Tanya Denise Tucker (born October 10, 1958)[2] is an American country music singer and songwriter who had her first hit, "Delta Dawn", in 1972 at the age of 13.

During her career Tucker became one of the few child performers to mature into adulthood without losing her audience; she had a streak of top-10 and top-40 hits.

[3] She has had several successful albums, several Country Music Association award nominations, and hit songs including 1973's "What's Your Mama's Name?"

[4] Tucker’s latest album is a 2023 critically acclaimed collaboration with Brandi Carlile called Sweet Western Sound.

Prior to managing Tanya's career, Beau was a heavy equipment operator, so the family moved often as he sought better work.

Her early childhood was spent primarily in Willcox, Arizona,[2] where the only radio station in town, KHIL, played country music.

The Tuckers attended concerts of country stars such as Ernest Tubb and Mel Tillis, and Tanya's sister LaCosta was praised in the family for her vocal abilities.

[2] About this time, she also received one of her first musical breaks, when her father drove the family to Phoenix for the Arizona State Fair, on the chance that the featured performer, country singer Judy Lynn, could use Tanya in her show.

Tucker made her debut with Mel Tillis, who was so impressed by her talent that he invited her onstage to perform.

[3] Sherrill initially planned to have Tucker record "The Happiest Girl in the Whole USA", but she chose "Delta Dawn" – a song Billy Sherrill heard Bette Midler sing on The Tonight Show – instead as her first single while Donna Fargo, the writer of "The Happiest Girl in the Whole USA", released her own version as a single.

[3][6] A year later, Australian singer Helen Reddy scored a number-one U.S. pop hit with her version of "Delta Dawn".

[2] Two other number ones – "Blood Red and Goin' Down" and "Would You Lay with Me (In a Field of Stone)" followed, establishing Tucker as a major star.

Tucker has a string of top-10 country hits under MCA between 1975 and 1978, including "San Antonio Stroll", "Here's Some Love", and "It's a Cowboy Lovin' Night".

[2] In addition to recording, she also made her feature-film debut in Hard Country, although she did have small roles in Jeremiah Johnson (1972) and the television miniseries The Rebels (1979).

She also had begun drinking in her late teens, and she explained how it started: "You send your ass out on the road doing two gigs a night and after all that adoration go back to empty hotel rooms.

"[8] In 1978, Tucker moved to Los Angeles to try, unsuccessfully, to broaden her appeal to pop audiences, and was quickly captivated by the city's nightlife.

"[8] Despite having a top 10 hit in March 1983 ("Feel Right") [9] from her first and only Arista album Changes, she struggled to have her music played on the radio.

Tucker's "Lonesome Town" project was put on hold to do the first cover album of her career, My Turn, which was released in June 2009 and placed number 27 on the Billboard country charts.

Tucker appeared on Terri Clark's 2012 album Classic in a remake duet of her first single "Delta Dawn".

[12] After the death of former flame Glen Campbell on August 8, 2017, Tucker released her first single since 2009, "Forever Loving You", a song co-penned by Tennessee State Senator Rusty Crowe.

[18] Tucker performed "Bring My Flowers Now" at Loretta Lynn's all-star 87th birthday concert at Nashville's Bridgestone Arena with Carlile playing piano.

Tanya announced her studio album Sweet Western Sound on April 5, 2023, releasing the first single, "Kindness".

Sweet Western Sound was produced by Tucker along with Brandi Carlile and Shooter Jennings, and released June 2, 2023, on Fantasy Records.

[citation needed] Like the other Outlaw artists in the business at the time (Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, Waylon Jennings, Jessi Colter, Emmylou Harris, David Allan Coe, Hank Williams Jr.), Tucker was able to combine qualities of country and rock music into her voice to make the Outlaw sound that was popular at the time.

[citation needed] She ranked number nine on CMT Greatest Outlaws: The Dirty Dozen, the only woman to appear on that list.

The Return of Tanya Tucker: Featuring Brandi Carlile was released in New York and Los Angeles on October 21, 2022, and nationwide on November 4.

Tucker continues to perform for the military doing benefits with newer country acts such as Eric Agnew and Cole Deggs & the Lonesome.

She later had a relationship with actor Ben Reed, with whom she had daughter Presley Tanita (b. July 5, 1989) and son Beau "Grayson" (b. October 2, 1991).