Following her double weekend appearance at ACL Festival, Tanya Tucker will head to Nashville for induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame. It’s an honor long in the making for the country music legend, since she first topped the charts with “Delta Dawn” in 1972 at age 13.
The HoF induction caps a remarkable comeback for the Texas native over the last few years, which included Grammy Awards for Best Country Album for 2019’s While I’m Livin’ and Best Country Song for the prescient “Bring My Flowers Now.”
“I was notified there was a big surge, though of course I never did know there was really a de-surge, because I was always working!” – Tanya Tucker
“I was notified there was a big surge, though of course I never did know there was really a de-surge, because I was always working!” laughs Tucker from her Texas ranch. “It’s been a great notification, though, and I’ve enjoyed having the accolades – I mean hell, who wouldn’t!”
While I’m Livin’ almost didn’t happen, though. Shooter Jennings and Brandi Carlile teamed to produce the album, and Tucker was skeptical from the start, as the poignant 2022 documentary The Return of Tanya Tucker reveals.
“I wasn’t even going to do it,” admits Tucker. “I wasn’t sure about someone else picking all these songs from me. I didn’t know if the songs were strong enough for me. Not to say they weren’t good, just that I didn’t know if they were for me.
“And I’d never heard of Brandi Carlile, to be honest, and I didn’t know who she was and the things that she had accomplished,” she continues. “I do now, I’m her No. 1 fan! But that’s when Shooter came in and said, ‘Hey, you’ve always told me all my life that if I needed you that you’d be there. I need you to be there for me this time.’ So I did, and I’m so glad I did. It’s good to be wrong sometimes.”
This year’s Sweet Western Sound continues Tucker’s resurgence with thoughtful ballads spinning reflections on her heroes and peers, while still kicking with her familiar rebellious outlaw style. It has also introduced the icon to a whole new generation of fans.
“Brandi and Shooter said, ‘You’re gonna be in front of a new audience, and they may know your name, but they don’t know your music,’” Tucker notes. “That got my interest real quick, and that was one of the goals. I’m not done yet. I might have a few more years, and I’m ready. I’m hankering for it.”
Tanya Tucker
Saturday, 5pm, T-Mobile stageThis article appears in October 13 • 2023 and October 6 • 2023.