Mel Tillis first came to prominence when Webb Pierce recorded a number of his songs in the late '50s. Tillis soon began his own solo singing career with his backing band, The Statesiders, scoring a long string of country hits for Columbia, Kapp, MGM, Elektra, and MCA from the '50s through the '80s. Tillis spoke with a stutter that disappeared when he sang, but the country star turned his stuttering into an asset as a comedic actor in movies including W.W. & the Dixie Dancekings, Smokey & the Bandit, and Uphill All the Way.