Mel Tillis

A country music legend and Hall of Fame inductee, Mel Tillis is a songwriting legend with over 60 albums under his belt. Performing with his band, The Statesiders, Tillis has earned his place among the country veterans, coining 36 top ten singles over his 50 year career, including “Ruby, Don’t Take Your Love to Town” and “Good Woman Blues.” The songwriter of choice for music stars, including George Strait and Kenny Rogers, Mel Tillis is a force still to be reckoned with.

 

Mel Tillis began his music career in the early 1950s, when he began performing with a group called The Westerners while he was serving as a baker in the U.S. Air Force.  Thankfully, Mel chose a songwriting career over a military one, and in 1956, Tillis recorded “I’m Tired,” the song that would launch his career.  By 1976, Mel Tillis was a household name, simultaneously inducted into the Nashville Songwriters International Hall of Fame and awarded with an Entertainer of the Year Award at the CMA’s. Mel’s success continued and the now celebrated songwriter was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2007. In 2012, Mel Tillis received the National Medal of Arts from President Obama.

 

In total, Mel has recorded over 1,000 songs, 600 of which have been recorded by major country music and pop music artists. Not only a talented songwriter, Mel Tillis has recorded over 60 albums, containing nine #1 hits, including “Coca Cola Cowboy” and “Southern Rain.” His latest album, You Aint Gonna Believe This was released in 2010 and features some of the country veteran’s most powerful work to date. When he’s not writing and recording, Mel spends his time painting and selling the finished works for profits donated to the Scottish Rite Foundation, a charity benefitting speech and hearing clinics across the country.