Despite her acquisition of the coveted 1994 CMA Female Vocalist of the Year award and an elite membership in the Grand Ole Opry, country singer/songwriter Pam Tillis casually bucks the stereotype of stardom.
"At the end of the day when you're old and it's said and done, nobody will remember how many hit records you had. They will remember if you had some, but no one will remember what got to number 10 ... what album went platinum. They won't remember any of that ... only if you were a good person. I think that's what's really important," Tillis said.
Tillis' nonchalant humility hearkens back to a previous era in country music - an era to which she and singer Lorrie Morgan can transport listeners during concerts on their Grits and Glamour Tour.
One such show will take place on Friday evening at the Shawnee Bluff Vineyard, a terraced, open-air venue in the "scenic countryside" overlooking the Osage River, according to Sylvia Carlson, merchandising specialist.
The Eldon amphitheater will host Tillis and Morgan at 8 p.m. following opener Samaria Grace at 6 p.m. Tickets are still available for the event.
In addition to some of her newer music, Tillis will likely perform her iconic '90s singles "Shake the Sugar Tree," "Mi Vida Loca (My Crazy Life)" and "Maybe It Was Memphis."
Those chart-toppers and others "take people back to that time in country music," Tillis said. "A lot of people like that '90s country sound. It takes them back. People say how many memories those songs bring back."
Despite the perpetual popularity of their hits from previous decades, Tillis and Morgan refuse to live solely in the yesteryear.
"We're not stuck in the past. We give people a good taste of new music," she said.
Tillis and Morgan began touring together after Tillis viewed Morgan performing at the Grand Ole Opry four years ago.
"After 25 years on the road, I want to spice things up every now and again. We (Tillis and Morgan) thought it would be a cool thing to collaborate on a show," Tillis said.
The women had toured together previously during the '90s.
Tillis said she and Morgan enjoy harmonizing with each other, something that is rare for lead singers to do.
"It's a fun show to do. It's to be up on stage with another artist," Tillis said.
Despite several lucrative partnerships with various musicians and producers including one with Paul Worley - who has also produced bands Lady Antebellum and The Band Perry - Tillis has not dodged challenges over the course of her music career.
"After you've been in the business a while, every career has its ups and downs. Once you get on the map, you have to stay there. There's a different challenge every day. It keeps life interesting," she said.
A hindrance that plagued Tillis early on in her career was the "challenge to be accepted as somebody other than a famous person's daughter," she said.
Tillis' father, Mel Tillis, has accumulated an impressive agglomeration of country music honors including inductions into the Nashville Songwriters International Hall of Fame, the Grand Ole Opry and Country Music Hall of Fame, according to his website. Tillis also won the CMA Entertainer of the year in 1976.
Despite the need to not allow Mel's fame to eclipse her own, Tillis said her father played a crucial role in the inception of her songwriting.
"It started for me so young. It was just being around dad and him creating," she said.
Tillis verbally illustrated scenes from her childhood in the Tillis family. Mel was constantly "humming to himself" and always "working on something new," she said.
He would be "pulling his guitar out after the dinner dishes were being cleared away. He'd break out his guitar and mess with something he'd be working with," even in the middle of the night, she said. "I grew up surrounded by the creative process. The songwriting got in my blood."
Tillis began working as a receptionist at her father's publishing company, which allowed her the opportunity to meet songwriters. After working with them, Tillis began writing her own songs and singing demos for songwriters.
Despite the opportunities at her father's company, Tillis left the company "because I was always independent," she said. "I wanted to go off and do my own thing. I had to do that to gain respectability. Dad respected that. He appreciated that."
Though Tillis and Mel did not always agree on the direction of her career, they maintained a mutual regard for each other.
"When you get two headstrong Leos, we sometimes butted heads. He didn't always understand my career path, but he always respected my independence. He was always supportive," she said.
Before making her first record deal at 24, Tillis had worked in the music business for about 10 years, earning money from a variety of music endeavors, including songwriting, playing with bands and singing demos.
"Nothing happens overnight, but I was able to start making a living early on between everything I was doing," she said.
After her initial success, Tillis' music career has afforded her numerous opportunities including her first tour with George Strait and participation in one of the largest country concerts ever with a live audience of over 500,000.
"I've just gotten to do so many amazing tours. I've had a lot of dreams come true," she said.
In her spare time, Tillis is authoring a children's book that will be illustrated by her sister, she said. She is also completing a new solo record and building a cabin outside of Nashville with her husband.
"I can't wait to spend more time in the country," she said.
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Lorrie Morgan & Pam Tillis join forces
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