Floyd Tillman, a pioneering honky-tonk musician and songwriter, died at his Texas home on 22 August 2003 aged 88. The article marks the 23rd anniversary of his death, highlighting his influence on country music through candid songwriting, jazz-inflected guitar playing and songs that helped shape later artists including Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton and Merle Haggard.

Born in 1914, Tillman began performing with his brothers before working in Western swing and serving in the US Army as a radio operator. His songs included the 1939 country hit “It Makes No Difference Now”, the 1944 chart-topper “They Took the Stars Out of Heaven”, and “Slippin’ Around”, associated with the emergence of cheating-themed country songs; Nelson later called him the “original outlaw”.