RIP - Mel Tillis at 85

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Steve...O, Nov 19, 2017.

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  1. Holy Diver

    Holy Diver Senior Member

    Location:
    USA
    Such a classic guy and great talent. RIP.
     
  2. mrbobdobalina

    mrbobdobalina Forum Resident

    Location:
    Not here
    And he co-wrote the Rockabilly classic "Bop-a-Lena"!
     
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  3. Witchy Woman

    Witchy Woman Forum Resident

    Location:
    Third Coast, USA
    He lived to 85. RIP Mr. Tillis, talented singer-songwriter.

    This is one of his best songs, IMO.


    Ruby, Don’t Take Your Love To Town, written by Mel Tillis
     
  4. JohnO

    JohnO Senior Member

    Location:
    Washington, DC
  5. DrAftershave

    DrAftershave A Wizard, A True Star

    Location:
    Los Angeles, CA
  6. longdist01

    longdist01 Senior Member

    Location:
    Chicago, IL USA
  7. Cassiel

    Cassiel Sonic Reducer

    Location:
    NYC, USA
    A class act. Sorry to hear that he's gone - he had a good run. He was one of those folks who I wasn't a fan/follower of per se, but everything of his that U heard, I tended to like. RIP.
     
  8. Steve...O

    Steve...O Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    USA
    Before his illness last year, Mel maintained an active touring schedule and he was blessed by being one of the older singers who maintained his voice til the end. He also maintained a very strong and well dressed band and by all accounts treated his band very well. Mel is one of those rare entertainers that you just never heard anything bad about.

    Musically, he had a very long run of strong singles. My personal favorite period of his were the late 70s to mid 80s with songs like New Patches, Send Me Down to Tucson, Lying Time Again, Southern Rains.

    As a songwriter, he was very gracious about Webb Pierce cheating him out of songwriter royalties by demanding co writer credit on Mel's songs by saying those cuts gave him a start in the business and led to bigger things. Karma is a funny thing...today one is hard pressed to find someone who will stay a lot of nice things about Webb as a person.

    Prayers to his family and loved ones.
     
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  9. Blue Cactus

    Blue Cactus Forum Resident

    Location:
    Illinois


    Rest in peace Mel.
     
  10. sunspot42

    sunspot42 Forum Resident

    Location:
    San Francisco
    I didn't realize he'd written "Ruby", which was a huge hit for Kenny Rogers and an early favorite song of mine when I was probably 4 years old.
     
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  11. John B Good

    John B Good Forum Hall Of Fame

    Location:
    NS, Canada
    First became aware of him via the excellent Stick With Me Baby



    Recently done on Raising Sand.

    I see he was also part writer of Brenda Lee's EMOTIONS.

    RIP
     
  12. melstapler

    melstapler Reissue Activist

    Very sad news. Great songwriter, interpreter and showman. RIP Mel
     
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  13. melstapler

    melstapler Reissue Activist

    Definitely. The songs Mel wrote definitely had the crossover appeal which stretched beyond the scope of traditional country music. Regardless of genre or classification, at least songwriters such as Mel were maintaining a high level of quality with their work while maintaining some individuality during those great years of music.
     
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  14. Mel Tillis wrote all of these songs. Can we get a big round of applause for a very special talent, a class act, and great family man, Mr. Lonnie Melvin Tillis!

    1. Above Suspicion
    2. After The Fire Is Gone
    3. All I Ever Wanted To Do
    4. All Right (i'll Sign The Papers)
    5. All The Time
    6. Alone With You
    7. Am I Locking Someone In
    8. Another Bridge To Burn
    9. Anything's Better Than Nothing
    10. Arms Of A Fool
    11. At The Sight Of You
    12. Back To Life
    13. Ballad Of Forty Dollars
    14. Before I Met You
    15. Bop-A-Lena
    16. Branded Man
    17. Brooklyn Bridge
    18. Buried Alive
    19. Burning Memories
    20. Carroll County Accident
    21. Charlie's Angel
    22. Cling To Me
    23. Come On And Sing
    24. Commercial Affection
    25. Cover Mama's Flowers
    26. Crazy Arms
    27. Daddy Sang Bass
    28. Destroyed By Man
    29. Detroit City
    30. Down Came The World
    31. Emotions
    32. Fooled Around And Fell In Love
    33. Games People Play
    34. Give Me One More Day
    35. Good Deal Lucille
    36. Goodbye Wheeling
    37. Guide Me Home My Georgia Moon
    38. Heart Over Mind
    39. Heartaches By The Number
    40. Hearts Of Stone
    41. Heaven Everyday
    42. Holiday For Love
    43. Home Is Where The Hurt Is
    44. Honky Tonkin'
    45. How Come Your Dog Don't Bite Nobody But Me
    46. I Ain't Never
    47. I Could Never Be Ashamed Of You
    48. I Got The Hoss
    49. I Haven't Seen Mary In Years
    50. I Lived So Fast And Hard
    51. I Love You Drops
    52. I'm Gonna Marry Nell
    53. I'm Tired
    54. I Thought About You
    55. I Washed My Face In The Morning Dew
    56. If I Could Only Start Over
    57. If I Lost Your Love
    58. In The Vine
    59. Jukebox Man
    60. Let Me Talk To You
    61. Life Turned Her That Way
    62. Life's Little Suprises
    63. Lingering Memories
    64. Little Ole Wine Drinker Me
    65. Living And Learning
    66. Loco Weed
    67. Lonely Girl
    68. Lonely Street
    69. Looking For A Home
    70. Love Ain't Gonna Die (i'm Gonna Have To Kill It)
    71. Margie's At The Lincoln Park Inn
    72. Mary Don't You Weep
    73. Memories Made This House
    74. Mental Revenge
    75. Missing You
    76. Mr. Dropout
    77. My Ramblin' Boy
    78. My Special Angel
    79. Neon Rose
    80. New Patches
    81. Night Train To Memphis
    82. No Love Have I
    83. Normally Norma Loves Me
    84. Okeechobee Ocean
    85. Old Faithful
    86. Old Gang's Gone
    87. On The Way Lord
    88. One More Drink
    89. One More Time
    90. Pick Me Up On Your Way Down
    91. Please Let Me Have You
    92. Poison Love
    93. Ruby Don't Take Your Love To Town
    94. Sawmill
    95. She'll Be Hanging Round Somewhere
    96. Shine Shine Shine
    97. Something Special
    98. Son Of A Bum
    99. Sorrow Overtakes The Wine
    100. Southern Rains
    101. Stand Beside Me Behind Me
    102. Stateside
    103. Stomp Them Grapes
    104. Survival Of The Fittest
    105. Sweet Mary And The Miles In Between
    106. Sweet Thang
    107. Sweetest Mistake
    108. Take My Hand
    109. Tangled Vines
    110. Ten Thousand Drums
    111. That's Not Home
    112. That's Where My Money Goes
    113. Then It Will All Be Over
    114. These Lonely Hands Of Mine
    115. Thousand Miles Ago
    116. Tom Dooley
    117. Too Lonely Too Long
    118. Tupelo County Jail
    119. Twelve Long Stem Roses
    120. Unmitigated Gal
    121. Violet And A Rose
    122. Walk On Boy
    123. Walking On New Grass
    124. Water The Family Tree
    125. What Did I Promise Her Last Night
    126. What's The Use In Just Me Trying
    127. Where Love Has Died
    128. Who's Julie
    129. Wine
    130. Wine Me Up
    131. Woman In The Back Of My Mind
    132. World (what Have I Done)
    133. Worried Man Blues
    134. You Name It
    135. Your Kind Of Living
    136. Your Mother's Eyes
    137. Yours Love
     
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  15. Steve...O

    Steve...O Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    USA
    I love Mel, but he didn't write all those songs. Those are songs he recorded. Daddy Sang Bass, for example, was Carl Perkins.
     
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  16. The Killer

    The Killer Dung Heap Rooster

    Location:
    The Cotswolds
    I haven't scanned the whole list but Crazy Arms isn't one of his either.
     
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  17. pghmusiclover

    pghmusiclover Senior Member

    Don’t know much about Mel, though I like his album with Nancy Sinatra, Linda Ronstadt’s cover of his “Mental Revenge”, and am a big fan of his daughter, Pam!
     
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  18. melstapler

    melstapler Reissue Activist

    I thought it was the steel guitar legend Ralph Mooney who wrote 'Crazy Arms,' unless Mel was a co-writer. Ralph was an incredible player, so many instantly recognizable parts on hit country songs.
     
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  19. Grand_Ennui

    Grand_Ennui Forum Resident

    Location:
    WI
    I'm glad you said it, so I didn't have to... There are an awful lot of songs in that list that he *didn't* write...
     
  20. Grand_Ennui

    Grand_Ennui Forum Resident

    Location:
    WI
    You're correct about Ralph, and the cowriter was Chuck Seals...
     
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  21. Grand_Ennui

    Grand_Ennui Forum Resident

    Location:
    WI
    I seen Mel in concert at one of the casinos in the area: He and the band put on a great show... I should have bought one of the CDs at the table, but I did get the ticket stub signed on the back...
     
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  22. flaxton

    flaxton Forum Resident

    Location:
    Uk
    Saw him a few years ago at the opry when I was on a coach tour of the area. Only did a couple of songs.
     
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