Tanya Tucker will perform at Lancaster Fair
One of the most successful and admired women in country music
This year the Lancaster Fair in Lancaster, N.H. will greet the legendary Tanya Tucker as part of their entertainment lineup, on Saturday, September 1 on the grandstand stage. Tucker has been performing for over 40 years now, and she is still as good as it gets. The admission price at the fair includes the show and the rides.
Tanya Tucker’s voice and ability to tell a story through a song are not the only reasons why people want to see her show. Another great part of the appeal comes with the way she interacts with the crowd. She is down to earth and friendly and fans love it.
The singer is a defining voice of country music and a modern day legend. Her smoky voice and her great song selection have made her one of the most successful and admired women in country music.
She has been nicknamed the “wild child of country music.” She might have been, maybe she still is, but one thing for sure is that she is lively, energetic, and she delivers.
Tucker was born on October 10, 1958. Her early childhood was spent primarily in Willcox, Arizona. The Tuckers attended concerts of country stars such as Ernest Tubb and Mel Tillis, and her sister Lacosta was praised in the family for her vocal abilities.
At the age of 8, Tanya Tucker told her father that she wanted to be a country singer when she grew up.
She got one of her first musical breaks when her father drove the family to Phoenix for the Arizona State Fair. She actually made her debut with Mel Tillis, who was so impressed by her talent that he invited her onstage to perform.
In 1969, the family moved to Las Vegas, where she regularly performed. Eventually, she recorded a demo that gained the attention of producer Billy Sherrill, the head of artists and repertoire at CBS Records and she got signed to Columbia Records.
Released in the spring of 1972, ‘Delta Dawn’ became a hit. Over the succeeding decades, Tucker became one of the few child performers to mature into adulthood without losing her audience.
Her second single, ‘Love’s the Answer’, became a top 10 hit later in 1972. Tucker’s third single, ‘What’s Your Mama’s Name’, became her first No. 1 hit in the spring of 1973. Two other number ones ‘Blood Red and Goin’ Down’ and ‘Would You Lay with Me (In a Field of Stone)’ followed, establishing Tucker as a major star.
In 1975, she signed with MCA Records, where she had a string of hit singles that ran into the late 1970s.
Among these hits was ‘Lizzie and the Rainman’, which became a No. 1 country hit and followed ‘San Antonio Stroll’, ‘Here’s Some Love’, and ‘It’s a Cowboy Lovin’ Night’.
In 1978, she decided to change her image and cross over to rock with her TNT album. The two hit singles from the album were ‘I’m a Singer, You’re the Song’, and ‘Texas (When I Die)’. The latter was the bigger hit by far.
In 1980 she only had two hits, one of them was ‘Can I See You Tonight?’. The same year, she recorded a few singles with Glen Campbell, with whom she was romantically involved.
The young woman had a drinking and drug abuse problem and kept getting the attention of the media with her romantic affairs. The most famous ones included country singer Merle Haggard (who was 21 years her senior), actor Don Johnson, the late pop singer Andy Gibb, and Campbell.
She moved to Nashville after her breakup with Campbell in 1982 but she had her demons. In 1988, her family confronted her and persuaded her to enter the Betty Ford Center. Her career was put on hold.
In 1986, Tucker signed with Capitol Records; she returned to the charts with ‘One Love at a Time’. Her career was revitalized with 1986’s 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’, ‘If It Don’t Come Easy’, and ‘Strong Enough to Bend’. The new songs made Tucker popular again.
Between 1988 and 1989, Tucker enjoyed one of her most popular years on the charts, racking up eight country top 10 hits in a row. She was nominated by the Country Music Association for Female Vocalist of the Year.
Her contribution to the country music genre was 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’.
In 1990, Tucker was named Female Video Artist of the Year by CMT. In 1994, ‘Hangin’ In’ was her last top five hit, as well as her last top 10 hit for a while. In 1996, she was one of the top 10 mostplayed artists of the year, and at the time was also Capitol Records’ biggest signed female artist.
In 2002, Tucker 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, which was distributed through Capitol Records.
The album was produced by her fiancé, Jerry Laseter, and included a guest vocal by Vince Gill.
In June 2017, Tucker was featured in Rolling Stone as one of the 100 Greatest Country Artists of All Time. After the death of former lover Glen Campbell on August 8, 2017, Tucker released her first single since 2009, ‘Forever Loving You’. The song’s release the following day, on the eve of Campbell’s funeral, drew ire and criticism for being exploitative.
Her high-energy show will be one not to miss.