And you know, we'd go to church. We were Baptists. And every now and then there'd be a tent would set up, and it was the Holiness folks. And we liked their music.

He wrote the hits "I Ain't Never" (Tillis's own future hit) and "Crazy Wild Desire". Still later he operated WMML in Mobile Alabama. He is also known for his speech impediment which does not affect his singing voice.

Tillis's biggest hits include "I Ain't Never" "Good Woman Blues" and "Coca-Cola Cowboy". Although he recorded songs since the late 1950s his biggest success occurred in the 1970s with a long list of Top 10 hits.