Mel & Tim | |
|---|---|
| Origin | United States |
| Genres | Soul,R&B |
| Years active | 1969–1974 |
| Labels | Bamboo,Stax |
| Past members | Mel Hardin Tim McPherson |
Mel and Tim were an Americansoul musicduo active from 1969 to 1974. They are best known for thehit songs "Backfield in Motion", "Starting All Over Again" and "Good Guys Only Win in the Movies".
Melvin McArthur Hardin andHubert Timothy McPherson were cousins fromHolly Springs,Mississippi, who traveled toChicago, where they were discovered byGene Chandler. Yolanda Hardin (who was Mel Hardin's mother and McPherson's aunt) along with their cousins Walita, Catha, Donny and Darris Maxwell, helped the duo with songwriting and publicity.
Yolanda, formerly a singer, signed them to arecording contract with her Bamboo Records, and theyrecorded their own song, "Backfield in Motion". The record was immediately successful, reaching number 3 onBillboard magazine'sR&Bchart and number 10 on itspop chart in 1969. It sold over one million copies and was awarded agold disc.[1] Their follow-up record was "Good Guys Only Win in the Movies", which was also the title of their first album.
Hardin and McPherson subsequently moved toStax Records, for which they recorded a second top 5 R&B hit, theballad "Starting All Over Again", released in the United States in June 1972. The record climbed to number 19 on theBillboard pop chart and stayed on the chart for 20 weeks.[2]Five months after its release, it was their second million seller.[1] It was also the title track of their second album, released in 1972, recorded inMuscle Shoals andproduced byPhillip Mitchell. Mel and Tim performed at theWattstaxcharity concert that year, but later recordings could not repeat their earlier successes.
Tim McPherson died in 1986.[3]
"Backfield in Motion" was covered byAnthony Swete.[4] "Starting All Over Again" was covered byHall and Oates in 1990 for their albumChange of Season.
| Year | Title | Chart positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Pop [5] | US R&B [6] | AUS [7] | ||
| 1969 | "Backfield in Motion" | 10 | 3 | 79 |
| 1970 | "Good Guys Only Win in the Movies" | 45 | 17 | — |
| 1972 | "Starting All Over Again" | 19 | 4 | — |
| 1973 | "I May Not Be What You Want" | 113 | 33 | — |
| 1974 | "That's the Way I Want to Live My Life" | — | 79 | — |
| "Forever and a Day" | — | 88 | — | |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
