Mel Tillis

Mel Tillis (born Lonnie Melvin Tillis August 8, 1932) is an American country music singer. Although he had been recording songs since the late 1950s, his biggest success occurred in the '70s, with a long list of Top 10 hits.

Tillis' biggest hits include, "I Ain't Never", "Good Woman Blues", and "Coca-Cola Cowboy". He also has won the CMA Awards most coveted award, Entertainer of the Year. His daughter is country music singer, Pam Tillis. He is also well-known for his speech impediment, which does not affect his singing voice.

Mel Tillis was born in Tampa, Florida in 1932. His stutter developed during his childhood, a result of a bout of malaria. As a child, Tillis learned the drums, as well as guitar. At age 16, he won a local talent show, and soon joined the United States Air Force, and worked for the railroad. When young Tillis was stationed in Okinawa, he formed a band called The Westerners, which played at local nightclubs. Tillis attended the University of Florida.

After leaving the military in 1955, Tillis worked a number of odd jobs and moved to Nashville, Tennessee the following year. Tillis wrote "I'm Tired", a #3 country hit for Webb Pierce in 1957. Other Tillis hits include "Honky Tonk Song" and "Tupelo County Jail". Ray Price and Brenda Lee also charted hits with Tillis' material around this time. In the late-50s, after becoming a hit-making songwriter, he signed his own contract with Columbia Records in the late-50s. In 1958, he had his first Top 40 hit, "The Violet and a Rose", followed by the Top 25 hit, "Sawmill".

Although Tillis charted on his own Billboard's Hot Country Songs list, he had more success as a songwriter. He continued to be Webb Pierce's songwriter. He wrote the hits, "I Ain't Never" (Tillis' own future hit) and "Crazy, Wild Desire". Bobby Bare, Wanda Jackson, and Stonewall Jackson also covered his songs. Tillis continued to record on his own. Some well-known songs from his Columbia years include "The Brooklyn Bridge", "Loco Weed", and "Walk on, Boy". However, he didn't achieve major success on the country charts on his own.

In the mid-60s, Tillis switched over to Kapp Records. In 1965, he had his first Top 15 hit with "Wine". Other hits continued to follow, like "Stateside" and "Life Turned Her That Way" (which was later covered by Ricky Van Shelton in 1988, and went to #1). He wrote for Charley Pride ("The Snakes Crawl At Night") and wrote a big hit for Kenny Rogers & the First Edition called "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town". He also wrote the hit "Mental Revenge" for Outlaw superstar Waylon Jennings (and it has also been covered by the Hacienda Brothers, Linda Ronstadt, Gram Parsons, and Barbara Mandrell). In 1968, Tillis achieved his first Top 10 hit with "Who's Julie". He also was a regular featured singer on The Porter Wagoner Show. Although success didn't come quickly or easily as a singer in the '60s, things would turn around for Tillis a great deal in the '70's. 

                                                                                 
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