Pam Tillis says it’s all relative

Friday, May 2, 2003 | 9:31 a.m.

Pam Tillis doesn't stutter like her legendary father, Mel Tillis, but she did inherit his love of country music.

The father and daughter will team up for a relatively uncommon road appearance together tonight and Saturday at Las Vegas Hilton.

Pam Tillis probably will take the opportunity to promote her latest album, "It's All Relative," a collection of classic country songs that pay tribute to her father and other country stars, such as Dolly Parton and Emmy Lou Harris.

"I haven't been on a road tour with my father since I was 18," Tillis, 44, said during a telephone interview from her home in Nashville. "Whenever we can we get together. We said at the beginning of the year, because of the nature of the album, it would be fun do do some dates together."

She has performed with him many times in Branson, Mo., where he owned a theater for almost 10 years until selling it in July.

While growing up in Nashville, Pam Tillis was emersed in music, surrounded by some of the top country singers -- Porter Wagoner, Dolly Parton. Roger Miller and Webb Pierce.

It was inevitable that, given the fact she was gifted with a fine singing voice, she would eventually follow in her father's boot steps.

"I didn't know any different," she said. "That's all I knew."

When she graduated from high school in 1975 her father was at the peak of his career.

"It was intimidating," Tillis said. "Like a little tree growing in the shade of a big tree."

So her career took a little different direction, experimenting with rock 'n' roll and R&B and jazz.

"I tried to distance myself," she said. "I thought maybe it might be a little easier going. Since I loved all types of music, it was no big deal. I was happy, and I didn't want to feel like I was competing with dad."

But it was inevitable she would return to her country roots.

"When I was singing all that other stuff, people would tell me they loved the way I sang country," Tillis said. "So eventually I came back to that."

She said executives with her first country label suggested it might be easier on her career if she changed her name.

"I got my courage and confidence together and said, 'No, if I can't live up to my father's name I'll just quit,' " Tills said.

That has never been necessary.

Since turning to country, she has had four platinum albums, three No. 1 hits and repeated Grammy and CMA nominations.

Tillis' country albums include "Put Yourself in My Place" (1991), "Homeward Looking Angel" (1992), "Sweetheart's Dance"(1994), "All This Love" (1995), "Every Time" (1998) and now "It's All Relative."

Although "It's All Relative" has received good reviews, it has been a hard sell to some country stations, many of which are into the new country rock music.

"It's a different kind of a project," Tillis said. "Because it's a tribute album of older songs and not tailored to contemporary radio, it's a little more difficult to get air play, and without massive air play it's taking longer for people to find out about it."