Two notes and a very famous name are all Tanya Tucker needs to remind her faithful audiences and any newcomers of her indelible, etched impression in the annals of Country Music. Her 1972 song, “Delta Dawn,” has been performed by a cavalcade of stars across genres, from Helen Reddy to Loretta Lynn, and Bette Midler even before her, but no one has owned the song so completely as Tanya Tucker.

Jesse “Beau” Tucker and his wife, Juanita, realized that both their daughters had vocal talents, but it was Tanya who told her dad at age 7 or 8 that she wanted to be a professional country singer.

Life was transitory enough for the heavy-equipment operator, but county and state fairs, dance halls, and community events became the platform where the little girl with the very grown-up voice gave fans her all.

Tanya Tucker has kept on singing for five decades. She's had chart-topping songs and albums and even recorded a rock album. She quickly got dubbed as the “wild child” of country, though by today's standards, her behavior never reached anything close to Justin Bieber's social media status. The singer has lived, loved, endured tremendous pain, and sung through it all. Every emotion of her journey echoes through her voice, and her voice is reigning over the charts and the Grammy nominations this year.

She sat with veteran newsman, Bob Schieffer to talk about her acclaimed album, “While I'm Livin,’” which critics claim “reminds us why she's a legend,” according to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Tucker defers in calling her career and personal resurgence a “comeback” in their CBS “Sunday Morning” conversation on January 5.

Instead, she states that she is experiencing “a re-launch,” and the skies are the limit in her renewed appreciation from peers and fans alike.

Thankful for it all

“Thank you for all the number one songs,” Tucker graciously thanks her audience in the profile. “Hell, thank you for the number ten’s,” she adds. Later, in a clip from her live show in Virginia, she is just as thankful to the fan who reminds her to zip her pants.

“Open for business,” Tanya Tucker playfully jokes, before restoring modesty and going on with the show.

Bob Schieffer has a “fanboy” moment as he sings along with his interview subject on an a cappella “Delta Dawn.” The singer never neglects to give gratitude to the iconic producer, Billy Sherrill, for steering the song straight to her after learning that Bette Midler, who performed the song on “The Tonight Show” and caught his ear, was already signed to another label. The 13-year-old fought hard for the song sung from the vantage of a 41-year-old deluded beauty. She followed her father's advice to a T—doubling the emotion of every lyric to overcome the perceived naïveté of youth.

“I don’t think you can have success unless you’ve had some failures,” asserts Tucker, “and I’ve had some.”

Tested by fire

Tanya Tucker learned the triple-edged sword of publicity’s power to eat a rising star alive during her relationship to the 80s with Glen Campbell, which became constant tabloid fodder. “There was real love there,” she insists. “I think I found it too soon,” she confesses and feels that she was not equipped to handle the situation so young.

The singer known for being “real” coped with real feelings of grief when Campbell was diagnosed with Alzheimer's, and that was only part of the emotional and physical trauma that would come. Tanya Tucker was already in an emotional upheaval following the loss of her mother when a routine beauty treatment became a horrific nightmare.

During a chemical peel procedure that Tucker described in 2015, her neck, face, nose, and airway were burned when a fire ignited. The emotional and physical healing process took months, and the artist leaned on her faith and music to propel herself forward.

Tucker knows about the strength needed for single motherhood. She has raised her three children, independently and always kept working. A song from her Grammy-nominated album, “I Don't Owe You Anything,” comes to mind. The most personal and poignant song on “While I'm Livin’” and her collaborative effort with Grammy-winner, Brandi Carlile, is “Bring My Flowers Now.” The song has inspired Tucker to tell those she loves, “and some I don't,” of her feelings now, while in the moment.

Tanya Tucker has already decided which on her beloved animals will “go in the box with me” when her earthly life ends. She'll probably keep her pink hair, too. In a few weeks, she will probably be deciding where to put four Grammy trophies, too,
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