By Sarah Knight with Joshua Ryan Hall
In September of 1974, Rolling Stone magazine featured the sweet, innocent face of a 15-year-old girl on its cover. The headline read, "Hi, I'm Tanya Tucker, I'm 15, You're Gonna Hear From Me." Nearly 30 years have passed since those prophetic words signaled the arrival of a country music superstar. And with her new self-titled album Tanya gaining airplay momentum, it's clear that "We're Still Gonna Hear From Her."
The legendary Tanya Tucker began singing at age six and by the time she was 13, Tucker hit stardom with her rendition of "Delta Dawn." After hearing her unique delivery of this complex and mature song, country music fans embraced Tucker as their own, elevating her to the honorable place she still holds as one of country music's "grande dames."
Today, Tucker has over 30 albums, 40 top 10 hits, including 10 number one singles. Last September, after a five-year hiatus, she released Tanya, which has received plenty of critical acclaim to date. This new record marks a major milestone in Tucker's career, not only because it is her 31st album, (released on her own label Tuckertime Records and distributed by Capitol Nashville Records) but because she was involved in every single aspect of making this record and it's "the best album that I have ever made in my life," she said.
Klipsch employee, Joshua Ryan Hall, had the opportunity to meet Tucker at her Southern-style mansion just outside of Nashville. He gained some insight on the new album and much more about this down-home, country gal.
History
Information gathered from www.tanyatucker.com and www.allmusic.com
Over the last 30 years, Tanya Tucker has built one of the most successful careers in country music history. Her determination and undeniable talent made her a star when she was just entering her teen years. Her singing flair placed her among the all-time, best-selling female vocalists in country music. In fact, she was one of the first singers to bring a rock 'n' roll bravado to country music.
Born in Seminole, Texas on Oct. 10, 1958, Tucker is one of the few child performers to mature into adulthood without losing her audience. Her part in starting a singing career meant wandering through Nashville with her father, trying to get someone to listen to her. She received harsh judgment from industry big shots, but she did not let the naysayers stand in her way. She kept on singing, and in 1972 her persistence paid off when she achieved critical and popular success with "Delta Dawn."
At the tender age of 15, Tucker released her first greatest hits collection and earned a Grammy nomination to boot. This teen sensation dedicated her life to singing and grew up to become a beloved country music legend. Some of her recent career highlights include becoming the first country artist to be featured in the Lifetime Television Network series, An Intimate Portrait; hosting the 30th annual Academy of Country Music Awards; being the youngest female in pop or country history to release a boxed set of career recordings; and being the first country artist to be inducted into Hard Rock Cafe's Walk of Fame.
The Interview
Klipsch employees Trey Cannon, Matt Whatley and I drove from Indianapolis to Tanya's place outside of Nashville. We arrived just after 12-noon and got right to work upgrading the crossover networks of Tanya's vintage Klipschorns®.
After a long day of radio interviews and album promotion, Tanya and her fiancé Jerry Lassiter arrived home. Jerry, an acclaimed singer/songwriter and producer of Tanya, greeted us first and he couldn't wait to crank up the upgraded Klipschorns® with his new favorite song - "Old Weakness Comin' On Strong."
Almost on cue, Tanya rode into the office/music room on a fire-engine red scooter (yes, a scooter INSIDE the house) with a smile that told us she approved of our work on the Klipschorns®. Listening to music on Klipschorns® is always an experience, but listening to music on Klipschorns® with the artist in the room is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. As we listened to parts of several tracks on a first-pressed copy of the new CD, I gained my composure and started asking my questions.
"What can you tell me about your new album?" I ask.
"We cut two of the songs right here in this office," says Tanya. "One of the songs was Oh What a Love. We made a vocal for it in the closet. I sat in there with the microphone, Jelly Roll brought his keyboards in and I sang in the closet like it was a vocal booth. We did it in two takes. I also put some strings on the song. I worked with an arranger who wrote down the notes as I hummed and then he brought it to life with a string quartet. It was rewarding to hear the sound I had been driving in my head for so long come out of the speakers. It was definitely something new."
Next, I asked Tanya if there was any type of overarching theme to the new album.
"We just wanted to cut the best album that I have ever made in my life," she says. "With Tanya we had a real clear perspective of what we wanted and that was to sing songs I felt comfortable singing. I have felt more comfortable with this album than I have with any others. I'm proud of all my records - there are a few things I would change, but not much. This new album, in particular, is different because from start to finish I was involved with every little part. Basically, I've got my fingers completely stuck in it. That is one thing I had never done before."
Switching gears, I point across the room to a framed copy of the 1974 Rolling Stone with Tanya on the cover and ask her if she remembers the special HI-FI issue insert on Klipsch and our late founder Paul W. Klipsch.
"That's right," she exclaims. "I also learned a lot about Paul Klipsch from my lawyer. I know a lot about Klipsch speakers because I own Klipschorns, Fortes, KG-1.5s, KG-.5s and Heresys. I would dig coming to your showroom to see and hear your newer speakers. It would be best for me to listen to my songs because I could really judge the quality - I know how I should sound."
I invite her to visit the Klipsch headquarters anytime and then ask her what she looks for in speakers.
"You know, I'm really not a technical person," says Tanya, "so just give me an on and off button. I want to be able to turn them on and jam it up a little now and then. I also want have the ability to turn the speakers up really loud and still have them sound great without distorting. I like listening to songs that I just cut so it is important and a real luxury to hear them with great clarity."
Over the last few years, country songs have made their way over to pop radio stations with artists such as Shania Twain, LeAnn Rimes and the Dixie Chicks. This has left many country music fans feeling like country isn't country anymore. In addition, some fans believe country music has fallen into a woeful state because country radio stations are focusing mainly on Top 40 hits and leaving out the more traditional varieties of country music. Since Tanya is a longtime pro in the genre, I ask, "What is your opinion on the state of country music today?"
"The state of country music? That's a hard one for me to answer because I don't know how to best explain it," she admits. "From what I understand, there are a lot of people that are disgruntled over today's 'country.' But you can either sit around and bitch about it or choose to do something about it. I prefer to be one of the ones that can hopefully do something about it. Music, people and times are constantly changing, and what people want to hear and see in performance today is much different than it was yesterday."
Wanting to know firsthand what life was like as a teenage superstar, I ask her about the part music played in her childhood and some of her early music memories.
"I was influenced mostly by male artists," says Tanya. "My big influences were Hank Williams Sr. and, of course, Elvis. My dad acted as my singing coach and made me practice a lot of Hank Williams' songs. These served as great examples for me because Hank sang them with such feeling, and I really needed to capture that concept. My dad would tell me when you perform you need to make people believe you've lived through whatever it is you're singing about. He said there's more to winning over an audience than smiles and laughs. Loretta Lynn and Tammy Wynette were also big icons for me, and now they are two of my best friends."
As is customary for my interviews, I ask Tanya to list her top five artists of all time.
"Number one would have to be Elvis. I like Julio Iglesias a lot. When I first heard him it was way before he hit the charts in America. I didn't know what he was singing because it was in Spanish, but I loved the way he was saying it. I figure it's a safe assumption it was something about love. Hank Williams Sr. would also make my list. Mozart would have to be another. Since I listened to Sinatra growing up, he would have to be five, but I think I should also throw Willy Nelson in somewhere."
I pointed out to the quintessential queen of country music that she just named ONLY men on her top five.
"Isn't that funny," she says. "I think Barbara Streisand should probably be in there, and Linda Ronstadt, too.
When many of us were growing up, including myself, we fantasized about being a famous movie star or musician. But Tanya was able to make that dream a reality while she was growing up. "Could you ever conceive a career that didn't include music?" I ask.
"I never really considered anything else," she says. "When I was little I knew I was going to grow up and be a singer. I guess if I had to pick something else it would have to be a veterinarian because I enjoy animals and I like to nurture them."
In showbiz today, there are a lot of fly-by-night performers so I ask Tanya, if she was talking to a new artist right now, what kind of advice would she give.
"I would say something about being true to yourself," she replies. "You see a lot of the artists kind of lose their footing, you know, and start thinking they are better than everyone else. It's unfortunate because, to me, having the ability to sing is a God given talent and I don't think you should be cocky about that. You should be appreciative, but with fame you lose all your privacy, which is automatic. Overall, I think the best advice is to be true to yourself, true to your family, and remember where you came from. Always remember what your goals were and continue resetting them. Also, when you think about others I think that you'll be thought of well."
Tanya definitely practices what she preaches because she is an advocate for the March of Dimes, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, St. Jude's Children's Hospital in Memphis, The Doris Kupferle Breast Center and many more worthy organizations. She's also one of the most accessible country music stars around, making sure she shows her appreciation to her fans for their longtime and continued support.