Johnny Tillotson was a singer songwriter who covered the country, pop, and adult contemporary charts in the 1960s.
Born in Jacksonville, he performed regularly as a child and developed a reputation for being a talented singer. Towards the end of high school, he began to perform on radio shows like McDuff Hayride and landed his own show on WFGA-TV. One of his recordings was sent to the PET Milk talent contest, which earned him a slot to sing at the Grand Ole Opry. He soon landed a record deal and began putting out songs.
In 1958, Tillotson released “Dreamy Eyes” and “Well I’m Your Man” which made it to the Billboard Top 100 chart. He continued to write songs in 1959 with moderate success, until “Poetry In Motion” smashed the 1960’s charts. Sitting at number two on the Hot 100 and number one on the UK’s Record Retailer in 1961, this song set the stage for his later hits such as “You Can Never Stop Me Loving You” and “Funny How Time Slips Away.”
Highlighting his smooth vocals and heartfelt lyrics, his 1962 hit “It Keeps Right On A-Hurtin” sat towards the top of pop and country charts. He continued writing throughout the 1960s as well as singing theme songs for various shows. He charted again in the 1980s, when his previous hits resurged in Southeast Asia. He recorded his last song in 2010 titled “Not Enough,” which served as a tribute for all uniformed personnel in the United States.