Born 94 Years Ago Today in Florida, Country Music’s Stuttering Storyteller and Father of a 90s Country Hitmaker

A childhood battle with malaria left Mel Tillis with a lifelong stutter. However, that speech impediment didn’t stop the country music legend from earning his place in the Grand Ole Opry, the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, and the Country Music Hall of Fame.

In addition to recording a string of top 10 hits in the 1970s—including “Good Woman Blues” (1976) and “Coca-Cola Cowboy” (1979)—Tillis also penned hit songs for other artists.

In 1969, Kenny Rogers and the First Edition took his song “Ruby, Don’t Take Your Love to Town” to number six on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100.

The country legend is also the father of Pam Tillis, who also enjoyed a successful country music career in the 1990s.

Lonnie Melvin “Mel” Tillis was born in Tampa, Florida, on this day (August 8) in 1932. He died on November 19, 2017, at age 85 in Ocala, Florida. Today, we’re honoring him on what would have been his 94th birthday.

Mel Tillis’ Classmates Predicted His Success

It didn’t take Mel Tillis long to discover that his stutter didn’t affect his singing in the slightest. Learning to play drums and guitar, he won a local talent show at age 16.

In fact, Tillis’ classmates jokingly predicted that he and older brother Richard would one day become “hillbilly music” stars. 

During a stint in the U.S. Air Force in Okinawa, Japan, Tillis sang lead vocals for country band The Westerners.

After leaving the military, he headed to Nashville in 1957 to pursue a career in “hillbilly music.”

Early Songwriting Success

Upon arriving in Music City, Mel Tillis heard a common refrain from studio executives: “We don’t need stuttering singers but instead copyrights.”

Heeding that advice, Tillis began pitching his songs around Nashville.

That same year, Webb Pierce reached number three on the country songs chart with “I’m Tired,” which Tillis had written while watering strawberry plants in Florida.

This was the start of a fruitful songwriting career, during which he penned hits for Ray Price, Brenda Lee, Waylon Jennings, and Kenny Rogers.

The Other Side of the Mic

Mel Tillis’ own recording career also began in the 1950s. However, it wouldn’t take off for another two decades, when he earned his first top five hit, “Heart over Mind,” in 1970.

Two years later, he would land his first number-one hit with 1972’s “I Ain’t Never”.

Many other number-one songs would follow, including “Good Woman Blues” (1976), “Heart Healer” (1977), “I Believe in You” (1978), “Coca-Cola Cowboy” (1979) , and “Southern Rains” (1981).

[RELATED: Behind the Song: Kenny Rogers, “Ruby, Don’t Take Your Love to Town”]

In 1976, the Country Music Association named Mel Tillis its Entertainer of the Year. That same year, he was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Featured image by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images