It’s hard to believe that country’s sassy spitfire, long the wildest cowgirl in an increasingly staid Nashville, is only 42. Then again, when you have your first hit at age 13 (the monster “Delta Dawn” — take that, LeAnn), you have the potential for a lengthy career. Songs like “What’s Your Mama’s Name,” “Two Sparrows in a Hurricane” and “My Arms Stay Open All Night” have created an audience that’s mad for the many facets of Tanya, from simple country girl to strong-armed seductress. Her life (as chronicled in her 1997 autobio, Nickel Dreams) has had the expected ups and downs, both personally and professionally, to make a double CD’s worth of songs, but nothing has stopped the tenacious Tucker regardless of which way the prevailing Music Row winds blow.
This article appears in Sep 6-12, 2001.
