Mel & Tim

Hailing originally from Holly Springs, Mississippi, cousins Mel Hardin and Tim McPherson reached Chicago by way of St. Louis and formed the soul duo Mel & Tim. Gene Chandler discovered them and placed the pair on his Bamboo label in 1969, where they notched a Top Ten single on both the pop and R&B charts with the lighthearted classic “Backfield in Motion.” Their next outing, “Good Guys Only Win in the Movies,” lent its name to the duo’s debut album while climbing to the R&B Top 20 before the year ended. After switching to Stax, Mel & Tim scored a second Top Five R&B hit with the ballad “Starting All Over Again,” which also served as the title track of their follow-up album. The cousins appeared at the Wattstax charity concert in late 1972 and were captured in the accompanying documentary performing “I May Not Be What You Want.” Their final, self-titled album arrived in 1973, after which the pair stepped away from the music scene.