Delta Dawn

"Delta Dawn"
Single by Tanya Tucker
from the album Delta Dawn
B-side	"I Love the Way He Loves Me"
Released	1972
Recorded	1972
Genre	Country
Length	3:09
Label	Columbia
Writer(s)	Larry Collins, Alex Harvey
Tanya Tucker singles chronology
"Delta Dawn" (1972) "Love's the Answer"/"The Jamestown Ferry" (1972)

"Delta Dawn"
Single by Helen Reddy
from the album Long Hard Climb
Released	June 1973
Format	7"
Recorded	1972
Genre	Country
Length	3:11
Label	Capitol
Helen Reddy singles chronology
"Peaceful" (1973) "Delta Dawn" (1973) "Leave Me Alone (Ruby Red Dress)" (1973)

"Delta Dawn" is a song written by former child rockabilly star Larry Collins and songwriter Alex Harvey (who more often goes by the name Alexander Harvey today, and is not to be confused with the late Glaswegian rocker Alex Harvey), best known as a 1972 top ten C&W hit for Tanya Tucker and a number-one hit for Helen Reddy in 1973.

Lyrical story

The title character is a faded southern belle from Brownsville, Tennessee, who at forty-one is obsessed to unreason by the long ago memory of an errant suitor. The song's lyrics describe how the woman regularly "walks downtown with a suitcase in her hand/ Looking for a mysterious dark haired man" who she says is "meeting her…today/ To take [her] to his mansion in the sky". Reddy's recording in particular has choir-like inspirational overtones as well.

Background and recording history

The first recording of "Delta Dawn" was made by Harvey for his eponymous album released in November 1971. Although Harvey opened for Helen Reddy - his Capitol labelmate - at the Troubadour in January 1972, Reddy made no apparent connection with any of Harvey's compositions at that time.^[1]

Dianne Davidson, who sang backup on Harvey's recording was the first artist to record a cover and chart in 1971-72. Tracy Nelson, who sang backup on Harvey's recording, performed "Delta Dawn" in her live act. After hearing Nelson sing "Delta Dawn" at the Bottom Line in New York City, Bette Midler added the song to her repertoire. Nashville-based producer Billy Sherrill heard Midler sing "Delta Dawn" on The Tonight Show and wanted to sign her to Epic Records and have her record the song. Finding out that Midler was already signed to Atlantic Records, Sherrill cut the song with Tanya Tucker who was newly signed to Epic and Tucker's version was released April 1972 to reach #6 C&W that spring.^[2]

Record producer Tom Catalano prepped an instrumental track of "Delta Dawn", virtually replicating that of Tucker's single, and - despite Catalano having worked with Helen Reddy - the track was first offered to Barbra Streisand, upon whose refusal Catalano had Reddy add her vocals to the track.^[2]

In the meantime Bette Midler had recorded "Delta Dawn" for her The Divine Miss M debut album from which her bluesy version was planned as the lead single. The June 1973 single release of Reddy's version was two days prior to Midler's, necessitating the amendment of the latter's single so that the original B-side "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" was shopped to radio, becoming a Top Ten hit. Reddy's version, with a cold intro and nonstop vocals throughout, entered the Top Ten on 18 August 1973 on its way to its lone frame at #1, on 15 September 1973, becoming Reddy's second number-one hit after 1972's "I Am Woman" and before 1974's "Angie Baby", which would prove to be Reddy's third and final #1. "Delta Dawn" also became the first of Reddy's six consecutive - and eight overall - #1 hits on the Easy Listening chart in Billboard.^[3]

In Reddy's native Australia, where she'd reached #2 with both "I Don't Know How to Love Him" and "I Am Woman", "Delta Dawn" became Reddy's first #1 hit, spending five weeks atop the chart in August and September 1973. The follow-up single "Leave Me Alone (Ruby Red Dress)" gave Reddy a second consecutive - and final - Australian #1.

"Delta Dawn" also marked Reddy's only chart appearance in South Africa, reaching #13 in the autumn of 1973.

The Statler Brothers also recorded "Delta Dawn" and released it for their 1973 Mercury album, The Statler Brothers Sing Country Symphonies in E Major.

Chart performance (Tanya Tucker)

Chart (1972)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	72
U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles	6
Canadian RPM Country Tracks	3

See also

• List of number-one adult contemporary singles of 1973 (U.S.)
• List of Hot 100 number-one singles of 1973 (U.S.)

References

1. ^ Billboard vol#84 #2 (8 January 1972) p.12
2. ^ ^{a b} Tucker, Tanya (1997). Nickel Dreams: my life (Large print ed.). Thorndike Press. p. 132. ISBN 0786211822. 
3. ^ Hyatt, Wesley (1999). The Billboard Book of Number One Adult Contemporary Hits. New York City: Watson-Guptill Publications. p. 126. ISBN 0823076938.