Talent Inquiry

Pam Tillis was born July 24, 1957, in Plant City, Fla. As the daughter of country star Mel Tillis, she grew up in Nashville and made her debut on the Grand Ole Opry at age 8, singing “Tom Dooley.” Early in her career, she worked as a backup vocalist, demo singer, club performer and songwriter and also sang jingles for Hardee’s and Equal Sweetener. Highway 101 scored a hit with Tillis’ “Someone Else’s Trouble Now” and her compositions were recorded by Juice Newton, Chaka Khan, Janie Fricke, Conway Twitty, Ricky Van Shelton, The Forester Sisters, Dan Seals and many more. In 1984, Tillis recorded a rock album, but it went nowhere. In 1987, she did a series of “Twang Night” presentations of classic hillbilly oldies in Nashville nightspots with special guests such as Marty Stuart. She starred in a Tennessee Repertory production of Jesus Christ Superstar. With Karen Staley, Ashley Cleveland and Tricia Walker, she launched “Women in the Round,” a songwriter showcase at the famed Bluebird Cafe. At the advent of country’s huge commercial success in the 1990s, Tillis signed to a new label, Arista Records. (Labelmates included Brooks & Dunn, Diamond Rio and Alan Jackson.) Her first Arista single, “Don’t Tell Me What to Do,” reached No. 5, while “Maybe It Was Memphis” became her signature hit in 1992. Her acclaimed 1994 album, Sweetheart’s Dance, earned her the CMA female vocalist award later that year. After several years of eclectic but successful singles, Tillis released her Greatest Hits in 1997 and earned a Grammy nomination for its first single, “All the Good Ones Are Gone.” She recorded two more albums for Arista before parting ways. Tillis also appeared in the Broadway musical Smokey Joe’s Caf in 1999 and joined the Grand Ole Opry in 2000. In 2002, It’s All Relative: Tillis Sings Tillis found Tillis interpreting songs her father had written. In 2007, she released Rhinestoned on her own label, Stellar Cat Records.