“Delta Dawn:” Tanya Tucker’s Signature Hit
One of the most iconic songs of all time, “Delta Dawn” was penned by former child rockabilly star Larry Collins and songwriter Alex Harvey. It became a smash for Tanya Tucker when she recorded it in 1972. Also, Australian singer-actress Helen Reddy covered it the following year and made it to number one on the charts.
Check out Tanya Tucker’s version of “Delta Dawn:”
Best known today as Tucker’s signature song, “Delta Dawn” has a history to tell. Harvey, one of the songwriters of the songs, was the first to record it. Also, Harvey’s two backup singers, Dianne Davidson, and Tracy Nelson, each did a rendition of the song. In addition, due to the rising popularity of the song, pop music artist Bette Midler also included it in one of her recordings. To note, she covered the said song for her debut studio album, The Divine Miss M.
In May 1972, “Delta Dawn” finally fell into Tucker’s hands as she gave an amazing flavor to the popular song. Interestingly, she was just 13 years old when she got to record the hit.
Tucker’s version reached no. 6 on the country chart. This led to more country covers of the song including the versions of The Statler Brothers and Scott Walker.
Waylon Jennings’ Cover of the Song
While the song has got to be recorded by Tucker in early 1972, country outlaw legend Waylon Jennings managed to include a recording of the hit on his album Ladies Love Outlaws. Notably, Jennings never got to release his version of “Delta Dawn” as a single. Maybe if he did, we would not be surprised if it became a smash hit under his name.
The husky, gritty vocals of Jennings is simply perfect for the song. Moreover, he sounds seemingly haunting as he blows every verse. Overall, Jenning’s cover was as equally powerful as that of Tucker’s.
Listen and be amazed by Waylon Jennings as he renders this signature hit of Tucker:
Tags
Bette Midler, Delta Dawn, Tanya Tucker, Waylon Jennings