Pam Tillis returns to the Fred

Mel’s daughter takes the stage

By LINDSAY BIANCHI
lbianchi@thecitizennews.com

You might call her a first lady even though she does not live in the White House. As the first woman in the new millenium to be inducted into the Grand Olde Opry, Pam Tillis is part yesterday’s country and tomorrows, too. The daughter of well known country artist, Mel Tillis, Pam grew up around classic talents like Dolly Parton, Porter Wagoner, Burl Ives and Kris Kristofferson. It’s no surprise that she grew up to be the cross-over music hit that she is today.

Pam Tillis was one of the first spotlight shows at the Frederick Brown, Jr. Amphitheater summer concerts series. This Saturday she returns to the Fred to bring a bit of Nashville to Peachtree City.

According to her website, Pam Tillis began her musical career in earnest at the age of eight studying first classical piano at Nashville's Blair Academy and later teaching herself a number of instruments. Along the way, Pam entertained where she could from school contests, to camp musicals in the mountains of North Carolina, church choirs and, in the Tillis family garage productions, where she was always the producer, director…and the star.

Pam pursued college for a while, but it soon became apparent that her extracurricular singing activities would lead her to a major decision. She decided to leave school, move to Sausalito, California where she sang in jazz clubs with the band Freelight. Pam was spotted by Jimmy Bowen and signed to Warner Brothers Records. Since her first album, a 1979 pop record entitled “Above and Beyond the Doll of Cutie,” Tillis has melded her taste for everything from jazz to pop and country. Even though her first record did not sell well, Tim Dubois signed Pam Tillis to Arista Records in 1989. She broke into the charts the next year with her first number one hit, “Don’t Tell Me What To Do.” The song was written by Howard Harlan, who had previously written several hits for her father, Mel.

By 1994 Pam was being awarded the CMA's prestigious "Female Vocalist of the Year", and CMT's "Video of The Year", as well as a Grammy Award along the way. Five out of seven of her albums have certified either gold or platinum, selling an impressive five million copies. Tillis has since racked up six #1 hits and 14 Top 5 hits and two platinum albums for Arista.

In September of 2002 Pam released “It's All Relative, Tillis Sings Tillis,” a collection that says as much about Pam Tillis' own successes and status in country music as it does about her famous father, Mel and his classic songs. In true Pam fashion, she selected an eclectic range of talent to complete the tribute including Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris, Marty Stuart, Rhonda Vincent, Trisha Yearwood, The Jordanaires, Delbert McClinton and Asleep At The Wheel's Ray Benson. After sifting through her father’s vast catalogue, Pam finally settled on some 13 of Mel's most acclaimed hits like "Heart Over Mind," "I Ain't Never" and "Detroit City," plus a few that are not as familiar such as "Unmitigated Gall" and "Come On And Sing."

Pam also marked another first for her class of peers during the 90s, becoming one of the first female producers during that time producing her gold album “All of this Love.” She has since gone on to co-produce with many of Nashville's finest producers. She has also appeared on Broadway in “Smokey Joe’s Cafe” as well as appearing on television in “Diagnosis Murder,” “Touched By An Angel,” “Hollywood Squares,” and “The Chris Isaac Show.”