Tim Gillihan
Tim was born May 2, 1969 at Baptist Hospital in Nashville, Tennessee. Living just a few blocks away from Nashville’s Music Row gave Tim a lot of exposure to the music industry and may account for some of the Pure Nashville Influence fans find in his music today.
(left picture) The 3 Cheers in 1949.
This group later became The Anita Gospel Singers (right picture).
Tim's grandmother is holding the bass in the picture on the left;
she is in the center in the picture on the right.
At the age of five, Tim started singing and traveling with his grandmother’s
gospel music group, the Anita Gospel Singers. By age 12, Tim was writing
songs, playing drums, playing the guitar and performing in the school band. Soon
thereafter, Tim was competing in state championships and nationals and was
winning awards on a regular basis. These awards included first place in Strings
Duet two years in a row in competitions in Indiana and Arizona.
After high school, Tim married his sweetheart Corie.
Tim in the U.S. Navy.
Tim served his country in the United States Navy aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise. (See photos.) During those years, times were tough, and Tim made extra money playing drums and singing in clubs all over the Hampton Roads area of Virginia. One day, Tim was trying to decide which road to take -- reenlistment seemed like an option. Tim’s Chief Petty Officer gave Tim a piece of advice, "The Navy isn’t for everyone. You have too much talent. Go back to Nashville and follow your dreams!" And Tim did.
Over the years, Tim has become known all over Nashville. He is a regular performer at the Alabama Grill in Opry Mills. You can frequently find Tim at the Star Cafe and other Nashville-area venues.
Over the years too, Tim’s family has grown. Tim and Corie now live in Portland, Tennessee, with their two daughters Heather and Kelsi. Tim performs in the Portland area including the annual Strawberry Festival where he performed with Lee Bogan. Lee is best known for having written the hit song Honky Tonk Attitude for Joe Diffie.
In January 2002, a song that Tim had written about a girl with Down’s Syndrome began to get a lot of attention. WYXE AM 1130 started playing Amy’s Love on a regular basis, and Tim has been doing the rounds of live radio shows to discuss the song and his career.
Tim has had a dream since he was a young child of one day performing at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville. Tim’s favorite saying is, "you will never fail unless you stop trying." With Tim’s talent, his faith in God, and his endless pursuit of his dreams, we wouldn’t be surprised to one day see Tim on stage at the Opry!
Tim with his mom and dad. June 2003.