ROOTS of Country Music

The Professional Work of Mel Tillis

(born Aug. 8, 1932)

Career Highlights

No. 25 Country Music Artist (1944 - 1993)

Barn Dance Affiliate: Louisiana Hayride

Grand Ole Opry Member

Band Name: The Statesiders

Radio, Film & TV

• Every Which Way but Loose
• W.W. and the Dixie Dancekings
• Smokey and the Bandit II
• Up Hill All the way
• Murder In Music City

Awards

Country Music Association

Country Music Hall of Fame (2007)

Entertainer of the Year (1976)

Billboard Chart Data 

• No. 1 Singles: 6
• Top-10 Singles: 36
• Crossover Singles: 0
• Charted Singles: 77
• Years Active: 1958-1989

Career Labels

• Columbia (1958-1960)
• Decca (1963)
• Ric (1965)
• Kapp (1966-1970)
• MGM (1970-1976)
• MCA (1976-1979)
• Electra (1979-1982)
• MCA (1983-1984)
• RCA (1985)
• Mercury (1988)

Billboard Top-10 Singles

1. Who's Julie -1968
2. These Lonely Hands of Mine -1969
3. She'll Be hangin' Round Somewhere -1970
4. Heart Over Mind
5. Heaven Everyday
6. Commercial Affection
7. The Arms of a Fool -1971
8. Brand New Mr. Me
9. Take My Hand, 2
10. Living and Learning, 2
11. I Ain't Never*1 -1972
12. Neon Rose
13. Sawmill -1973
14. Midnight, Me and the Blues -1974
15. Stomp Them Grapes
16. Memory Maker
17. Best way I Know How -1975
18. Woman In The Back Of My Mind
19. Good Woman Blues* -1976
20. Heart Healer* -1977
21. Burning Memories
22. I Got the Hoss
23. What Did I Promise Her Last Night?
24. I Believe In You* -1978
25. Ain't No California
26. Send Me Down to Tucson -1979
27. Coca Cola Cowboy*
28. Blind In Love
29. Lying Time Again -1980
30. Your Body Is An Outlaw
31. Steppin' Out
32. Southern Rains*
33. A Million Old Goodbyes
34. One-Night Fever
35. In the Middle of the Night -1983
36. New Patches -1984

*No. 1 Single

1Biggest Chart Single

2With Sherry Bryce

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Brand New Mr. Me: The Mel Tillis Story

Although Mel Tillis started recorded songs in the late 1950s, his biggest success occurred throughout the '70s and into the mid-'80s. In 1976, Mel Tillis was named Entertainer of the Year by the Country Music Association (CMA). Tillis is the father of country music singer Pam Tillis.

During his youth, Mel Tillis learned the drums as well as guitar. At age 16 he won a local talent show. Later, he worked for the railroad, before joining the United States Air Force. When Tillis was stationed in Okinawa, he formed a band called The Westerners, which played at local nightclubs. After his military stint ended (1955), Tillis worked a number of odd jobs before moving to Nashville, Tennessee.

The following year, Tillis wrote several songs for Webb Pierce, including, I'm Tired (1956), Honky Tonk Song (1956) and Tupelo County Jail (1958). Ray Price and Brenda Lee also charted songs composed by Tillis around this time. In the late 1950s, after becoming a hit-making songwriter, Mel Tillis signed a recording contract with Columbia Records. In 1958, he charted his first Top-40 hit, The Violet and a Rose.

Mel Tillis wrote the hits I Ain't Never for Webb Pierce (Tillis's own future hit) and Crazy, Wild Desire. Meanwhile, he continued to record and chart minor songs for Columbia which included, The Brooklyn Bridge, Loco Weed, and Walk on, Boy. Bobby Bare, Ray Price, Wanda Jackson and Stonewall Jackson also covered his songs. Although Tillis was enjoying success as a songwriter, pitching material to Pierce and others, it was ten years, before he begin to achieve sufficient chart success of his own.

In 1965, Tillis switched to Kapp Records and scored his first Top-15 hit with Wine (1965). His chart run continued with such songs as Stateside (No. 17, 1966) and Life Turned Her That Way (No.11, 1966). Tillis wrote for Charley Pride the song, Snakes Crawl At Night and he wrote a big hit for Kenny Rogers & the First Edition called Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town. Mel Tillis also wrote the hit Mental Revenge for outlaw superstar Waylon Jennings. In 1968, Tillis scored his first Top-10 hit with Who's Julie (No. 10, 1968).

In 1970, Tillis and his esteemed new backing band the Statesiders came into their own as performers after Tillis scored back-to-back upper chart hits with Heart Over Mind (No. 3, 1969) and Heaven Everyday (No. 5, 1969). That same year, Mel Tillis switched to MGM Records. Two years later, he charted his first No. 1 single, I Ain't Never (No. 1, 1972).

Tillis' most fertile period as an artist was the 1970s, as evidenced by a series of Top-5 songs like Neon Rose (No. 3, 1972), Sawmill (No. 2, 1973), Midnight, Me and the Blues (No. 2, 1973), Stomp Them Grapes (No. 3, 1974) and Memory Maker (No. 3, 1974).

Between 1976 and 1980, Mel Tillis charted five No. 1 songs, including Good Woman Blues (No. 1, 1976), Heart Healer (No. 1, 1976), I Believe in You (No. 1, 1977), Coca Cola Cowboy (No. 1, 1979) and his final, Southern Rains (No. 1, 1980).

Tillis appeared in a number of films, including 1975's W.W. and the Dance Kings (with Burt Reynolds and Jerry Reed), Clint Eastwood's Every Which Way but Loose in 1979 and 1980's all-star Smokey and the Bandit II.

After signing with Elektra in mid 1979, he continued to chart hit songs such as Blind In Love (No. 6, 1979) and Lying Time Again (No. 6, 1979). Up until 1983, Tillis remained on top his game as one of country music's most successful vocalists of the era. Your Body Is an Outlaw went to No. 3 in 1979.

Tillisremained with Elektra until 1982 before switching back to MCA for a brief period in 1983. Tillis scored a Top-10 hit with In The Middle Of The Night (No. 10, 1982) and charted his last Top-10 hit with New Patches in 1984. Then his chart activity started to diminish as the music landscape had changed dramatically as new blood begin to infiltrate Nashville's recording studios.

During his heyday (1970s ~ 1980s), Tillis racked up 33 Top-10 singles, of which 6 topped out at No. 1. Tillis appeared as the television commercial spokesman for the fast-food restaurant chain Whataburger during the 1980s. He also built a theater in Branson, Missouri, where he performed on a regular basis until 2002. In 2007, Mel Tillis was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Researched, written and compiled by Richard Bell. Roots of Country Music. Oct., 25, 2011.