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 68) 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)​
Children	1
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 Tillis first tried recording pop music in the early 1980s. Later, she decided to focus on country music. In 1989, she joined Arista Nashville and had her first big hit, "Don't Tell Me What to Do", in 1990. This song was from her successful album Put Yourself in My Place.

Over the next ten years, Pam Tillis released five more albums with Arista Nashville. She had many popular songs on the Billboard country music charts. Her song "Mi Vida Loca (My Crazy Life)" became a number-one hit in 1995. Other well-known songs include "Maybe It Was Memphis" (often called her signature song), "Shake the Sugar Tree", "Spilled Perfume", and "All the Good Ones Are Gone". Her albums Homeward Looking Angel (1992), Sweetheart's Dance (1994), and Greatest Hits (1997) sold over a million copies each. Her albums Put Yourself in My Place and All of This Love (1995) sold over 500,000 copies each.

Pam Tillis has won two important awards. In 1999, she won a Grammy Award for Best Country Collaboration with Vocals for the song "Same Old Train," which she sang with several other artists. In 1994, she won the Country Music Association Award for Female Vocalist of the Year. In 2000, she became a member of the Grand Ole Opry, a famous country music show. Besides singing her own songs, Pam Tillis has also written songs for other artists like Barbara Fairchild and Juice Newton. Her music style is known for her strong singing voice and mixes country, pop, and jazz sounds.

Early Life and Musical Beginnings

Pam Tillis is the oldest 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. Her father was the famous country singer Mel Tillis. Because of her father's career, Pam spent most of her childhood in Nashville, Tennessee, a city known for country music. When she was eight years old, her father invited her to sing on stage at the Grand Ole Opry. 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 had to have several surgeries over five years, including facial reconstruction. Pam has said that her relationship with her father was "strict." She felt that he didn't always approve of the music she liked, such as Linda Ronstadt and the Eagles.

Tillis went to the University of Tennessee. There, she performed in two different music groups. She left college in 1976 and moved to San Francisco, California. In San Francisco, she started a band called Freelight, which played jazz and rock music. She also worked as a backing singer for her father's band for a short time. She even 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 Other Side of the Morning," a song for Barbara Fairchild in 1978.

Music Career Journey

Starting in Pop Music

In 1981, Pam Tillis signed her first record deal with Elektra Records. Her first song, "Every Home Should Have One," was released that year. It was a disco song, which was different from her later country music. She released her first album, Above and Beyond the Doll of Cutey, in 1983 with Warner Records. This album had songs like "Killer Comfort" and "Love Is Sneakin' Up on You." "Killer Comfort" even had a music video shown on MTV. However, these songs were not very successful on the charts. Critics felt that trying to make her a pop star didn't show her true talent as a songwriter.

Pam Tillis was not happy with the pop music she was making. She decided to return to Nashville and focus on country music. In 1984, she had her first song on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts called "Goodbye Highway." She wrote this song with Mary Ann Kennedy and Pam Rose. She released a few more songs that made it to the lower parts of the charts between 1986 and 1987. One of these songs, "Those Memories of You," later became a big hit for Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris, and Linda Ronstadt. Because her songs weren't very successful, Warner Records dropped her in 1987. Despite this, the Academy of Country Music nominated her for Top New Female Vocalist in 1986. During this time, she performed in nightclubs and local shows, which helped her gain more attention. She also sang in commercials for popular brands like Coca-Cola.

Breakthrough with Arista Nashville

In 1989, Arista Records started a new country music division called Arista Nashville. Pam Tillis was one of the first artists to sign with this new label. Before releasing her own music, she helped write "Tomorrow's World," a song for Earth Day that featured many country artists. She also wrote songs for Juice Newton and Highway 101.

Pam Tillis released her first song with Arista Nashville in late 1990, called "Don't Tell Me What to Do". This song became a big hit, reaching number five on the Billboard country charts in early 1991. It was the first successful song of her career. This song was the first single from her breakthrough album, Put Yourself in My Place, released in January 1991. The album also included a new version of "One of Those Things," which also became a top 10 hit. The album's most popular song was "Maybe It Was Memphis", which reached number three in early 1992. This song is now considered her signature song. Put Yourself in My Place sold over 500,000 copies.

Critics praised Put Yourself in My Place, saying it showed Pam Tillis's talent for writing smart country songs and her powerful voice. The Country Music Association (CMA) nominated her for the Horizon Award (now Best New Artist) in 1991 and 1992. She also received her first Grammy Award nomination for "Maybe It Was Memphis" in 1993.

Continued Success and Platinum Albums

Tillis in 1995.

In 1992, Arista Nashville released Pam Tillis's next album, Homeward Looking Angel. The first song from this album, "Shake the Sugar Tree", became a top five hit. Another popular song was "Let That Pony Run". This album sold over a million copies by 1995.

Pam Tillis also sang on two collaborative songs in 1993: Dolly Parton's "Romeo" and George Jones's "I Don't Need Your Rockin' Chair". The song with George Jones won Vocal Event of the Year from the CMA.

Sweetheart's Dance, her third album with Arista, came out in April 1994. It also sold over a million copies. Pam Tillis helped produce this album for the first time. The album's first song, "Spilled Perfume", became a top five hit. Her cover of Jackie DeShannon's "When You Walk in the Room" reached number two. Then came "Mi Vida Loca (My Crazy Life)", which was her only number-one song on both the Billboard and RPM charts. The album also featured her father, Mel Tillis, and her siblings on the song "'Til All the Lonely's Gone." Critics loved Sweetheart's Dance, praising its mix of country, rock, and pop sounds. The CMA named her Female Vocalist of the Year in 1994.

In late 1995, Tillis released All of This Love, her fourth album for Arista. This album included top 10 hits like "Deep Down" and "The River and the Highway". Pam Tillis produced this album herself, which was rare for female artists in country music at the time. All of This Love sold over 500,000 copies.

A Greatest Hits album was released in 1997. It featured her most successful songs and two new ones: "All the Good Ones Are Gone" and "Land of the Living". Both new songs became top five hits. "All the Good Ones Are Gone" was nominated for several awards. Greatest Hits became her third album to sell over a million copies.

Later Albums and Independent Work

Tillis released Every Time in 1998. For this album, she did not write any of the songs herself. The lead song, "I Said a Prayer", was popular on the charts. After this album, Pam Tillis worked on several collaborations. She sang "After a Kiss" for the movie Happy, Texas in 1999. She also sang on "Same Old Train," which won a Grammy Award for Best Country Collaboration with Vocals in 1999.

In 2000, Little Jimmy Dickens invited Pam Tillis to become a member of the Grand Ole Opry. Marty Stuart officially welcomed her on August 26, 2000. Her last album with Arista, Thunder & Roses, was released in 2001. It included a duet with her father, "Waiting on the Wind." The song "Please" from this album was also popular.

In 2002, Pam Tillis left Arista Nashville. She wanted more creative freedom in her music. She then recorded a tribute album to her father, Mel Tillis, called It's All Relative: Tillis Sings Tillis. This album featured her singing songs that her father had recorded or written for other artists. It included covers of "I Ain't Never" and "Detroit City". Dolly Parton and Trisha Yearwood also sang on the album.

After leaving her record label, Pam Tillis started performing shows in Branson, Missouri. These shows included her own hits, her father's songs, and stories from her childhood. She also started her own record label called Stellar Cat in 2007. Her first album on her own label was RhineStoned. This allowed her more freedom to make the music she wanted. She also released a Christmas album, Just in Time for Christmas, that year.

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

In 2013, Pam Tillis teamed up with fellow country singer Lorrie Morgan to record a collaborative album called Dos Divas. They also toured together to promote the album. A second album with Lorrie Morgan, Come See Me and Come Lonely, followed in 2017. Pam Tillis also performs acoustic concerts with two guitarists as the Pam Tillis Trio. In 2020, she released a new album called Looking for a Feeling.

Musical Style and Influences

Pam Tillis is known for her powerful singing voice. She has a unique style that blends traditional country sounds with pop and jazz. She has described her voice as not being the "twangiest" country singer, meaning it has influences from other music styles like rhythm and blues and rock. Critics have called her voice "pure, full-bodied country" and praised her ability to sing with emotion.

Writers have also noticed Pam Tillis's clever use of words in her songs. She often uses wordplay in her song titles and lyrics. She has said that she enjoys writing songs that come from her heart. Her song "Maybe It Was Memphis" is a great example of her energetic performance and strong production.

Being the daughter of a country music legend, Pam Tillis was often compared to her father. She has said that her father introduced her to other great artists like Patsy Cline and Loretta Lynn. She learned from him but also worked hard to create her own unique musical identity.

Acting Roles

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 made a guest appearance with other country singers. She also had small roles in TV shows like L.A. Law, Diagnosis: Murder, and Promised Land. Pam Tillis has said that acting is similar to singing because both involve expressing emotions.

In 1999, she appeared in a Broadway show called Smokey Joe's Cafe, where she performed various show tunes. She also appeared as herself on the TV show Nashville. Famous drag queen RuPaul, who is a fan of Pam Tillis, invited her to be a guest judge on an episode of RuPaul's Drag Race. In 2024, she appeared in the film The Neon Highway.

Personal Life

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

Pam Tillis's first marriage was to Rick Mason in 1978. They had one son named Ben. They ended their marriage that same year. Pam raised Ben, who now works as a wilderness guide.

In 1991, Pam Tillis married songwriter and guitarist Bob DiPiero. He sometimes played in her band. They bought a house in Nashville that used to belong to other famous singers. Pam and Bob ended their marriage in 1998. Pam later said that their music careers became too busy for their personal lives. She started dating musician and photographer Matt Spicher in 2001, and they married in 2009.

Pam Tillis's brother, Mel Tillis Jr. (also known as Sonny Tillis), is also a singer and songwriter. He has written songs for other artists. Their father, Mel Tillis, passed away in 2017 at age 85. Their mother, Doris, passed away in 2019 at age 79.

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