North Florida Music Hall of Fame

Johnny Tillotson

Jacksonville country-pop teen idol discovered and developed by Mae Axton in the late 1950s (or so she claims in her autobiography, Country Singers as I Know ‘Em).  Johnny Tillotson, a semi-regular on Toby Dowdy’s McDuff Hayride TV show, won a Nashville talent contest that led to a deal with New York-based Cadence Records in 1958. After a few minor releases, he broke through in the 1960 with his self-penned “Poetry in Motion” (No. 2 U.S., No. 1 U.K.). He also hit with “It Keeps Right on a-Hurtin’,” which he wrote (a cover version became a No. 1 country hit for Billy Joe Royal in 1989). After a stint in the army, Tillotson moved to MGM Records. Between 1958 and 1967, he racked up 14 top-40 hits. Tillotson lives in the San Fernando Valley, still tours regularly, and remains popular in Las Vegas, Australia and the Pacific Rim. His voice is can be heard on Nick at Night’s Gidget reruns: Tillotson sings the show’s theme song, “Wait ‘Til You Meet My Gidget”.