When I received an email asking me if I was interested in interviewing Pam Tillis, the only answer I could give them was yes. She is more than country music royalty, but an actress as well. I was always interested to know if being raised in the shadows of her famous father, Mel Tillis, made it harder or easier to navigate the music business. When the phone rang and I answered it, this sweet southern voice said, “Hello this is Pam Tillis.” She was driving through New Mexico and we spoke for an hour which seemed like a five-minute conversation. 

One of the first questions that I needed to ask was, while growing up, did you always want to be a singer? She explained to me that she never thought of being anything but a singer while growing up. When she was young, her father was in his heyday, top of his game, and all the glamour of the business was bright and shiny in a child’s eye. Music was her life, and she just knew that she would be a singer. She had no other interest. The business was all around her and the opportunities were right there. 

As an icon in the country music, I asked if there were any up-and-coming artists that she is impressed with? Without a hesitation she says, “Kassi Ashton.” Pam sees how driven and aggressive she is in the business. She involves herself in every aspect of it. From making her own outfits, to writing and creating her own music, she is hands on with her career and her music is strong.  

As we spoke more, I asked her what advice she has for a new musician wanting to get into the business. Instantly she says, “Material be the best, write your own music. There is a saying in Nashville, ‘It all begins with a song.’ Use all the resources you can get your hands on. Today, social media is so important, and always work with local artists. Learn what they are doing. They are your fellow artists and they will know the market.”

I always ask an artist when I interview them to share a story from the road when traveling from venue to venue. She spoke of the Gorge Amphitheater in George, Washington. The place is described as the most stunning concert venue on the panoramic vista of the Columbia River. The sunsets were absolutely amazing and the people were wonderful. She spoke also of traveling through Nebraska and performing at a century farm, which is a farm that has been in a family for over a century. They are all over the place in America. They were told to follow this road which she said was so enchanting as they drove through this series of dirt roads lined with corn fields for what seemed like miles. When they reached the farm, there were hundreds of people, all local farmers and residents, cooking and preparing a feast. They were treated as guests at a family picnic. It was as if they had been invited to experience the Nebraskan tradition and, in return, they entertained them as their thanks. 

But as we spoke, she remembered a New Mexico moment. One day, in 2003, Merle Haggard contacted her and asked if she wanted to join him at a festival in Roswell, NM. She accepted, and they performed at the first Alien Fest. She said it was so fun wearing tin foil hats and dancing with aliens, she hoped that they continued having that fest. I was able to tell her, “yes, Alien Fest happens every year around the fourth of July weekend.” She was so glad that it was still going on in Roswell.  

We spoke about her attending and winning a Grammy. I know that I would never win a Grammy, so I asked her what it was like to win not just one, but two. One word- “Affirming.” She continued to say that, after all your work on a song, here it was being recognized. But she also always wondered how she was given the award when her fellow nominated artists had such great songs as well.  

We talked about her next album. She said the same thing that many artists say- “I am always working on the next album, new work is always being written and placed in a file for the next album.” So, maybe soon, we will see something new from Pam Tillis.  

Saturday night, Pam Tillis comes to Flickinger Preforming Art Center in Alamogordo, NM, her first time in Alamogordo. I am sure she will get a warm welcome. Alamogordo has a very welcoming audience that will sit at the edge of their seats, and some even dance in the aisles, as Pam Tillis dazzles them with over 30 years of hits. 

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