High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Charles Davis Tillman (1861 March 20, Tallassee, Alabama – 1943 September 2, Atlanta, Georgia)—also known as Charlie D. Tillman, Charles Tillman, Charlie Tillman, and C. D. Tillman—was a popularizer of the gospel song. He had a knack for adopting material from eclectic sources and flowing it into the mix now known as southern gospel, becoming one of the formative influences on that genre.