Tanya Tucker songs have captured the imagination of fans ever since she took "Delta Dawn" to the Top 10 of the country music charts at age 13, with that journey earning her a long-awaited spot in the Country Music Hall of Fame's rotunda.
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In the 50-plus years since, she's reinvented herself more than once to keep up with the times without abandoning the devil-may-care attitude at the heart of her broad appeal.
From her first No. 1 on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart (1973's "What's Your Mama's Name") to mile markers in her creative evolution (such as 1986's "One Love at a Time," from comeback album "Girls Like Me"), she's stayed true to herself. Along the way, she inspired such current acts as Brandi Carlile, who co-produced the album that won Tucker her first Grammy Awards: 2019's "While I'm Livin'." Carlile and co-producer Shooter Jennings' critically-lauded work with Tucker continued with the 2023 album "Sweet Western Sound."
As often happens with these lists, what's the best and where it ranks among other great songs is a matter of opinion. It will always be hard to narrow down highlights from a catalog like Tucker's, so think of these 20 cuts as entry points to a legendary and ongoing career driven by a true rebel's raspy, instantly recognizable singing voice.
David Redfern/Redferns Hits like this Top 5 entry from 1986 are among the many examples of Tucker not just meeting the moment in country music history— she makes the moment her own. Taylor Hill/Getty Images A major cog in Tucker's career resurgence parroted a request famously asked by Flatt & Scruggs: "Give Me My Flowers (While I'm Livin')." The 2019 single prophetically won Tucker her first Grammy Award (Best Country Song). Beth Gwinn/Getty Images This Kent Robbins and Richard E. Carpenter co-write takes a love that lasts forever literally, making it optimal material for Tucker's mid-'80s stretch of hits. Beth Gwinn/Redferns This freewheeling, white-hot country stunner wouldn't sound out of place on any '90s country playlist. Here's the thing: Tucker predicted the future with this Top 5 hit from 1988. Michael Montfort/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images One of Tucker's better country throwbacks from the '70s (1975, to be exact), it's a folksy song about folksy dancing, themed around the South and set apart by fiddle and mandolin accompaniment. Paul Natkin/Getty Images A peak moment for Tucker in the '90s, this ideal mix of timeless country sass and the Nashville production gloss of the time stalled at No. 2 in 1991 because it shared chart space with Brooks & Dunn's "Brand New Man." David Redfern/Redferns Tucker's mighty voice morphed to fit whatever tempo or production techniques suited the time. Indeed, her talent as a song interpreter shined as bright when country music pivoted towards its '90s boom (this one's from 1989) as it did when she was a teenage sensation. Gary Gershoff/Getty Images Though the great Johnny Cash recorded it first for his 1985 album "Rainbow," it took Tucker to immortalize this co-write by Paul Davis and Bobby Emmons. Beth Gwinn/Getty Images The title track of a 1991 album that brought us four Top 5 singles help set the pace (along with the hits on 1990's "Tennessee Woman") for a third decade of chart dominance. Plus, it's a stellar example of Tucker's skill as a sensitive balladeer. Beth Gwinn/Getty Images One of several integral pieces of Tucker's '90s resurgence to make this list, "If Your Heart Ain't Busy Tonight" reached the Top 5 as a honky-tonk barnburner that suited the pop-country moment. Gems/Redferns Classic '70s album "What's Your Mama's Name" helps define an early career marked by story-songs about heavy subject matter. On this No. 1 single, she tells a believable story of family drama and murder through the eyes of an adolescent. Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images Tucker achieved '70s film soundtrack vibes with a single fittingly inspired by the classic Burt Lancaster and Katharine Hepburn film "The Rainmaker." It was previously recorded by UK rockers The Hollies, making it another good song made great by the right singer. Gary Gershoff/Getty Images Mandolin accompaniment, gorgeous harmony vocals and uplifting lyrics by elite songwriters Beth Neilsen Chapman and Don Schlitz set apart this No. 1 from 1988 as a high point in Nashville's pre-Class of '89 neo-traditionalist moment. Paul Natkin/Getty Images A non-single from the 1990 album "Tennessee Woman," "Shotgun" brings a strong western undercurrent, both musically and lyrically, on the same cinematic scale as some of The Highwaymen's best work. Beth Gwinn/Getty Images When rock and classic country-inspired songs lit up the charts during a storied and lucrative moment in the genre's history, few caught as many ears as this loud, sassy and pop-accessible hit from Tucker's 1992 album "Can't Run From Yourself." Michael Putland/Getty Images Another highlight of Tucker's early career tackles very heavy topics. It's one of many dark, realistic stories co-penned by should-be Country Music Hall of Famer Dallas Frazier. Michael Montfort/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images Tucker's rocking 1978 album "TNT" included this honky-tonk tribute to her home state. It's one of many great songs that likens beautiful, bountiful Texas to the sweet by-and-by. Beth Gwinn/Getty Images Tucker left a mark on a new era of sentimental country hits with this tale of a shared love built on a solid foundation and structured to withstand potential heartbreak. Despite being Tucker's third-best song, it stalled at No. 2 on the country charts because of George Strait's equally crucial "I Cross My Heart." Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images Though renegade singer-songwriter David Allan Coe wrote this somber plea for romantic fulfillment, Tucker made it her own with one of the best —if not the best— vocal performances of her early career. Gems/Redferns Oftentimes, nothing quite matches the impact of a star's breakthrough hit, the "Delta Dawn". Teenage Tucker's jaw-dropping cover of a song she learned from the great Bette Midler remains a groundbreaking moment in country music history."One Love at a Time"
"Bring My Flowers Now"
"I'll Come Back as Another Woman"
"Highway Robbery"
"San Antonio Stroll"
"Down to My Last Teardrop"
"My Arms Stay Open All Night"
"Love Me Like You Used To"
"[Without You] What Do I Do With Me"
"If Your Heart Ain't Busy Tonight"
"Blood Red and Goin' Down"
"Lizzie and the Rainman"
"Strong Enough to Bend"
"Shotgun"
"It's a Little Too Late"
"What's Your Mama's Name"
"Texas (When I Die)"
"Two Sparrows in a Hurricane"
"Would You Lay With Me (In a Field of Stone)"
"Delta Dawn"
Editor's Note: This story previously ran on Aug. 23, 2022 and was expanded on Oct. 17, 2023.
