Tanya Tucker
Tanya Tucker |
|---|
Tanya Denise Tucker (born October 10, 1958, in Seminole, Texas) is an American country music artist who had her first hit, "Delta Dawn", in 1972 at the age of 13. Over the succeeding decades, Tucker became one of the few child performers to mature into adulthood without losing her audience, and during the course of her career, she notched a streak of Top 10 and Top 40 hits.[1] She has produced a long string of successful albums, several nominations for awards from the Country Music Association, and hit songs that includes 1973's "What's Your Mama's Name?" and "Blood Red and Goin' Down," 1975's "Lizzie and the Rainman," and 1988's "Strong Enough to Bend".[2]
Early life
Childhood before fame
Tucker was the youngest of three children. Her father, Jesse "Beau" Tucker, was a heavy equipment operator, and the family moved often as he sought better work. Tanya's early childhood was spent primarily in Willcox, Arizona, where the only radio station in town played country music. The Tuckers also went to the concerts of country stars such as Ernest Tubb and Mel Tillis, and Tanya's older sister LaCosta was praised in the family for her vocal abilities. At the age of eight, Tanya told her father that she, too, wanted to be a country singer when she grew up.[3]
Meanwhile, the Tuckers moved again, this time to Saint George, Utah, and there Tanya's mother, Juanita, took her daughter to audition for the film Jeremiah Johnson. Tanya did not win the bigger role she tried out for, but she was hired as a bit player. At about this time she also got one of her first musical breaks, due to the dedication of her father. He drove Tanya and the rest of 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. Tanya sang for the fair's entertainment people, and she went on to sing at the fair itself.[4]
Career discovery
She made her debut with Mel Tillis, who was so impressed by her talents that he invited her onstage to perform. In 1969, Tucker and her family moved to Las Vegas, where she regularly performed. Eventually, she recorded a demo tape that gained the attention of songwriter Dolores Fuller, who sent it to producer Billy Sherrill.[5] At the time, Sherrill was the head of A&R at CBS Records, and he was so impressed with the demo tape that he signed the teenaged vocalist to Columbia Records.[6]
You must add a |reason= parameter to this Cleanup template – replace it with {{Cleanup|reason=<Fill reason here>}}, or remove the Cleanup template.
Country music career
=
1986 – 1997: Return to country
In 1986, Tucker signed with Capitol Records. In 1986, she returned with "One Love at a Time," which climbed to number three.[7] Tucker's career was revitalized with 1986's album, Girls Like Me, an album that spawned four Top 10 country singles. In 1988, she had three No. 1 country singles: "I Won't Take Less Than Your Love" (with Paul Davis and Paul Overstreet), "If It Don't Come Easy" and "Strong Enough to Bend." [8]
Her music was now more country pop-styled and up-tempo, but this material was what made Tucker popular again. Between 1988 and 1989, Tucker endured one of her most popular years on the charts, racking up nearly eight Country Top 10 hits in a row. Her albums around this time were also achieving "Gold" certifications by the RIAA, after selling 500,000 copies. A Greatest Hits album followed in 1989, releasing a Top 5 hit to the country charts that year from the album called "My Arms Stay Open All Night," which peaked at #2.
In 1988, Tucker was nominated by the Country Music Association for "Female Vocalist of the Year", and was nominated for other major awards during this time.
After many years in country music, her contributions were finally rewarded when the Country Music Association voted her the "Female vocalist of the Year" in 1991, though she missed the event, having just given birth to her second child. Eight consecutive singles reached the Top 10 in the early 1990s, including "Down to My Last Teardrop," "(Without You) What Do I Do With Me" and "Two Sparrows in a Hurricane." [9] The previous year, she was named by CMT "Female Video Artist of the Year". Although by the early 90s Tucker no longer had #1 hits, there were many singles that came close peaking in the Country Top 5 as well as the Top 10. Tucker was one of the most successful female Country artists at the time. She became one of the few teen stars to find success in her adult years.
In 1993, Greatest Hits rose to number 15 and Soon rose to number 18 on the Top Country Albums chart. Liberty Records was changed to Capitol Nashville in 1994.[4]
By now, Tucker was a 20-year veteran in country music, even though she was only in her mid-30s. In 1994, "Hangin' On" was her last Top 5 hit, as well as her last Top 10 hit for a while. That year she performed at the half-time show at Super Bowl XXVIII. However, Tucker was able to stay in the Country Top 40 this time. In 1996, Tucker was one of the Top 10 most played artists of the year, and that time Capitol Records' biggest signed female artist. In 1997, she returned to the Top 10 on the Country charts for the last time with the hit, "Little Things", which peaked at #9. That year, she was inducted into the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame.
2000 – present: Music career today
In 2002 she founded Tuckertime Records, allowing her to retain control of the recording process and release the singles she wished to release. The same year she issued Tanya, her first album in five years, and received distribution through Capitol. The album was produced by her fiancé, Jerry Laseter, and included a guest vocal by Vince Gill.[10]
In 2002, Tucker was ranked #20 on CMT's 40 Greatest Women of Country Music in 2002. She has also continued to release albums. In 2005, she released an album called Live at Billy Bob's Texas. That same year, she contributed two songs to a tribute album to Bob Wills, called A Tribute to Bob Wills 100th Anniversary. The year continued to make Tucker busy, now with a new book called 100 Ways to Beat the Blues on Fireside, which included tips on pulling yourself out of the dumps, from some of Tucker's good friends, like Willie Nelson, Brenda Lee, Little Richard, and Burt Reynolds.
Tanya recorded a new album titled Lonesome Town, which has been put on hold, but a new live concert recorded at the Renissance Centre, back in December, will be released. Tanya sang a duet with country music icon Billy Joe Shaver, of Shaver's song, "Played the Game Too Long," on his latest album, Everybody's Brother, released September 2007.
In 2009 Tanya signed a one time deal with SAGUARO ROAD RECORDS from TimeLife. Tanya's "Lonesome Town" project was put on hold to do the first cover album of her career. My Turn was released June 30, 2009 and placed #27 on the billboard country charts. The first single "Love's Gonna Live Here" was released to radio and was also available as a digital single. It is a remake of the classic hit by Buck Owens. The rest of the album includes other classic country hits by the men of country music such as "Wine Me Up", "Lovesick Blues", "You Don't Know Me", "Ramblin' Fever", "Walk Through This World With Me", "Big Big Love", "Crazy Arms", "After The Fire Is Gone" and "Oh Lonesome Me".
One of Tanya Tucker's latest debuts was in a music video by "Santana Maria" called "You Have Won My Heart," which can be found on youtube.
Other careers and works
Since Tucker's hit-making days, she has published an autobiography that hit the bookstores in 1997 called Nickel Dreams: My Life.
Tucker also starred in her own reality show, Tuckerville, on The Learning Channel in 2005. It ran for two seasons for a total of 18 episodes.[11] The show is an in-depth visit of Tucker behind the scenes in her home with her family. Tucker also continues to perform for the military doing benefits with up and coming country acts such as Eric Agnew and Cole Deggs and the Lonesome. Tanya has stated in several recent interviews that she is filming new episodes of her reality show "Tuckerville." Since Tanya has now moved out of her Nashville home, the show will now take place in Malibu, where Tanya is currently living and it will be called "Tucker Time". Tanya recently stated that another reason for the name change is because TLC wouldn't let them have the name.[12]
Personal life
Since the late 1970s, Tucker was involved in numerous relationships with fellow entertainers. Her best known was with country-pop singer-songwriter, Glen Campbell from 1980-1981. Together they recorded a number of duet recordings which did not reach the Top 40 and, it is generally argued, did not deserve to, being the poorest quality recordings Tucker has ever released. The two were even briefly engaged in the early 80s. A stormy relationship filled with drugs and physical abuse eventually caused the two to end their love affair by 1981. Tucker later stated that Campbell abused her physically during the course of their relationship and that he had knocked out her teeth (a claim Campbell denies in his official autobiography Rhinestone Cowboy).
Tucker continued to date into the 1980s and '90s. One of her serious relationships included boyfriend, Ben Reed, a Hollywood actor, with whom she had children Presley Tanita and Beau "Grayson". However, they eventually broke up.
In the new millennium, Tucker became engaged to Jerry Laseter, a Nashville songwriter, who also helped produce her 2002 album and is the father of her daughter Layla. The couple had an on-again off-again relationship since becoming engaged for the first time in 1997. In 1999, just days before their wedding, Tucker canceled it once she discovered she was pregnant with Laseter's baby (Layla) saying she didn't want to walk down the aisle pregnant in her wedding dress.
Tucker has three children; daughter Presley Tanita (b. 5-Jul-1989), a son Beau "Grayson" (b. 2-Oct-1991), and a daughter Layla LaCosta Laseter (b. 25-Jun-1999). Tucker also has three siblings; two brothers, Don and Robert (Robert died of pneumonia) and an older sister, LaCosta.
Awards & honors
| Year | Award Program | Award |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | Academy of Country Music Awards | Top New Female Vocalist |
| 1973 | Music City News Country | Most Promising Female Artist of the Year |
| 1981 | Grammy Awards | Best Recording for Children; In Harmony A Sesame Street Record (w/ various artists) |
| 1991 | Country Music Association Awards | Female Vocalist of the Year |
| 1993 | Academy of Country Music Awards | Video of the Year; "Two Sparrows In a Hurricane" |
| 1994 | CMT | June Artist of the Month |
| Country Music Association Awards | Album of the Year; Common Thread: The Songs of the Eagles (w/ various artists) | |
| 1995 | Country Weekly's Golden Pick | Tomorrows Legend |
| 1997 | CMT | March Artist of the Month |
| 2002 | CMT's 40 Greatest Women of Country Music | Ranking — #20 |
Discography
Notes
- ^ Tanya Tucker biography at Allmusic (retrieved February 13, 2008)
- ^ Tanya Tucker biography at Musician Guide.com (retrieved February 13, 2008)
- ^ Tanya Tucker Biography - Discography, Music, Lyrics, Album, CD, Career, Famous Works, and Awards
- ^ a b Tanya Tucker biography at Musician Guide.com
- ^ Tanya Tucker biography at Allmusic; includes pictures, discography & more
- ^ Tanya Tucker biography at Allmusic.com
- ^ Tanya Tucker biography at Allmusic.com
- ^ Tanya Tucker biography at CMT.com (retrieved February 13, 2008)
- ^ Tanya Tucker biography at CMT.com
- ^ Tanya Tucker biography at Musician Guide.com (retrieved February 13, 2008)
- ^ Tuckerville on IMDB
- ^ http://www.971hankfm.com/wankandobrien/cmafest_new.aspx?PN=2
References
- Cooper, Daniel (1998). "Tanya Tucker". In The Encyclopedia of Country Music. Paul Kingsbury, Editor. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 549–50.
External links
