BLUES MASTER TILMAN
Photo : Roman Sobus
W
ith a hat tipped over his brow and a rasp in his voice that sings as easily as his plainspoken wisdom , Smiley Tillman looks and sounds like a bluesman . Born in a Georgia cotton field and playing his music across the country , from Florida , to New York , to Chicago , you might say he ’ s a quintessential bluesman . He ’ s played for 60 years and is finally being recognized with a “ Blues Master ” award from the Chicago Blues Hall of Fame at Buddy Guy ’ s Legend ’ s this month . But according to Smiley , his love of music has never been about fame or awards . “ I appreciate it , I don ’ t take this lightly but I ’ ve never been arrogant or cocky when it comes to music ,” he said in a phone interview
By Rosalind Cummings-Yeates
Smiley Tilman
before his show . “ I love this music and you just go to work and do the best you can do . I ’ m just thankful God gave me a gift that people like .”
If you ’ ve ever seen Smiley Tillman perform , you know that the audience responds with much more appreciation than just liking his show . Clutching his guitar and switching smoothly from classic blues to soul blues , he jokes and banters with his fans without ever missing a beat . His rich vocals purr over the grittiness of “ Born Under a Bad Sign ” and then caresses the soulful melodies of “ Turning Point ,” while all eyes and ears follow him . A master performer as well as musician , this spry septuagenarian learned his skills the old school way . ” My mom was musical and I ’ d sing with her around the house ,” recalled Smiley of his childhood in rural Georgia . “ When I got older , I saw Little Richard , B . B . King and I liked how they played . I also liked that they had all the pretty ladies looking at them .”
After learning to play a second-hand guitar , Moses , as he was called then , starting playing around his town . At 16 , his family had moved to Ft . Lauderdale , Florida and a lot of his classmates were from Nassau , Bahamas . The influence of his Caribbean friends turned out to be significant because when he was 16 , he wasn ’ t recruited to play the blues or soul that he grew up with but calypso . “ I got a group together and a guy from Miami took us on tour ,” he said . “ It was fun , we played New York , Montreal , the Catskills .” It was the late ' 50s and calypso , popularized by the newly discovered Harry Belafonte , was a pop sensation in the U . S . ‘ I was determined that I wouldn ’ t go back to Ft . Lauderdale until I was a star ,” said Smiley . “ I was going to stay out of town until I had something to brag about ,” he explained .
He landed in Chicago in 1962 at the height of the blues renaissance and never looked back . “ I called a friend who had moved here from Montreal and I had a job in two weeks . I became a real bluesman .” Indeed , Smiley was living in the fabled Sutherland Hotel , mixing with the era ’ s blues musicians and African American celebrities . “ They had a lounge where everybody would hang out . I lived on the third floor . Miles Davis , Cannonball Adderley , Redd Foxx were all there ,” he said . The Sutherland , located at 46th and Drexel , had a long history of hosting jazz greats like Louis Armstrong , Dizzy Gillespie and John Coltrane . By the ‘ 60s , some of the glamor had faded but it was still a hotbed for music , as Smiley discovered .
Falling deep into the blues scene , Smiley began hanging out at The Trocadero , where Von Freeman , Lonnie Brooks and Jimmy Johnson were regulars . “ They had Blue Mondays ,” where three bands would play through the course of the day . Guys like Junior Wells and James Cotton played and I paid attention .” Playing at small clubs scattered around the South Side , Smiley established himself as an all around bluesman who could play guitar , sing and entertain audiences with his big personality . “ I kept playing and I kept getting calls for jobs and 60 years later , I ’ m still doing it .”
During those 60 years , Smiley actually took time off to help raise his five kids and work for a local school district . He took up full-time playing again after he retired and formed the Smiley Tillman Band in 2007 . Playing with legends like Eddy Clearwater , Lonnie Brooks , Jimmy Johnson , and Zora Young , the group works constantly playing at local blues spots including House of Blues , Legends and breweries like Lagunitas and 18th Street Brewery . “ I appreciate the people who help keep the blues out there ,” he said . “ My favorites are people like Albert King , B . B . King , Little Milton and Albert Collins . These guys laid the tracks down for us to walk on .”
Smiley Tilman will be honored at the 5th Annual Chicago Blues Hall of Fame Sunday , October 15 at 2pm at Buddy Guy ’ s Legends , 700 S . Wabash . This year ’ s ceremony is dedicated to the late Michael Packer , the show ’ s legendary host . Other honorees include Pervis Spann ,, Eddie C . Campbell , Holle Thee Maxwell , John Primer and Carl Weathersby .
18 illinoisentertainer . com october 2017