Country's Tucker promises 'a new Tanya' in Arcada show
Tanya Tucker is stepping back into the spotlight.
Nominated for nine Grammys, the former Country Music Association's Female Vocalist of the Year known for such hits as "Delta Dawn" and "Would You Lay With Me (In A Field of Stone)" has recently gotten back on the road. Tucker, now 57, has a new tour, a new album in the works - and the same old tell-it-like-it-is attitude.
Tucker, 57, spoke in a recent interview about her upcoming show at the Arcada Theatre in St. Charles, her early rise to fame at age 13 and the ailing country superstar whom she considers to be the greatest romantic love of her life.
<b>Q.</b> Your current tour is your first in a few years. Tell us about your show at the Arcada Theatre.
<b>A.</b> Well, I have been off for awhile. I've got a new group, a new band, new management. We'll be doing most of the songs that people know me for. This is sort of a new Tanya, coming out of a "caterpillar." We're on our way to becoming a "butterfly." What's good is just gonna get better.
<b>Q.</b> You have a reputation for having a great onstage rapport with your audiences.
<b>A.</b> Every audience is a new challenge. We play lots of venues, casinos, old theaters. It's one of the great things that every night is different, depending on the house.
<b>Q.</b> Along with being back on the road, you have a new album in the works?
<b>A.</b> Yes. I hope to have it released in the new year. I've been working on it for awhile. I actually have several albums in the works. I am looking forward to creating my music and traveling the world with it.
<b>Q.</b> You had your first big hit "Delta Dawn" when you were only 13 years old. Was fame a bit overwhelming at that age?
<b>A.</b> Not really, because I was on the working end of it. We were playing shopping malls - me with a pickup band, whoever was there. Being 13 or 14, I had the energy to withstand it. I couldn't do that today. But we worked really hard in those early years to get out there so I could sing for people.
<b>Q.</b> What's the secret to working in the music business after more than 40 years?
<b>A.</b> I don't know if there is a secret. I am a little more thrifty with my time these days. I try to help others. This business is so egotistical, you know? And you spend most of your time on yourself, because everybody is trying to promote you. There needs to be a certain part of the day when you take time for someone else. But I have been reminded that my music is for others. What I do is for their entertainment, their enjoyment.
<b>Q.</b> What do you do in your downtime?
<b>A.</b> I live an eclectic life. I like woodworking. I just finished a wooden dresser. And I did a few mirrors around the house. A feeling comes over me when I get something like that done. The results are so rewarding. And, of course, my horses are just down the road. My new house planted me about seven minutes from them.
<b>Q.</b> You just signed with CTK Management in Nashville. Is your home base there in Tennessee now?
<b>A.</b> Yes. I have a five-acre ranch here. It's perfect. My last house had 500 acres. But I'm able to live anywhere - in a mansion or in a tent. I'm happy as long as I have my family, my dogs, my horses and some of my good friends - and I make new friends all the time.
<b>Q.</b> Can you talk for a moment about your former musical and romantic partner Glen Campbell? (Country superstar Campbell, 79, announced in 2011 that he has Alzheimer's disease and now lives in a full-time care facility.)
<b>A.</b> Well, it just scares me to death to know that the inevitable will come. I brace myself every day. And the sad part of it is, I don't get to say goodbye to him. I did get to FaceTime with him at one point. I could see him, and he could see me on the phone. And when I got done talking to him, he kissed the phone. That may be all I have with him. But there is one thing that is going to be everlasting, and that is that Glen Campbell was one of the greatest singers and entertainers ever. And one of the most giving, too. He will go down in history.
<b>Q.</b> Glen was a great love for you.
<b>A.</b> The greatest.
<b>Q.</b> What would you say you have learned in this first part of your life, Tanya - and what's to come?
<b>A.</b> If I can keep the good Lord around - and he is always around - and if he can put one hand over my shoulder, and his other hand over my mouth, then I should be all right.
Tanya Tucker
When: 5 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 1
Where: Arcada Theatre, 105 E. Main St., St. Charles, (630) 962-7000 or
Tickets: $39-$99