UNSPECIFIED - JANUARY 01: Photo of Tanya Tucker
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20 Definitive Songs From Tanya Tucker's 50-Plus Years of Hits

Tanya Tucker's still blowing fans' minds with relevant and compelling tunes.

Tanya Tucker songs have captured the imagination of fans ever since she took "Delta Dawn" to the Top 10 of the country music charts at age 13, with that journey earning her a long-awaited spot in the Country Music Hall of Fame's rotunda.

In the 50-plus years since, she's reinvented herself more than once to keep up with the times without abandoning the devil-may-care attitude at the heart of her broad appeal.

From her first No. 1 on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart (1973's "What's Your Mama's Name") to mile markers in her creative evolution (such as 1986's "One Love at a Time," from comeback album "Girls Like Me"), she's stayed true to herself. Along the way, she inspired such current acts as Brandi Carlile, who co-produced the album that won Tucker her first Grammy Awards: 2019's "While I'm Livin'." Carlile and co-producer Shooter Jennings' critically-lauded work with Tucker continued with the 2023 album "Sweet Western Sound."

As often happens with these lists, what's the best and where it ranks among other great songs is a matter of opinion. It will always be hard to narrow down highlights from a catalog like Tucker's, so think of these 20 cuts as entry points to a legendary and ongoing career driven by a true rebel's raspy, instantly recognizable singing voice.

Editor's Note: This story previously ran on Aug. 23, 2022 and was expanded on Oct. 17, 2023.

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