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Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular MusicA B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y ZTILLMAN, Floyd(b 8 Dec. '14, Ryan OK; d 22 August 2003, near Houston TX) Country singer and guitarist, justly famous as a writer of classic country songs. He was a Western Union messenger at age 13, then later delivered another kind of message: his excellent guitar playing was influential, but he was also a bridge from an older era of country songs about gunfights and natural disasters to a new era of songs about real life as country fans lived it. He worked with the Blue Ridge Playboys and others, then recorded his own 'I'll Keep On Loving You' on Victor '39 and hit with 'It Makes No Difference Now' on Decca the same year, also covered by Bing Crosby for a pop hit. Further successes included 'Each Night At Nine' and 'G.I. Blues' '44; 'I Love You So Much It Hurts' '48 for Columbia (covers by Jimmy Wakely and the Mills Brothers); 'I Gotta Have My Baby Back' on Columbia '49. One of his biggest hits was 'Slippin' Around' '49, among the earliest "cheatin' songs"; his own record was a country top 10, but the duet by Wakely and Margaret Whiting crossed over to no. 2 in the pop chart. The answer song 'I'll Never Slip Around Again' also did well. Tillman came back to the country chart '60 with 'It Just Tears Me Up' on Liberty. He had recently made his first album in 20 years, The Influence, including duets with Dolly Parton, Merle Haggard, George Jones and Willie Nelson; on his death he was hailed by Nelson and others as one of the nicest and most generous people in the business. |