Mel and Tim

Biography

Mel and Tim were an American soul music duo active from 1969 to 1974. They are best known for the hit songs "Backfield in Motion", "Starting All Over Again×Starting All Over AgainMay 1972 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracksA1Don't Mess With My Money, My Honey or My Woman3:38A2Starting All Over Again4:10A3I May Not Be What You Want3:07A4Carry Me3:55A5Free for All2:38B1Heaven Knows3:52B2Wrap It Up2:31B3What's Your Name2:52B4I'm Your Puppet2:58B5Too Much Wheelin' and Dealin'2:48" and "Good Guys Only Win in the Movies×Good Guys Only Win in the Movies1969 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracksA1Good Guys Only Win in the Movies2:45A2Forget It, I’ve Got It2:43A3I’ve Got Puredee2:22A4Feeling Bad3:01A5Groovy Situation3:10B1Backfield in Motion2:33B2Caught You in the Act2:31B3I Found That I Was Wrong2:41B4Mail Call Time3:15B5Ain’t Love Wonderful2:21".

Career

Melvin McArthur Hardin (born November 30, 1948 – August 18, 2026) and Hubert Timothy McPherson (December 9, 1949 – July 4, 1986) were cousins from Holly Springs, Mississippi, who traveled to Chicago, where they were discovered by Gene 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 a recording contract with her Bamboo Records, and they recorded their own song, "Backfield in Motion". The record was immediately successful, reaching number 3 on Billboard magazine's R&B chart and number 10 on its pop chart in 1969. It sold over one million copies and was awarded a gold disc. Their follow-up record was "Good Guys Only Win in the Movies×Good Guys Only Win in the Movies1969 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracksA1Good Guys Only Win in the Movies2:45A2Forget It, I’ve Got It2:43A3I’ve Got Puredee2:22A4Feeling Bad3:01A5Groovy Situation3:10B1Backfield in Motion2:33B2Caught You in the Act2:31B3I Found That I Was Wrong2:41B4Mail Call Time3:15B5Ain’t Love Wonderful2:21", which was also the title of their first album.
Hardin and McPherson subsequently moved to Stax Records, for which they recorded a second top 5 R&B hit, the ballad "Starting All Over Again×Starting All Over AgainMay 1972 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracksA1Don't Mess With My Money, My Honey or My Woman3:38A2Starting All Over Again4:10A3I May Not Be What You Want3:07A4Carry Me3:55A5Free for All2:38B1Heaven Knows3:52B2Wrap It Up2:31B3What's Your Name2:52B4I'm Your Puppet2:58B5Too Much Wheelin' and Dealin'2:48", released in the United States in June 1972. The record climbed to number 19 on the Billboard pop chart and stayed on the chart for 20 weeks.
Five months after its release, it was their second million seller. It was also the title track of their second album, released in 1972, recorded in Muscle Shoals and produced by Phillip Mitchell. Their self-titled final album appeared in 1973. Mel and Tim performed at the Wattstax charity concert that year, but later recordings could not repeat their earlier successes.
"Backfield in Motion" was covered by Anthony Swete. "Starting All Over Again" was covered by Hall and Oates in 1990 for their album Change of Season.