Speech impediment can't slow Mel Tillis (Updated January 30, 2013)

It's apropos, really, that Mel Tillis' first single was a cover of the standard "It Takes a Worried Man to Sing a Worried Song." Given Tillis' infamous speech impediment, and the fact that he found little success as a writer or performer during his first go-round in Nashville, some wondered just how long his second chance was really going to last.

If they're reading this, the jokes on them.

Now an elder statesman of country music, Tillis has been writing and singing longer than most of today's 'country' stars have been alive. He earned his first contract in Music City after Webb Pierce reached number three with Tillis' composition "I'm Tired" in 1957, and Tillis earned his own first Top 40 hit the following year with "The Violet and a Rose."

Though Tillis continued to chart singles through the years, it was the 1970s where he experienced the most success. The song "I Ain't Never" became his very first number one in 1972, followed by Top Five hits like "Neon Rose," "SawMill," "Midnight, Me and the Blues," "Stomp Them Grapes,' and "Memory Maker." In the back end of the decade he also had another string of smashes like "Good Woman Blues," "Heart Healer," "I Believe in You," "Coca Cola Cowboy" and "Southern Rains."

Beyond his talent as a singer, Tillis has appeared in a number of films and is also a natural comedian. His first comedy album, "You Ain't Gonna Believe This," was released in 2010 on Toby Keith's Show Dog Records. He also continues as a success road act, and has several tour dates scheduled in 2013, including the Florida Strawberry Festival in March.