''TNT'' is the ninth studio 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 November 6, 1978, by
MCA Records
MCA Records was an American record label owned by MCA Inc., which later became part of Universal Music Group.
Pre-history
MCA Inc., a powerful talent agency and a television production company, entered the recorded music business in 1962 wit ...
. Working with a new producer in
Jerry Goldstein, Tucker drifts away from her earlier
country
A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while the ...
style to do a much more
rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
-based effort. She covers well-known rock songs originally performed by such artists as
Buddy Holly
Charles Hardin Holley (September 7, 1936 – February 3, 1959), known as Buddy Holly, was an American singer and songwriter who was a central and pioneering figure of mid-1950s rock and roll. He was born to a musical family in Lubbock, Texas ...
("Not Fade Away"),
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...
("Heartbreak Hotel"), and
Chuck Berry
Charles Edward Anderson Berry (October 18, 1926 – March 18, 2017) was an American singer, songwriter and guitarist who pioneered rock and roll. Nicknamed the " Father of Rock and Roll", he refined and developed rhythm and blues into th ...
("Brown Eyed Handsome Man"). Tucker also covers
John Prine
John Edward Prine (; October 10, 1946 – April 7, 2020) was an American singer-songwriter of country-folk music. He was active as a composer, recording artist, live performer, and occasional actor from the early 1970s until his death. He ...
's "Angel from Montgomery". The album was Tucker's second-highest ranked ever on the
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 ...
Country charts at #2, and even reached #54 in the
Pop category. Released singles and their
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 ...
positions were: "Texas (When I Die)" at #5, "Not Fade Away" at #70, and "I'm the Singer, You're the Song" at #18. While not necessarily embraced by the country music establishment, the album garnered critical and commercial success. It was certified
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...
by the
RIAA
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
and earned her a Grammy nomination for
Best Rock Vocal Performance, Female
The Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance was an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to female recording artists for works (songs or albums) conta ...
.
Critical reception
''
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 ...
'' published a review of the album in the November 18, 1978 issue, which said, "Tucker's newest release sheds a new light on her singing and image. Working within a pop framework, Tucker's vocals convey a wholesome richness, evident in her rendition of John Prine's "Angel from Montgomery" (in which he also gives background vocal help), "Not Fade Away" and others. The inside photo makes Tucker out to be a sexpot, a ploy that gives her broader appeal. Tucker is backed by a tight band which utilizes both country and rock orchestrations and strings for sweetening."
The review in the November 11, 1978 issue of ''
Cashbox'' said, "If country fans have raised an eyebrow at the changes Dolly Parton has made lately, they certainly aren't ready for the 'new'
Tanya Tucker. Beyond a shadow of a doubt, the cover graphics are the most blatantly sexual of any album jacket ever released by a country artist. And the music inside is tough LA rock. Tanya does throw in a small dose of country, but this is in no way a country album. At any rate, it is a fine album and should garner airplay and sales in all markets."
Track listing
Production
*Produced By Jerry Goldstein
*Engineered & Mixed By Ed Barton
*Digital Editing: Milan Bogdan
*Mastered By Glenn Meadows
Personnel
*Tanya Tucker - lead vocals
*
Paul Leim
Paul may refer to:
*Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name)
*Paul (surname), a list of people
People
Christianity
* Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chri ...
- drums, percussion, electronic drums
*
Jerry Scheff
Jerry Obern Scheff (born January 31, 1941) is an American bassist, best known for his work with Elvis Presley from 1969 to 1977 as a member of his TCB Band and on the Doors' '' L.A. Woman''.
Biography
Scheff grew up in Vallejo, California. After ...
- bass guitar
*John Hobbs - piano
*
Lonnie Jordan
Leroy Jordan (born November 21, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter. He is a founding member of the American funk band War. Jordan had a number of roles over the years, acting as vocalist and playing guitar, piano, synthesizer, and percussion ...
- organ
*
Billy Joe Walker Jr.
Billy Joe Walker Jr. (February 29, 1952 – July 25, 2017) was an American songwriter, record producer and recording artist. He composed singles for Eddie Rabbitt, including " I Wanna Dance with You", " That's Why I Fell in Love with You" and " ...
- acoustic and electric guitar, mandolin
*Jerry Swallow - electric guitar, dobro, mandolin
*
Mickey Raphael
Michael Siegfried "Mickey" Raphael (born November 7, 1951) is an American harmonica player, music producer and actor best known for his work with Willie Nelson, with whom he has toured as part of The Family since 1973.
He has performed or reco ...
- harmonica
*
Larry Muhoberac
Lawrence Gordon "Larry" Muhoberac, Jr.; (February 12, 1937 - December 4, 2016, in Erina, New South Wales, Australia) was an American musician, record producer, and composer who was also known under pseudonyms "Larry Owens" and "Larry Gordon".
C ...
- string arrangements
*
Curt Becher,
Joe Chemay
Joe Chemay is an American bassist and background singer, known for his recording session work.
Biography
Chemay started out working as a session and touring support musician in Los Angeles, but moved to Nashville in 1989.
Chemay has worked wi ...
,
Dash Crofts
Seals and Crofts was an American soft rock duo made up of James Eugene Seals (October 17, 1942 – June 6, 2022) and Darrell George "Dash" Crofts (born August 14, 1938) They are best known for their hits " Summer Breeze" (1972), " Diamond Girl" ...
,
Phil Everly
The Everly Brothers were an American rock music, rock duo, known for steel-string acoustic guitar playing and close harmony singing. Consisting of Isaac Donald "Don" Everly (February 1, 1937 – August 21, 2021) and Phillip "Phil" Everly (Januar ...
,
Venetta Fields
Venetta Lee Fields (born 1941) is an American-born singer, musical theater actress and vocal coach. She was a backing vocalist for American and British rock and pop acts of the 1960s and 1970s, including Ike & Tina Turner, Pink Floyd, Humble Pi ...
, Jerry Goldstein,
La Costa, Michael McGinnis, Brent Nelson, Joey Paige, Jody Payne,
John Prine
John Edward Prine (; October 10, 1946 – April 7, 2020) was an American singer-songwriter of country-folk music. He was active as a composer, recording artist, live performer, and occasional actor from the early 1970s until his death. He ...
,
Jim Seals
Seals and Crofts was an American soft rock duo made up of James Eugene Seals (October 17, 1942 – June 6, 2022) and Darrell George "Dash" Crofts (born August 14, 1938) They are best known for their hits " Summer Breeze" (1972), " Diamond Girl ...
, Julia Tillman-Waters, Tanya Tucker, Luther Waters,
Oren Waters
Oren Waters is an American vocalist best known for his work with the backup singing group The Waters, his siblings: Luther, Maxine and Julia. As an ensemble, Waters has been a part of 260 gold and over 100 platinum albums with artists ranging from ...
, Lorna Willard - background vocals
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tnt
1978 albums
Tanya Tucker albums
albums produced by Jerry Goldstein (producer)
MCA Records albums