''Delta Dawn'' is the debut album by American

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

singer

Tanya Tucker Tanya Denise Tucker (born October 10, 1958) is an American country music singer and songwriter who had her first hit, "Delta Dawn", in 1972 at the age of 13. Over the succeeding decades, Tucker became one of the few child performers to mature int ...

. It was released on September 11, 1972, by

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...

. The album was produced by

Billy Sherrill Billy Norris Sherrill (November 5, 1936 – August 4, 2015) was an American record producer, songwriter, and arranger best known for his association with country artists, notably Tammy Wynette and George Jones. Sherrill and business partner Gle ...

and includes two top ten singles, "

Delta Dawn "Delta Dawn" is a song written by musician Larry Collins and country songwriter Alex Harvey. The first notable recording of the song was in 1971 by American singer and actress Bette Midler for her debut album. However it is best known as a 19 ...

" and "

Love's the Answer "Love's the Answer" is a song written by Emily Mitchell and Norro Wilson, and recorded by American country music artist Tanya Tucker. It was released in October 1972 as the second single from her album ''Delta Dawn''. The song peaked at number 5 ...

"/" The Jamestown Ferry".

Critical reception

The review published in the September 23, 1972, issue of '' Cashbox'' said, "We've already seen Tanya Tucker breeze up the country and pop singles charts with "Delta Dawn", establishing herself as country music's first thirteen-year-old superstar. Now this album will establish her versatility, a talent necessary for longevity, since even thirteen-year-olds grow up someday. Tanya Tucker won't always be a child star, but if this album is an indication, she'll always be a star." The review also noted "Soul Song", "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry", and "Love's the Answer" as the best cuts on the album.

Commercial performance

The album peaked at No. 32 on the US ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' Hot Country LP's chart. The album's first single, "

", was released in April 1972 and peaked at No. 6 on the US ''Billboard''

Hot Country Singles Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data from Nielsen BDS along with digital sal ...

chart and No. 72 on the US ''Billboard''

Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...

. In Canada, the single peaked at No. 3 on the ''

RPM Revolutions per minute (abbreviated rpm, RPM, rev/min, r/min, or with the notation min−1) is a unit of rotational speed or rotational frequency for rotating machines. Standards ISO 80000-3:2019 defines a unit of rotation as the dimensionl ...

'' Country Singles chart. The album's second single, "

", was released in October 1972 and peaked at No. 5 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot Country Singles chart with its B-side, "The Jamestown Ferry". In Canada, the single peaked at No. 1 on the ''RPM'' Country Singles chart.

Track listing

Personnel

Adapted from the album liner notes. *Tanya Tucker – lead vocals *Lou Bradley – engineer *

The Jordanaires The Jordanaires were an American vocal quartet that formed as a gospel group in 1948. Over the years, they recorded both sacred and secular music for recording companies such as Capitol Records, RCA Victor, Columbia Records, Decca Records, Vocal ...

– background vocals * The Nashville Edition – background vocals *

– producer

Charts

Album Singles Charted B-sides

Release history

References

{{Authority control 1972 debut albums Tanya Tucker albums Albums produced by Billy Sherrill Columbia Records albums