Big Sky Troubadours Legends Series: Pam Tillis

Join us for a LEGENDARY night with Pam Tillis and her trio band in the intimate setting of the O'Shaughnessy Center, opened by local gem Archertown! 

PAM TILLIS

She’s the daughter of Country Music legend Mel Tillis and multi-media artist Doris Tillis. A singer/songwriter whose compositions have been covered in Country, R&B, Bluegrass and Rock. An actor with a long list of film, TV and stage credits. Pam Tillis sidestepped any notions of nepotism and other “isms” that women in show business often face and carved out her own unique space as an entertainer.

Tillis’ 1991 debut country album, Put Yourself In My Place, went gold and yielded two No. 1 and two Top 5 singles. Her next three albums – Homeward Looking Angel, Sweetheart’s Dance and Greatest Hits, were all certified platinum. She achieved six No. 1 songs during the ‘90s Country explosion, including “Shake the Sugar Tree,” “Mi Vida Loca,” “When You Walk In The Room,” “In Between Dances,” “Don’t Tell Me What To Do,” and her signature song, “Maybe It Was Memphis.”

“It’s a hard thing to put your finger on,” she says, describing the enduring appeal of “Memphis.” “It’s a great melody and a cinematic lyric. It’s romantic, but it rocks. And it’s a great vocal vehicle.” Not only did Country fans agree, so have several aspiring artists. Contestants on both American Idol and The Voice have used the song to showcase their talents.

“In many ways this part of my career is more fun because it feels like the pressure’s off,” says the CMA Female Vocalist Winner. “I feel much more relaxed and I can just enjoy the journey a little bit more.”

Tillis is currently finding a lot of satisfaction mentoring young performers and artists, including those in her all-female acoustic trio, The Rose Rustlers (Haley Sullivan and Carson McKee). “I love mentoring,” she says. “I find myself working with so many Millennial musicians now. They’re accomplished players; none of them need help in the talent department. I’m just trying to pass on some of the things I’ve learned from 30 years of touring and how to navigate a very tough industry.”

 As Tillis stops to count her blessings, she reflects on the bonds she’s made from teaming up with some other female veterans of Country Music, including her fellow ‘90s chart toppers Lorrie Morgan, Suzy Bogguss and Terri Clark. Morgan and Tillis have recorded and toured together as “Grits and Glamour,” and Bogguss and Clark frequently tour with Tillis under the banner “Chicks With Hits,” swapping songs and stories, as only legends-in-the-making can. “I’ve made lifelong friends from these tours,” she says. “It’s the kind of camaraderie I couldn’t find when I was the only gal on the bill with a bunch of male artists.”

The Grammy winner and Grand Ole Opry member’s talents extend far beyond her recording career – she’s an accomplished actor with an impressive list of credits, including the films The Thing Called Love and The Neon Highway; the Broadway production of Smokey Joe’s Café; and TV shows LA Law, Diagnosis: Murder, Promised Land, Drag Race, Nashville, and Fairwood. “I definitely thrive on variety,” says Tillis, who’s even stepped behind the camera to direct half a dozen music videos.

Tillis’ latest album, 2020’s Looking For A Feeling, finds her doubling down on one of her first loves – songwriting. She wrote seven of the 11 tracks. Some of her most formative musical years were in the late ‘70s – and the album reflects that ‘70s Country Rock flavor. The many threads of her influences were loosely woven together by hit Country writer/producer Jimmy Ritchey (Mark Chesnutt, Jake Owen) on some tunes and Nashville rocker/producer Joe Pisapia (k.d. lang, Guster) on others.

ARCHERTOWN

Archertown was founded after a chance meeting between Kyle Archer and Natalie Archer (then Natalie Distler) in a New York City recording studio. The couple started performing as a duo and signed their first production deal shortly thereafter. During this time Natalie was also busy with her career as an actress, most notably starring on the hit FX television series Rescue Me for seven years. After the series came to an end, the duo signed a publishing deal as a writing team and decided to make the move to Nashville to further pursue their music career. Life sometimes doesn’t go as planned and after Natalie was diagnosed with a life-threatening illness, Kyle and Natalie decided to leave Nashville for a fresh start and to be closer to family in Montana. They took a break from music, taking time to heal and move forward with a different future than they had planned for themselves. It wasn’t until they found out they were expecting their son, something they were told might never be possible, that they were inspired to start writing and playing music again. As luck may have it, Kyle’s best friend from college and old bandmate, John Kaye, had recently moved to Montana with his family as well and the three began playing as a trio locally. Archertown has continued to grow with band members JT Baker and Matt Seymour, and Kyle and Natalie continue to follow their passion of writing and releasing new music from their home in Northwest Montana.