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Young country music fans hardly recognize the name Mel Tillis. A few may know a couple of his songs when they are played on golden oldie segments of weekend radio shows, while others could identify him as “that guy who stutters.” It’s a solid bet that most of today’s fresh-out-of-high-school karaoke brat pack couldn’t pick him out of a police line-up. The 76-year-old Tillis is old school. He came to Nashville from Florida in 1956 and suffered countless rejections before charting his first single in 1958. It would take 10 years for him to crack the elusive Billboard Top 10 and another six before he reached the coveted No. 1 position in 1972. Record companies would never have that kind of patience with an artist today. However, under the old system of making a singer “pay dues” in the industry, fans were ultimately treated to hits such as “Coca Cola Cowboy,” “Good Woman Blues,” “I Got the Hoss,” “Stomp Them Grapes” and “Send Me Down to Tucson.” “It seems like just yesterday that I left Florida headin’ for Nashville in my ’49 Mercury with a busted windshield, a pregnant wife and $29 in my pocket,” said Tillis, who also is an award-winning comedian. “If I lost it all tomorrow, I guess I could say it only cost me $29, and it’s been a heck of a ride.” Tillis is a country music icon. If there were a Mount Rushmore for songwriters, his face would be on it. He penned “Detroit City” for Bobby Bare, “Ruby, Don’t Take Your Love To Town” for Kenny Rogers and the Webb Pierce classic “I Ain’t Never.” As a writer, he has had more than 600 of his tunes recorded by major artists. He hung out at Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge during its heyday with regulars like Willie Nelson, Hank Cochran, Billy Joe Shaver, Waylon Jennings and Kris Kristofferson. In 1976, Tillis was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters International Hall of Fame. In the same year, his career hit an all-time high, when he was named Entertainer of the Year by the Country Music Association. Tillis came from humble beginnings. Born in Tampa, he was raised in Pahokee, Fla. His stutter is a result of contracting malaria when he was only 3. He learned to play guitar in high school and performed in his first talent contest in 1948. He dabbled with music during a stint in the U.S. Air Force and during stints as a fireman, truck driver, milkman and baker. He made his first trek to Music City in 1956. He was rejected as a singer, but officials at Cedarwood Music hired him as a writer. Tillis made a permanent move to Nashville in 1957. He played in the bands of stars like the Duke of Paducah and Minnie Pearl as he perfected his songwriting skills. During the next three years, he would write hit songs for major acts like Webb Pierce, Ray Price, Stonewall Jackson and Little Jimmy Dickens. Throughout the 1960s, Tillis had limited chart success. He didn’t blossom as an artist until the next decade. From 1970 to 1980, he reached the Top 10 an incredible 30 times. His face was everywhere during that time period, including in movies like “Every Which Way But Loose” and “W.W. & The Dixie Dance Kings” with Clint Eastwood and “The Cannonball Run,” “Cannonball Run II” and “Smokey and the Bandit II” with Burt Reynolds. A savvy businessman, Tillis has owned several music publishing companies and was one of the first entertainers to open a theater in Branson, Mo. When close friend Willie Nelson ran into a little trouble with the IRS, it was Tillis who convinced him to buy his old theater in Branson (he was building a bigger one) and within six months, Nelson was debt-free. Tillis has just released a new gospel album, “The Father’s Son,” which contains covers of classics such as “I’ll Fly Away,” “I Saw The Light,” “Softly and Tenderly” and “Standing on the Promise.” VINCE HOFFARD can be reached at 658-9095 or vlh76@midwest.net. |
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