Johnny Tillotson Johnny Tillotson Scrapbook (LP)

Johnny Tillotson

Johnny Tillotson was born in Jacksonville, Florida on April 20, 1939, and was raised by his grandparents in Palatka. His father Jack was a country disc jockey, and a flair for performing showed early: by the age of nine Johnny was featured on the local radio show 'Young Folks Revue'. He became a regular on the 'Toby Dowdy Show' and later had his own programme on WDGA-TV. In 1959 he graduated from the University of Florida with a degree in journalism and communications.

In 1957 a disc jockey sent six of his songs to the Pet Milk talent contest, which led to Johnny performing on station WSM in Nashville. Music publisher Lee Rosenberg took a tape to Archie Bleyer, who signed him to Cadence Records in 1958; in 1963 Tillotson moved to MGM. Between 1958 and 1965 he placed 26 titles in the American Top 100. His biggest success, 'Poetry In Motion', reached number 2 in the United States late in 1960 and spent three weeks at number 1 in Britain early in 1961.

As a songwriter Tillotson scored perhaps his finest triumph with 'It Keeps Right On A-Hurtin'', a number 3 pop and number 4 country hit in 1962 that drew many covers, including one by Elvis Presley in 1969. Another major hit came in 1963 with 'Talk Back Trembling Lips'. Even after the hits grew scarcer in the late 1960s, Tillotson remained a sought-after live performer internationally and took roles in several television series during the 1970s. In the late 1990s he co-hosted the series 'Nashville Today' with Brenda Lee.

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