Johnny Tillotson is an American singer and songwriter famous in the second half of the 1960th century. It was most popular in the early 9s. Then at once XNUMX of his hits hit the main American and British music charts. At the same time, the peculiarity of the singer's music was that he worked at the intersection of such genres as pop music, country music, Haitian music and author's song. This is how the experimental musician was remembered by most listeners.
Childhood Johnny Tillotson
The boy was born on April 20, 1938 in Florida (USA). He grew up in a family of poor owners of a service station, and his parents were part-time chief mechanics there. At the age of 9, he was sent to another city in the state, Palatka, to take care of his grandmother. From this age, he and his brother began to replace each other. Johnny lived all year, and in the summer his brother Dan took over.
Interestingly, the boy planned to become a musician since childhood. At the time when he lived with his grandmother, the boy performed at local concerts and parties. Therefore, by the time he entered high school, Johnny had already formed a certain reputation. He was considered an excellent aspiring singer and predicted a brilliant career as a musician.
The Beginning of Johnny Tillotson's Musical Career
Over time, the young man began to constantly participate in one of the entertainment programs on TV-4. Later he created his own show on TV-12. In late 1950, Tillotson was studying at the university. In 1957, his friend, famous local DJ Bob Norris, sent a recording of Johnny to a talent show. The young man entered the show and became one of the six finalists.
This performance gave the opportunity to show themselves in Nashville on one of the main channels. Then the recording fell into the hands of Archie Blair, the owner of the record company Cadence Records. From that moment Tillotson became popular.
After signing a contract for three years, the musician began work with the producers. So, two singles were released - Dreamy Eyes and Well I'm Your Man. Both became real hits and made it to The Billboard Hot 100.
In 1959, the young man graduated and moved to New York to devote himself entirely to music.
The continuation of the career of Johnny Tillotson
From that moment, Tillotson's career began to develop. He again released successful singles, each of which hit the main charts in the country. At the same time, the sixth single Poetry in Motion was released. Several session musicians took part in the recording, including well-known saxophonist Boots Randolph, pianist Floyd Kramer and others.
The single became really experimental and of very high quality. The song was well received by the public and critics. The single has sold over 1 million copies and received many prestigious music awards.
During this time, Johnny became a media personality. He constantly appeared in various TV shows, and also starred in photo shoots for various well-known magazines. During this time, Tillotson became a real idol for teenagers and young people in the United States.
Significant song in the life of a singer
One of the songs It Keeps Righton A-Hurtin' was recorded under the influence of Johnny's emotions due to his father's terminal illness. The song is considered one of the biggest hits of the musician's career. By the way, this single hit the charts of not only popular, but also country music, because it was created at the intersection of genres. Johnny took melody and sensuality from country music, adding pop motives, which made the song understandable to the mass listener. This was also the first song of the musician, which was nominated for a Grammy Award.
Cadence Records broke up in 1963. Instead of accepting one of the offers from other labels, Johnny decided to form his own production company. At the same time, he released music with the help of the MGM Records label.
Here he continued to write country songs. The first single Talk Back Trending Lips hit #1 on the main chart of the respective genre. At the same time, the song also hit the Billboard Hot 100, taking the 7th position. In the 1970s, Tillotson actively continued his musical career and recorded compositions for many labels at once. His new compositions periodically got into various tops, and the performer was invited to TV shows, theater, and even cinema.
In the 1980s, the musician gained popularity in Southeast Asia, which provided him with long tours in the countries of this region. In the 1990s he collaborated with Atlantic Records. His biggest hit of that decade was Bim Bam Boom, which briefly brought him back to the charts.
Johnny Tillotson today
His last notable single was released after a ten-year hiatus in 2010. It was the song Not Enough, which became a tribute to all members of the US military and intelligence agencies. The song hit the country charts in Europe and the United States. In many of them, she took the 1st position. Since then, various music collections have been released on behalf of Tillotson, which have good sales in the United States.
In 2011, the musician was inducted into the Florida Artists Hall of Fame. This award is considered the most prestigious in Florida and is received by its citizens for outstanding services to the state.
