ARTIST SPOTLIGHT = Mel Tillis (7 songs)
This Tampa FL-native singer-songwriter-guitarist also acted in the movies ‘WW & The Dixie Dancekings’, ‘Smokey & The Bandit II’, ‘Uphill All The Way’ & ‘Murder In Music City’. He is the father of Pam Tillis.
#1
This song debuted 04/25/1970, spent 17 weeks on the charts & became his 1st Top 5 tune, peaking at #3. Of 17 prior releases (dating back to late 1958), 3 had reached the Top 10: 1968-9’s “Who’s Julie” (#10), 1969’s “These Lonely Hands Of Mine” (#9) & 1970’s “She’ll Be Hanging ‘Round Somewhere” (#10). From here, his luck changed; mid 1970 to early 1972, 6 of his 11 releases reached the Top 10.
#2
Debuting 08/12/1972, this song spent 15 weeks on the charts, 2 of those at #1, his 1st chart topper. Late 1972 to mid 1974 saw 4 of 7 releases reach the Top 5, including 1972-3’s “Neon Rose” (#3), 1973’s “Sawmill” (#2), 1974’s “Midnight, Me & The Blues” (#2) & 1974’s “Stomp Them Grapes” (#3). Of the 3 songs between each of those releases, only one reached the Top 20: 1974’s “Don’t Let Go” (#11; duet with Sherry Bryce).
#3
This song hit the airwaves 10/05/1974, spent 14 weeks on the charts & peaked at #3. In 1975 & early 1976, he notched only 2 Top 10s: 1975’s “The Best Way I Know How” (#7) & 1975’s “Woman In The Back Of My Mind” (#4). But, a nice career streak was just around the corner….
#4
In late 1976, he released “Good Woman Blues”, which claimed #1 for 2 weeks & sparked a string of 15 straight Top 10 hits. The 2nd in that streak was this song, which debuted 01/15/1977, spent 14 weeks on the charts & claimed #1, his 3rd overall chart topper & 2nd straight. 1977’s “Burning Memories” followed, peaking at #9 to continue the streak of Top 10s.
#5
This fun song hit the airwaves 08/13/1977 & spent 16 weeks on the charts, 2 of those at its peak position of #3. It stretched the string of Top 10s to 4 & was followed by 1977-8’s “What Did I Promise Her Last Night” (#4), 1978’s “I Believe In You” (#1) & 1978’s “Ain’t No California” (#4), bringing the Top 10 streak to 7.
#6
2 of his Top 10s in 1979 came from the soundtrack of the movie ‘Every Which Way But Loose’, staring Clint Eastwood. The 1st was “Send Me Down To Tucson” (#2, 3 weeks). This song, then, debuted 06/16/1979, spent 15 weeks on the charts & claimed #1, becoming his 9th straight Top 10. 6 more releases took the string of Top 10s to 15, including 1980’s “Your Body Is An Outlaw” (#3) & 1980-1’s “Southern Rains” (#1; his last chart topper).
#7
Of 15 releases mid 1981 to late 1989, only 3 reached the Top 10, including this song, which debuted 03/12/1983, spent 20 weeks on the charts & peaked at #10. The other 2 were 1981’s “1-Night Fever” (#10) & 1984’s “New Patches” (#10). Somewhere in my cassette collection, I have this song on tape, recorded from a radio station….