father called It's All Relative: Tillis Sings Tillis. This album featured songs her father had recorded or written for other artists. It included special guests like Dolly Parton and Trisha Yearwood.

In 2007, Pam started her own record label called Stellar Cat. Her first album on her own label was RhineStoned. She felt that having her own label gave her more creative freedom. Later that year, she released a Christmas album called Just in Time for Christmas.

Pam Tillis has recorded two albums with Lorrie Morgan: Dos Divas and Come See Me and Come Lonely.

Pam continued to tour and perform. In 2013, she teamed up with fellow country singer Lorrie Morgan to release a collaborative album called Dos Divas. They also toured together on their "Grits and Glamour" tour. A second album with Lorrie Morgan, Come See Me and Come Lonely, followed in 2017.

In 2020, Pam released a new album called Looking for a Feeling. She co-wrote six of the twelve songs on the album.

Pam Tillis's Musical Style

Pam Tillis is known for her powerful and unique singing voice. While she sings country music, her voice also has influences from rhythm and blues and rock. Critics have described her voice as "pure, full-bodied country" and "throaty."

Writers have also noticed Pam's clever use of words in her songs. She often uses wordplay in her song titles, like "Tequila Mockingbird." Pam has said that she likes to write songs that come "out of her heart."

Because her father was a famous country musician, Pam was often compared to him. She learned a lot from him, but she also wanted to create her own musical identity. She once said that the best advice for a new musician is to "be yourself."

Pam Tillis as an Actress

Besides her music career, Pam Tillis has also acted in television shows and movies. One of her first roles was in the 1993 movie The Thing Called Love, where she appeared as herself. She also had small roles in TV shows like L.A. Law, Diagnosis: Murder, and Promised Land.

Pam says that acting is similar to singing because both involve "taking the raw material of emotion and making something out of it." In 1999, she performed in a Broadway show called Smokey Joe's Cafe. She also appeared as herself on the TV show Nashville. Even RuPaul, a big fan of Pam's, invited her to be a guest judge on an episode of RuPaul's Drag Race!

Pam Tillis's Personal Life

Pam Tillis is the ex-wife of songwriter Bob DiPiero.

Pam Tillis married Rick Mason in 1978. They had one son named Ben. Pam and Rick divorced the same year. Ben now works as a wilderness guide.

In 1991, Pam married songwriter and guitarist Bob DiPiero. Bob sometimes toured with her band. He also helped write some of her songs, like "Blue Rose Is" and "Cleopatra, Queen of Denial." Pam and Bob divorced in 1998. Pam later said that their music careers became more important than their personal lives. However, she still thinks Bob is a great person.

In 2001, Pam started dating musician and photographer Matt Spicher. They got married in 2009.

Pam's brother, Mel Tillis Jr. (also known as Sonny Tillis), is also a singer and songwriter. He has written songs for other artists. After their father, Mel Tillis, passed away in 2017, Sonny began performing tribute shows for him. Pam's mother, Doris, passed away in 2019.

Discography

Studio albums

• Above and Beyond the Doll of Cutey (1983)
• Put Yourself in My Place (1991)
• Homeward Looking Angel (1992)
• Sweetheart's Dance (1994)
• All of This Love (1995)
• Every Time (1998)
• Thunder & Roses (2001)
• It's All Relative: Tillis Sings Tillis (2002)
• RhineStoned (2007)
• Just in Time for Christmas (2007)
• Recollection (2009)
• Dos Divas with Lorrie Morgan (2013)
• Come See Me and Come Lonely with Lorrie Morgan (2017)
• Looking for a Feeling (2020)

Awards and Nominations

Filmography

See also

In Spanish: Pam Tillis para niños