60 min listen
Ep. 76 - MEL TILLIS ("Detroit City")
Ep. 76 - MEL TILLIS ("Detroit City")
ratings:
Length:
63 minutes
Released:
Nov 13, 2017
Format:
Podcast episode
Description
As an artist, Mel Tillis scored 36 Top 10 country hits between 1968 and 1984, including six #1s. But Tillis was writing hit songs long before he found success as an artist As a songwriter he hit the Top 20 an astounding 49 times, most often as the creator behind songs made famous by iconic artists such as Carl Smith, Kitty Wells, Ernest Tubb, Brenda Lee, Faron Young, Ricky Skaggs, and many others. His long list of songwriting successes includes "Burning Memories" and "Heart Over Mind" by Ray Price, "Detroit City" by Bobby Bare, "Honky Tonk Song" and "I Ain't Never" by Webb Pierce, "Mental Revenge" by Waylon Jennings, "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town" by Kenny Rogers and the First Edition, and Mel's own recording of "Sawmill." He was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1976, the same year he was named the Country Music Association's Entertainer of the Year. He was named Comedian of the Year by the CMA six different times in the 1970s. In 1999 BMI named him the Country Songwriter of the Decade - for two decades! He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2007 and became an official member of The Grand Ole Opry that same year. In 2012 he was awarded the National Medal of Arts by President Barack Obama for his contributions to country music.
Released:
Nov 13, 2017
Format:
Podcast episode
Titles in the series (100)
Ep. 1 - JIM PETERIK ("Eye of the Tiger"): Singer, songwriter, guitarist, and keyboardist Jim Peterik is best known as a founding member of the band Survivor and the co-writer of their Grammy-winning double platinum #1 hit single, “Eye of the Tiger.” But that’s only the tip of the iceberg. Thirty-five of Jim’s songs have appeared on the BillboardPop chart, including seven Top 10 singles. His first major success came when his original band, Ides of March, took the Peterik-penned “Vehicle” to the #2 position on the Pop chart in 1970, spawning cover versions by Chet Baker and Shirley Bassey. After a stint as a solo artist with Epic Records, Jim formed Survivor in 1979, penning a string of hits for the band, including “I Can’t Hold Back,” “High On You,” “The Search is Over,” “Burning Heart,” and “Is This Love.” While still writing hits for his own group, Jim forged a successful partnership with the members of 38 Special, co-writing classic songs, including “Rockin’ Into the Night,” “Hold On by Songcraft: Spotlight on Songwriters