The Return of Tanya Tucker: Featuring Brandi Carlile (2022) - full transcript

Would you lay with me

In a field of stone?

If my needs were strong

Would you lay with me?

Say a prayer.

I need it.

All you gotta do is sing.

Knock them dead.

- You ready?
- Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah.

- Ready?
- Are we ready?

That's great. I knew it was all good.



Here we go.

You're back with a new project,
the first one in 17 years.

- Come on.
- Yes. Can you believe that?

Why did you wait so long? Were your plans
to never make new music again

- until this happened?
- What was the reluctance there from you?

Well, we got a little old gal over here
who started at the tender age of 13

- making hit records.
- Didn't she?

Ladies and gentlemen,
here's our second guest of the day,

Miss Tanya Tucker.

Delta Dawn
What's that flower you have on?

Could it be a faded rose
From days gone by?

And did I hear you say
He was a-meetin' you here today

To take you to his mansion in the sky?

I first started singing
when I was about 9 years old.



I sang in every talent show,
whatever club that I could find.

Her very first record was released
when she was only 13 years old.

It was called Delta Dawn.

It became number one
on the country music charts

and there were many more hits to follow.

By the age of 15,
she had a Grammy nomination

and landed on the cover
of Rolling Stone magazine.

Fame, multimillion-dollar record deals,
and countless hit records followed.

Here you are at the ripe old age of 19,

and you're considered
a country and western great.

Does that get to be a bit much
to carry around?

Ladies and gentlemen, Tanya Tucker.

So we have all followed her
since she was a little girl.

You think, that girl can sing.

Over the years, Tucker's personal life,
especially her fiery

and well-publicized affair
with Glen Campbell,

has kept her in the public eye.

- They love to write about you, don't they?
- Yeah, boy.

Well, how much of it's true?

Tanya Tucker
is on top of the charts this week.

Tanya Tucker is part
of this Sunday's halftime show.

She's still making headlines
and topping the charts.

The unstoppable Tanya Tucker.

Everybody always describes you
as being this wild child, this...

That's sort of been your rep.
Do you think you are?

When the good old boys of country music

go out and drink and have a good time,
it adds to the aura.

When a gal does it...

Doesn't look so good.

Do you think any of that hurt your career?

In a way,
I don't think you could be successful

unless you've had a lot of failures.
And I've had some.

You had these years of depression.

- It wasn't a matter of months.
- Yes. No, it was years.

I got thinking, what's wrong with me?
I'm the life of the party.

I tried everything
because I wanted to be better.

It's something I've not conquered.

- It's a good room.
- It's a great room

and there's a good piano.
I bet it's the piano that's in there now.

Man, this is cool.

When I first got pulled
in the project, it was Shooter.

Because Shooter knows
about what a Tanya fan I am.

I have loved Tanya Tucker
since I was 8 years old.

Tanya's voice
is in all of us that sing country music.

Time for us
to do an about-face and recognize that.

Brandi and I are
of a different generation,

but we're people
that really care about older music

and we really care
about the past and the future.

And with Tanya, there's kind of this well
that we're all kind of drawing from.

And I think that there's a certain kind
of responsibility

for music being in good hands.

When I heard that Tanya Tucker
hadn't made a record

in the better part of 15 years,

I suddenly realized
how much I had forgotten

and how much I think
that the rest of the world

has forgotten how potent an influence
Tanya Tucker has been

on women in country,
and rural Americana music.

And I wondered why they had forgotten,
and I wondered why I had forgotten.

Man.

I'm nervous.

Because they can't
get it off their mind now, so...

- Hi, there's...
- Hi, baby.

Hi.

Good to see you.

- Good to see you. Love you.
- Long time no see.

- Hi, Tanya, I'm Brandi.
- Hi. I feel like I know you.

- Me too.
- Good to see you.

We were talking...
What about doing "High Ridin' Heroes"?

- Yeah.
- "High Ridin' Heroes"?

- Yes. Let's do it.
- Shit.

It'd be great
to get into this thing. Let's do it.

Didn't expect that reaction
when I was like, "Let's do it"

- because that's like...
- We got it.

- I love that song.
- It's dialed in. We're doing it.

Wow, do you hear that?

Time was when he was...

The rodeo is just an old man's dreams

Down in between

- No.
- He's a credit to his flaw.

- Oh, my God.
- In the flesh.

Those old hard times
They're nothin' new

Once you've done the best you can do

You just tip your hat to the wild and blue

And ride off to the west

Oh, I love that song.

- I'm getting chills on my legs.
- Yeah.

The ease in is what it's all about, so...

The only thing I forgot...

There is this little hangout room here.

- A hangout room.
- How are y'all?

- I'm good. How are you?
- Good to see you.

- I'm Chris.
- Chris, Tanya.

- Eleanor. Nice to meet you.
- Eleanor.

- That fellow right there, that's Tim.
- Hi, Tim.

Tim's got an identical twin,
so try not to get worried

- when you see two of them.
- Oh, my gosh, yeah.

I'd freak out if there were
another one around like me.

- Feels good.
- It's a good vibe, isn't it?

So where's those big tape machines?

Right there.

And I'm starting to get really nervous.

So, Tanya, did you know
that Rick Rubin yesterday...

The other day when we talked on the phone,
I called him and I said:

"I have the opportunity
to make a record with Tanya Tucker,

and I want this record
to be a Renaissance period in her life

- and in her career.
- Yeah.

And I want it to expose people
that weren't aware of her to her music

in the way that Johnny Cash's
American Recordings did.

Rick always had his finger
on the pulse of young people

and their longing for understanding
where their music came from.

You're not old. It's not about your age.

- It's not about where you are.
- Fucking getting there.

But it's about the influence you've had.
Because Dolly Parton was 1967,

- but you were 1972.
- Two.

That's really nothing. That's five years.

That means that you are as important
to the U.S. music as Dolly is.

And Dolly is seen as the ultimate icon.

And you are seen as the ultimate icon
to the hip people that know,

but I think more people need to know.

That's sweet. It means a lot.

I mean, if anything,
I mean, God, you know,

to be able to leave behind something,
you know, that's good, you know,

that done something for somebody.

And I guess music is,
you know, the gift I have.

- It's the only thing I'm given, you know.
- I've been saying to you

-and I've been calling Grayson, going:
-Right.

"Let the pressure go. Just enjoy it."

- Which she's doing.
- This is about you.

This whole thing is...
It's not about one hit song.

This is so much more about...
It's more about Tanya fucking Tucker.

But I'm not comfortable with that.

I've been kicking,
fighting, scratching all the way.

- God touched you with something...
- Yeah.

And he gave it to you as a gift.

And you have it, and you have to use it.

- And for you not to use it is a crime.
- Would be a crime.

Yeah. I thought about this so much
over the last month.

I will not let you down.

- Okay. What key is this in?
- What key...?

- The original is in C.
- It's in C,

and I felt that would be too high for you.
I'd go with G.

Was king

- I thought G might be a good one.
- Okay.

You wanna go down...?
You wanna hear it in C, the original?

- He'd just play it and...
- Sing in the key the guys are singing in?

Well, I don't know.
I mean, if it feels better.

High ridin'...

Yeah, it's way too high.

High ridin' heroes

They're anywhere the wind blows

He's been to hell and Texas

And he knows how it feels

To be ridin' that hot streak

Drunk on some back street

I like that better.

- The lower step is popping a little more.
- Yeah.

And under the wheel

- Yeah.
- Cool.

- Yeah. I'm feeling it.
- Okay.

- Where's the...? Tequila.
- Ice?

Tequila?
Oh, I hope Chris didn't get ahold of it.

- No. I... No, the...
- It's right there.

- There's an open one, right?
- This one's open.

- This one is open.
- Okay.

I'm lucky.

- You're gonna taste this.
- Okay.

Oh, yeah.

We got ice?

- Yeah, we got ice.
- I'd put some ice in there.

- I don't wanna ruin your chemistry here.
- I know. I love that.

- Oh, shit. That's good. That's dangerous.
- Good, huh?

That's ruby red grapefruit juice.

It's good, isn't it?

- It's damn good.
- It helps it go down really easy.

So this is the master here.

- Yes. That's overall volume.
- Okay.

Hey, I just wanna let you guys know,
Tim and Phil think the kick drum

- needs to tighten up a little bit.
- Awesome.

And he's a credit to his flaws

He's a credit to his flaws, to his flaws

He's a credit to his flaws

- I'm ready when you are.
- Everybody sounds beautiful.

Tanya wants to do an intro
with Shooter on the piano.

I like that.
Let's give it a whirl, shall we?

- Okay.
- All right.

One, two, three, four.

Right here, Tanya.

Daylight or midnight

Holy shit, man.

Red eyes...

- I'm lost. Sorry.
- No, you're right, you're right.

- I was right?
- It was not you, Tanya, it was Shooter.

It's still me. It's still me.

Shooter, are you excited?
I feel like you're excited,

- and I like it. All right.
- There you go, you funny.

- Let's do it again.
- Funny as hell.

All right, all right, all right.

- I'm... Okay, see, I'm missing it.
- No, no, so...

- You mind some company?
- I'm kind of...

You're doing great.
I was wondering if I could be...

To be ridin' that hot streak

- It seems like I'm rushing my words.
- You're doing bril... You're perfect.

Every time you thought it was you,
it's them. So don't worry about it.

Time was when he was king

Now the rodeo's just this old man's dream

The highs are few and far between

The lows get the rest

- Everybody happy now?
- Yeah.

Because that sounds real good to me.
Let's get it.

- Rolling.
- Can we try one, just to humor Brandi,

- where you say "she" instead of "he"?
- Yeah.

It's a good idea that Shooter had.
I'd love for you to hear it that way.

And if you're like, "No, I wanna hear it
with the male pronoun," we'll do that.

Time was when she was queen

Now the rodeo's just her old man's dream

The highs are few and far between

The lows get the rest

These old hard times ain't nothin' new

Once you've done the best you can do

You just tip your hat to the wild and blue

And you ride off to the west

Those old high ridin' heroes

They're anywhere the wind blows

She's been to hell and Texas

And she knows how it feels

To be ridin' that hot streak

And drunk on some back street

Falling off the wagon

And under the wheels

Oh, shit.

- Okay, we got it.
- Yeah, nice work.

- That's really nice. We got it.
- You have female heroes?

- Female ones?
- Yeah, women heroes.

- Elvis was big for me.
- Elvis.

- Yeah.
- Elvis was really a big...

He was really influential to me.

Funny, I have never really had any girl...

Mostly Haggard and...
To me, Haggard was everything.

He was just like...

See, when I was a kid, it was you.
You were everything.

- That's wild.
- Because...

Well, because you sounded so tough.

- I knew I was a bit different.
- Yeah.

- I knew my gender wasn't on point...
- Right.

With the other women in my family,
and I felt a little bit different.

But I was like, "Tanya sounds tough,"
you know?

Yeah. And I still remember every word
to all those songs, by heart,

- and every growl you did.
- Sometimes I don't.

And every time you said "hey"
with your little yell in front of the H.

- Yeah.
- Every time.

- My little yodel back there somewhere.
- Yeah.

There's so much about my music now
that wouldn't exist.

And I see it in
number-one country singers every day.

I wonder if they know
where they got that from.

- They got it from Tanya Tucker. And so...
- I stole it from Haggard, though,

- you know?
- Bullshit.

First time I remember listening to music
per se is... Was in Willcox, Arizona.

So I was about...

I don't know, 5 or 6 maybe.

And there was a country radio station
in that town called KHIL Radio.

I've often thought, what if that
would have been a rock 'n' roll station?

Yeah.

- You know?
- Yeah.

- Might've been...
- You might've had a different life.

- Totally turned out different.
- So that radio station

- was influential to you, yeah.
- Was very... Yeah.

- You're not from Nashville, Tennessee.
- No.

I live there, but I was born in Texas
and raised in Arizona.

We lived in a 12-by-50 trailer
in Willcox, Arizona,

out on Fort Grant Road.

We were very... I don't wanna say poor,
but we were broke. We were busted.

My sister and I would be washing
and drying dishes every night.

We'd do harmony and start harmonizing.

She would harmonize with me
and my dad started listening to it

and felt, "That sounds pretty good."

He'd make me read
over and over and over to him.

"One more time with feeling.
Do that with feeling.

You don't have enough feeling."

He said, "You should never be smiling
when singing a sad song."

Well, we started singing in church
and singing at the VFW hall.

What was the first time
you ever sang in public for money?

I think it was in Calaveras County
at a frog jump contest.

Where people bet on the frogs?

- Yeah.
- Kind of a strange job.

I got about $50 for it or something.

So one day you went
to a fellow and said, "I can sing."

And he had you do eight songs one night?

Mel Tillis. I went to him and said,
"I'm a singer." I was about 9 years old.

And he said, "Well, can you sing?"

I said, "Yeah."
And so I went back and I sang a song.

He said, "Come on."
I went on stage with him.

And ever since, they've loved it.

I got to be known
as the little girl with the golden voice.

Daylight or midnight
Red eyes and that old hat

Whiskey bent, busted flat
She's a credit to her flaws

She's a bad risk but a good friend
Small change and loose ends

She only regrets that she might've been

A little faster on the draw

- Pushing it there a little bit.
- Yeah.

Yeah.

Right there. "She's..." It sounds weird.

Vocal take is so good.

Your voice sounds so good.

- You play guitar?
- No.

- You play piano or anything?
- No, I... It's one of my biggest regrets.

- Really?
- Yeah, that I didn't learn to play guitar.

I think it's very instrumental,
very, very important.

If I play guitar, I would... I probably
wouldn't have a band most of the time.

I'll be, "This is me.
This is an evening with y'all."

- Yeah.
- I wonder if your delivery

isn't as potent as it is
because you don't play an instrument

because of the fact that you know
you gotta be more potent without one.

So when you say something,
it's much more powerful

than your average singers
leaning a little bit on their instrument.

I don't know. I don't think
about it too much, you know.

Yeah. I could see why you wouldn't.

It just sounds like
when you sing the lyrics,

it always sounds like you wrote them.
It always sounds like it's...

That's interesting
because I've had several songwriters

- tell me that.
- Yeah.

I got a chorus and I'd sang it
to Loretta the other night.

She called me.
Wanna know if I will need any money.

I'm thinking, next time I'm gonna say
for the hell of it, "Yeah, I do."

- Wait. Loretta Lynn? Loretta Lynn?
- Yeah. Loretta Lynn.

- Is she asking if you need money?
- She always worry about me.

- "You need any money?"
- That's amazing.

- I'm thinking, "Is this a trick question?"
- That is the sweetest thing I've heard of

- Yeah.
- In my life.

And so I said, "Listen, I got..."
And I said something about...

going to somebody's funeral
or something. I said, "Man..."

I said,
"Bring my flowers now while I'm living."

Because I won't need your love
When I'm gone

Don't spend time, tears or money
On my old breathless body

If your heart is in them flowers
Bring them now

And she goes,
"Is that...? Oh, hey, what...?"

She goes, "Did you write that?"
I said, "Well..."

I said, "That's as far as I got with it.
So I don't guess I've written it yet."

She's like, "I wanna write that.
You get over here. We'll go write that."

- "We'll write the verses."
- She gonna write it?

- She wants to.
- We can write it

and put it on this record.
That belongs on this record.

- What?
- Yeah. That's amazing.

It's just waiting to be written.

It's just laying there
waiting for a pencil.

- For me to pick up the pencil.
- Since we're cooking,

why don't we get the feel right
for "Seminole Wind Calling."

You got where you're at?
One, two, three, four.

Seminole wind

Let me feel your breath again

Take me back
To the place your love did find me

Black ribbon, lead me home

Wherever I may roam

And may the bridges
That I cross not burn behind me

- Here we go. Modulation.
- There you go.

As I followed this great highway

- You enjoying this, Tanya?
- I'm having a great time.

Can we tell Tanya
about my idea that I have?

- Yes.
- Okay.

- Miranda Lambert is one of my favorites.
- She's my favorite...

- She's my pick of the litter.
- Is she really?

- Oh, yeah.
- Okay. So she wrote a song

- called "The House That Built Me."
- Her idea is for you to do that song.

No. I said...
Man, when I heard it, I went, "Goddamn."

But it's just
you have a different story to tell

than Miranda does.

In all of Middle America,
so many people have lost their farms

and their houses
and the place that they raised their kids.

And I thought
about changing the script of that song,

a couple of nuanced words
to where she comes up and she's, "Ma..."

Says,
"Ma'am, you don't know me from Adam.

But those hands on the front porch,
they're mine, not yours but your kids."

And it's a different thing.
It's a wiser voice.

And when I even hear it
with that perspective,

I get a lump in my throat
I cannot make go away.

Because we were real poor.
We lived in desperate poverty.

I did that in Willcox, Arizona, see?
I went back.

- You did?
- The trailer house.

But it was gone.

But my dad had put my handprints
and I signed it "Tanya Tucker."

Were you raised with your mother? Did...?

My mother, my dad, they were married,
like, 67 years when he passed, you know,

in Thanksgiving morning, of course.

- I bet you miss him.
- Yeah.

Are you one of those people
that still feels him?

- You think he's around and things?
- Yeah.

I... You know, I'd just like to have him
harp at me one more time, you know.

Because it was... It was...

You know, it was a different relationship.

- Yeah.
- Yeah.

Sounds like
you might have been his favorite.

Yeah, but I was always...
I was also his, you know, biggest...

- The recipient of his criticism.
- Re... Oh, yeah.

Yeah, he wasn't a complimentary person,
you know.

He believed in me, but he would bark.
He would, you know.

When did he ever...?
Was there a time he was, like...?

Last time I saw him, I was borrowing...
Getting my 200 bucks from him.

And those people I was going to see,
I don't even know who they are now.

Yeah.

So I wish I was... Walked back
and went, "You know what?"

How you doing?"
Sit down and talk with him.

And that was a...

Yeah, I should've cared more
and been there more.

I said,
"Bring my flowers now while I'm living."

Because I won't need your love
When I'm gone

Bring them flowers now, when I'm living

I don't wanna need your love when I'm gone

Don't waste time, tears or money

On my breathless body

If your heart is in them flowers
Bring 'em on

That's it. Got it.

- Hi.
- Hi.

I mean...

I got this verse for you.
I think if I give you this first verse

and I got the chords to the chorus,

that you should knock out the rest of it.

Just by telling me stories
and I'll help them make them rhyme.

So let's go like... Or maybe
you already know how they rhyme.

Hell, no.

Bring those flowers now, while I'm living

Because I don't wanna need your love
When I'm gone

Don't waste time, tears or money

On my breathless body

Breathless. Breath... Breathless body.

Don't waste time, tears or money

-On my old breathless body
-My old breathless body

- Body.
- Body. Yeah.

If your heart is in them flowers
Bring 'em on

This is all from your stories.

You say, "All those miles
have cast a long shadow.

I'd take a couple back if I could."

You told me that if you had spent
not so much time on the road

with Layla maybe it'd be a little easier
to get through to her.

"I'd learn to play guitar,"
which is your biggest regret.

On that guitar
he spent the last dime on, you know?

- Yeah.
- Gibson, the guitar.

And tell your daddy more
that you loved him.

I know you wished that would
have been your last interaction.

"But I believe that, for the most part,
I've done good." Because you have.

You just have.

- Hi.
- They say that the difference

between an artist
and a successful artist is audacity.

Yeah.

Would you say
your dad gave you your audacity?

Oh, yeah. Never give up.

My dad looked across the table at me
when I was about 9 years old

and we were living in Willcox, Arizona.

And he says, "Tanya,
do you wanna live here and get married

and stay here for the rest of your life
in Willcox? Or do you wanna go be a star?"

"Daddy, that's not much of a choice.
I wanna be a star."

- Sure.
- He picked up the whole family and moved.

We got in the car and went to Las Vegas
and spent six hours in the studio.

I did the "Put Your Hand
in the Hand of the Man"

and "For the Good Times,""Proud Mary,"
"I'm so Lonesome I Could Cry."

Hear that lonesome whippoorwill

He sounds too...

And I remember sitting there in the car
with him. He said, "To the left is L.A.

and to the right is Nashville.
Which way you wanna go?"

"Make a right." You know.

He did a lot of things that
I can't imagine somebody doing now.

But he opened the doors. He didn't just
open them, he kicked them down.

You know, when I was in the middle of it,
my mother was sort of in the background,

but I realized later when I got older

how really important
that background was, you know.

My mother always would say:

"Have a soft heart."
You know, "Don't let people harden you."

My dad was a very strong, determined man

that was kind of gambling her life
and his life, their future, on me.

I asked my mother... After I had kids,
I think, looked at my 9-year-old going,

"No, I couldn't do that."

You know, just gamble all my future
on this kid right here.

- Yeah.
- And I said, "What made you follow him?

I mean, not go like,
'What, are you crazy?'"

And she goes,
"Honey, your daddy believed in you,

and I believed in him."

I love you.

We love you.

So, what's the plan here?

- She's supposed to be here any second.
- Waiting for Tanya.

- Hey!
- Hey!

- How are you?
- Hey, guys, gals.

- I'm good. I'm doing pretty good.
- All right.

- I'm a little better.
- Sweet.

I had my little Adderall,
so I'm feeling better.

- Ready to focus?
- Yeah.

Yeah, because I could not before.

All right, so the first song on there is...

On that CD y'all gave me. What was it?

- "Winner's Game."
- "Winner's Game."

And love

You know me. I gotta change the lyrics.

- Little details on there.
- Okay.

A lot of space in this one.

You know, none of those... lyrics
that kind of trip us all up. It's like:

-Love is a winner's game
-Winner's game

And you can do it any rhythm you want.

You know, love is a winner's game

No one to thank and no one to blame

Ain't always easy to play by the rules

When you start keeping score
That's when you lose

I tell you, love is a winner's game

And some say death
Is just our cause for sinning

Some see the end
Some see the beginning

We'd find our way through the joy
And the pain of love

Oh, love

Love is a winner's game

- Yes!
- Cool.

Oh, love

Love is a winner's game

Yeah, right? I mean, that's gotta be
one of her best songs yet.

That was awesome.

God.
She's gorgeous. Look at those eyes.

So Tanya Tucker is Mama's favorite singer
since I was a little girl.

Grandma Teresa and me
used to sing all Tanya Tucker songs.

It was really special.
So this is a really special time.

It's very special.

That's my wife right there.
Come on, Catherine.

- Hi. Nice to see you.
- Hi. Nice to meet you.

Pleasure. Yeah.

- You met this little one?
- Oh, my gosh.

- Isn't she cute?
- Gosh, she's just...

I'd say put her in the movies
if it wouldn't screw her up, you know?

- I've thought about that.
- Yeah.

Tanya, let me ask you
about some of your young life.

- Are you happy?
- Yeah.

I am. Most the time, when I'm not tired.

Or when I'm not very busy,
I really like to...

You know, I'm happy.

- You're the best.
- Thank you.

Wanna buy the record?

Thank you.

It's a hard life sometimes, but everybody
says, "You're young, you can take it."

But that's not really true, you know?
Just because you're young,

it doesn't mean you can hold up
as much as an older person.

You know, I don't think... I don't wanna
think that she's growing up, you know?

I wanna keep her young and small.

"Tanya, there's no reason to beat
around the bush any longer.

I might as well tell you
that I'm in love with you

and I'm asking you to reply
to my marriage proposal.

Sorry to shock you, but I believe
to getting to the point about everything."

- Well, he did.
- Did he really?

"Please answer soon.
My heart is throbbing."

That's sweet, but gee, I'm a little young.

Not good enough.

- That's great.
- Happy birthday

- Fantastic.
- Dear Tanya

Happy birthday to you

I'm the one supposed to be singing.

- Yeah!
- Thank you.

I think that I'm kind of all different
kind of people rolled up in one

because I change from day to day.

I like to consider myself
as the entertainer on-stage

and then when I come off-stage,
I'm just a regular person, you know?

The one who said she'd rather be alone

If you could only hear me now

Like, if I got my Levi's
and tennis shoes on, I'm a little girl.

Then if I'm on-stage and I sing,
I try to put a lot of feeling in my songs.

When you change, what do you become?

You become a sophisticated woman?

Yeah, lots of times if I...
Depends on how I'm dressed.

And then if I want to,
I become just a little kid.

- A little kid.
- Yeah.

Did your dad stay involved
with your career, like manage you?

- Yeah, yeah, yeah.
- For how long?

When did he hang it up
and go, "All right, Tanya..."

- He didn't. Never did. No.
- He never did, huh?

- Right up until 2006?
- Never did. Never did.

He took me everywhere he thought
could possibly get me started.

So this guy was...

I don't... Can't remember his name
or anything.

But he took my dad and my mother
in the office and he said, "Listen."

He said, "I'm gonna right you a check
right now." He wrote a $50,000 check.

And he said... He handed it to my dad,
he goes, "Here you go.

I wanna manage your daughter."

But he said,
"I don't want no daddy involved."

And my dad looked at him,
he took the check and just went...

and just walked out.
My mother, of course:

- $50,000...
- "What are you doing?"

- What was that? Like, how old were you?
- I was 11.

So this was $50,000.
That was like a lot of money.

- Yeah. Especially when you ain't got none.
- Yeah.

In fact, especially when you're...
On the way there,

my dad stopped at a gas station
because we're out of gas

and he told the guy,
"I got a brand-new jack in the back.

If you fill that tank up,
I'll give you that brand-new jack."

And the guy said, "You got it."

So he filled up the tank
and we went on to the meeting

and $50,000 would have been
real nice, you know.

And then just before that,

- he traded one of his tools for gas.
- Yeah. Yup.

- And then ripped up a $50,000 check?
- Yeah, yeah. He had balls.

- He knew what was best for you.
- He had balls of steel.

Was it protectiveness or you...?

Also, at one point,
they wanted to change my name.

They didn't want Tanya.
They wanted to change it to Tammy.

Tammy Tucker.

And my dad said, "Hell, no.

Her name is Tanya
and that's the way it's staying."

If I could just come in, I swear I'll

If I could just come in, come in, I swear

Hey, guys, can I get the proper lyrics
to "The House That Built Me"?

They're lying around there somewhere.

I got one here, Tanya,
where I wrote in our changes.

Okay.

And then they're printing one out
for you without all these scratches on it.

So it'll be... Right. And then you can do
whatever you wanted too.

I really doubt I'm gonna get
a vocal on this today.

Don't worry about it.

One, two, three.

They leave home

Move on

And you do the best you can

Lost in this whole world

- I'm not retaining much right now.
- You're doing great. You're doing great.

Yeah, I just need to get it
where I can learn it

and come back and nail it.

I know they say you can't go

Okay.

Plans were drawn, concrete poured

And nail by nail, board by board

But once the kids were grown

Shit.

Two, three, four.

I thought
If I could touch this place or feel it

This brokenness inside me
Might start healing

- First one is not good, though.
- It is.

I thought if I...

I thought...

- It's so good, Tanya.
- Pitch there.

So now you're gonna punch us in.
That very last line she just did

was so well-timed.
We'll use that one, Shooter,

- as the one she hears.
- Okay.

Maybe I can find myself

Ma'am, if I could walk around
I swear I'll leave

Won't take nothing but a memory

From the house that built me

They leave home, they move on
Then you do the best you can

I got lost in this old world

And forgot who I am

- Smoking.
- We got it.

Yup, she's done.

The king of rock 'n' roll was born today.

What would he have been, 85?

Yeah, I'm getting a little dry.

- Little dry in there? I thought so.
- Oh, Elvis's birthday today.

So let me send a...

"Happy birthday, baby," out to him.

- Happy birthday, Elvis.
- Elvis, Elvis.

Ain't nothin' but a hound dog

Crying all the time

Ladies and gentlemen, Tanya Tucker.

A lot of people have branded me
as female Elvis. I think that's neat.

Because how much higher can you get?
Yeah, Elvis is the biggest.

Can't get any bigger.

I've been wearing suits
like the "Delta Dawn" suit

and wearing dresses. Because
that's what all the other girls wore.

So then I decided,
am I gonna be like the other girls

or am I gonna be different?
And I decided I wanna be different.

And my dad wants me to be different.
He's, "If you're gonna be different,

you can't wear these long dresses
and stuff and pant suits and all that."

I said, "What are we gonna do?"

So I went shopping one day.
I found this one suit. It's a black suit.

So I bought it.

And I can also imitate Elvis in that suit.
I can't imitate him in a dress.

And I can't do songs
like "Burning Love" in a dress.

I can't just get up on stage
and stand still. I can never do that.

The power that he had in concert...

not really envied, but I really desired.

I enjoyed all those early years,
but not too many years after that,

it sort of got distorted a little bit.

Do you wanna be
the talk of the town again,

like having engagements
you have to say yes or no to?

- I toss and turn with that sometimes.
- Yeah.

Do I want this?
Sometimes I have a battle with it. Yeah.

I feel like the people
that are most successful

always feels successful
no matter what's going on.

Because if they're
doing what they love...

No.

- You don't. What do you feel like?
- Very rarely ever love it.

- Really?
- Right, yeah.

- Do you love this?
- Yes.

- Do you love playing live?
- Rarely.

I don't think I've ever come off stage...
Maybe one or two times in my whole life

and went, "Well, that was good."

It's interesting because you've inspired
generations of people.

What's your mama's name, child?

What's your mama's name?

What's your mama's name, child?

What's your mama's

Name?

- Did you think "I sound so different"?
- I didn't.

I didn't think about that much.

Because you weren't, like,
maybe that little yelp of Connie's...

I can see that,
but there just wasn't much else mimicking.

Connie and Loretta was the ones I really...

I can hear Tammy sometimes too.

- Can you?
- Yeah.

Yeah. She was something. She's good.

Because your good girl's gonna go bad

I'm gonna be the swinginest swinger
You ever had

If you like them painted up

Powdered up

Then you ought to be glad

Because your good girl's gonna go bad

Shit. Good times.

- All right, let's see if I can...
- All right.

- I don't know.
- I can do this all day.

- I know.
- All day long

I can listen to you talk.

I'd have learned to play guitar

And tell my daddy more I loved him

But I believe that for the most part

I've done good

Yeah, Tanya, that's good.

There's always sunrise

And rainbows and babies

And the little things I cherish on the way

And even though someday

They'll bury me and Jesse Ray

I believe we're gonna ride again someday

Bring my flowers now while I'm living

I won't need your love when I'm gone

Don't spend time, tears or money

On my old breathless body

If your heart is in them flowers

Bring 'em on

If your heart is in them flowers

Bring 'em on

Did I tell you the story about...
In Henderson, Nevada,

we pulled up to this "Trailer Estates,"
it was called.

- It was a trailer park, but...
- "Trailer Estates,"

- that's gonna be the name of my next band.
- Trailer Estates.

Trailer Estates.

- That's the title of your next album.
- That's it.

- Tanya Tucker, Trailer Estates.
- Trailer Estates.

And we pulled up in front of it,
and it had a "for sale" sign out front.

And we moved in.

- Right then and there?
- Then and there.

And I was 11.

We were watching a movie one night
and was watching the credits,

and my dad said,
"Hey, that woman right there..."

It was the credits for the songs.

"That woman right there
lives in Las Vegas."

I've heard her name
because he's been out and about

trying to get me started.

Her name was Dolores Fuller,

and she wrote a lot of Elvis's
movie songs.

- Okay.
- And so I said, "Let's call her."

And my dad said,
"She's probably got an unlisted number."

I said, "There's a phone...
We got a phone book with this place.

It come with this place.
So let's look it up."

And we looked in the phone book
and she was listed.

So he called her.

She said there's one guy
we gotta get, Billy Sherrill.

We're gonna meet with him.

We signed
one of those little two-bit contracts

that they give everybody.
And me and Billy sat in the office

and listened to material
people would bring it in.

And I started figuring out
that this guy...

- Had some power.
- He's a pretty powerful kind of guy.

I read that when you were 13 years old
going through your first stack of songs,

you ran across a song called
"Happiest Girl in the Whole U.S.A."

I'm the happiest girl in the whole U.S.A.

You turned it down
and you picked a song called "Delta Dawn,"

which
is a much more complex adult-type song.

Why wouldn't a 13-year-old pick up
"Happiest Girl in the Whole U.S.A."?

It's... Now that you asked me that,

I've pondered that several times,
thinking:

"There I was sitting
in Billy Sherrill's office

with Al Gallico and all these people.

Al brings in a song,
"Happiest Girl in the Whole U.S.A,"

and I said, you know,
"No, I don't like it."

And they go, "Oh, she don't like it."
The girl's got a choice, right?

But the next day, we were by ourselves
and he said, "You know, I heard a song."

Played "Delta Dawn,"
and it started out, you know:

She's 41

And I thought, "Well, that's my song."

She's 41
And her daddy still calls her "baby"

All the folks around Brownsville
Say she's crazy

Because she walks downtown
With a suitcase in her hand

Looking for a mysterious dark-haired man

In her younger days
They called her Delta Dawn

Prettiest woman you ever laid eyes on

Then a man of low degree stood by her side

And he promised her
He'd take her for his bride

Delta Dawn
What's that flower you have on?

Could it be a faded rose
From days gone by?

And did I hear you say
He was meeting you here today

To take you to his mansion in the sky?

Yeah.

Goddamn, man.

That is the shit.

I mean, I've been singing with you now
for a while, like, being in this booth

and watching you come in
and, like, know one like that

and hit it out of the park was insane.

Well, my voice is not awake yet.

- Oh, good, man.
- It's like...

Because I sing...
It's my last song in the set, you know.

And by that time,
my voice is a little lubricated.

I don't know if that's the best idea.

That's a good idea.

Okay.

- You think?
- Yeah. Oh, yeah.

You would know. Oh, shit. Bottoms up.

- And she goes, "Hair of the dog."
- All right, here we go.

I had a fucking headache
every day I've been with you.

Last thing you wanted was another drink.

God dog it. Well, all right.
Bottoms up, bitches.

I'm not tough enough for this.

She's terrified. She tried everything
she could think of to get out of this.

It's been weeks
of trying to convince Tanya

to come here and listen to this.

And she will never admit
she's scared about it, but I feel like...

She just...

Is... Has all kinds of hesitation

about what this moment
and what this movement means in her life,

and I think it's a really beautiful thing
to see somebody that strong

showing vulnerability
in the way she is around this project.

- Hi, baby.
- Hey, beautiful.

So good to see you.

All we care about is making Tanya happy

and helping her have the good life
and the respect she deserves

for the work that she's done for us.

And that's why... 100% why we're here,

because God knows
there ain't no fucking money in it.

Let me have some of that.
You can't have it all. You look nice.

- I'm sending Jimmy with me.
- Yeah.

Oh, hey! Oh, my God, my hero.

- My little Waylon.
- Yeah.

Oh, I'm so happy to see you too.

- How are you?
- Oh, I'm so happy.

- This is my mom.
- Oh, my God.

- Mom, Tanya Tucker.
- Oh, my God.

- Nice to meet you.
- Come on, Mom. Your song you used to sing:

I'm going down

-To my last teardrop this time
-Last teardrop this time

- It's true.
- Baby, I'm down to my last

- This is the reason Brandi loves me.
- Yup.

- Don't grab the mic cord.
- Right here, Mama.

So what's this I hear about
you don't like the word "comeback"?

- No, no.
- Why don't you like it? Tell me.

Because that's been beaten to death.
Every time it's a comeback.

I like "relaunch" better.

- Relaunch?
- Yeah, relaunch.

- Everybody loves a comeback.
- It's a relaunch.

Yeah, but I've come back so much,
they don't believe it no more.

- This time it's happening.
- Yeah.

I'll tell you right now
that I played it for my mom

and for Jesse Dayton.
I don't know if you know him.

But the reaction that I've gotten
every time is like, wow,

this reminds me
of the early records of yours in a way.

There's extra chairs.
Feel free to pull them up

and set them wherever you guys want.
Get comfy.

It's great to have you all here.
Especially great to meet you.

- Mama T, the original Mama T.
- Yes.

You are about to do a really brave thing.

There's been a bit of time
and space that's gone by

and you've hit different rough patches
in your life, your dad passed,

you've struggled with substance,
and here you are,

ready to do some real truth-telling

and what you have is a town right now
that is waiting for a matriarch.

And it's not about glossing anything up,
it's about doing the opposite of that.

And I think part of that
really resonates with you too.

So let's hit it.

You guys might recognize this one,
but we changed the lyrics to make it a...

different perspective.

I know they say...

Oh, shit. I'm going.

You're fine, T.

- No, no. No, no, no.
- You're not.

I just had to come back one last time

- It's gonna suck. I know it is.
- No, it isn't. No, it's great.

Ma'am I know you don't know me from Adam

Oh, fuck.

But these hand prints
On the front steps are mine

Up those stairs
In that little back bedroom

Is where they did their homework

And learned to play guitar
And I bet you didn't know

Underneath that live oak

It's fucking great.

My favorite dog is buried in the yard

I thought if I could touch this place
Or feel it

This brokenness inside me
Might start healing

Out here it's like I'm someone else

I thought that maybe I could find myself

If I could just come in
I swear...

- And that's it.
- What the hell?

Yes, ma'am.

- Oh, no.
- Yeah.

- No.
- Cheers, babe.

Do we have your blessing
to move forward with all this?

Yeah, but I just think
I should maybe punch that one line.

- Which one are you talking about?
- In "Laredo."

You have a way that you wanna do it?

- Just the last one.
- What is it you don't like?

Keep on running

- You wanna kind of go up.
- I wanna go up on the last one.

- You know...
- You know?

This album is a little bit more like...

If we do another album,
you can punch the hell out of it.

- Okay.
- I wanna tell you something.

This album is like a photograph
where you can't go back

and change what you were wearing
because you don't like bell-bottoms.

You can't go back and change the picture.

You just can't. It happened
and it happened, and we just...

If we ever did anything to it,
it wouldn't be the same studio,

wouldn't be the same microphone,
the same mood.

- I'm there. I'm good.
- It's fucking perfect, T.

We're taking it all the way.
Can I run with it?

All right.

- Okay, run with it.
- Okay.

- The new CD just came out.
- Today.

While I'm Livin'.

- Don't wait 17 years to give us new music.
- No, I didn't want to...

For a while there, I didn't really know
if I wanted to do any more.

Are you excited about this week?

Like, are you nervous?
Like, what's it like?

The amount of attention it's getting is...
I can't really wrap my head around it yet.

You know, I'm 60 years old,
so it's like, wow, what...? Why now?

- Right.
- You know?

Thank you. See you all later.

You two have such chemistry.
I can see it with the two of you.

Why was it so important to you?
You're really instrumental

in making this project happen. Why?

She's crazy.

- Something ain't right.
- What was your experience of Brandi

leading up to your meeting?

No. I... Actually, I'd never heard Brandi.

- I'd never heard of her.
- She had no idea who I was.

Which does not...
Which does not mean anything.

At one point, Shooter...
She's not the best with texting.

- No.
- At one point, Shooter texted me

and he's like, "Brandi meet Tanya,
Tanya meet Brandi."

She didn't know she was texting me,
she was texting him...

- "Who is this chick?"
- "Who is this Brandi bitch?"

Say that again.

"Who the hell is this Brandi bitch?"
she says on the text thread.

I was talking to Brandi,
and Brandi really considers you an outlaw.

Sometimes I don't hear your name
get mentioned with these icons.

Yeah, me either.

Well, why do you think that is?

Oh, I don't know.

If I were to pay attention
every time my name wasn't mentioned,

I'd be upset all the time.

I think what it made me

is I kind of went against the norm.

I moved out to California and was 18.

That was Glen Campbell years.

So it all just kind of snowballed.

Do you feel you are now
at a turning point in your career

that you're leaving behind now
the teenage years

and the little girl who became the singer
at the age of 13

and going into a maturing process
in terms of how the public perceives you

and what you do for them?

I think so. I think not only in my career
but my personal life as well.

He was already a major star
when she was still in kindergarten.

Now Tanya Tucker is 22 years old.

Glen Campbell is 44.

And it's that 20-year age difference
that's caused a lot of gossip

about their relationship.

I enjoy Tanya very much.
I have a lot of fun with her

because I think she's...
Well, she's crazy about me.

In the '70s, you were the leader
of the pack out in Los Angeles.

You had more than your share of fun.

- 1980 you met Glen Campbell.
- Yes.

You both had an affection for cocaine.

Well, it... I kind of grew into that later.

Not before I met Glen.

I felt it's my time to let loose.

And I went for it.

And I got a name.
I got a reputation that followed me.

When did you realize,
"I'm in trouble here"?

It was about two years ago. It was several
of my friends and my family.

And they did a intervention.

I went through my wild oats
like anybody else does.

Just happened to go through them
on the cover of the Enquirer.

- Thank you for coming tonight.
- Thank you.

Now, I know I'm getting
into trouble here...

It's been a hell of a year
for you, hasn't it?

- You're already in trouble.
- I know I'm in trouble.

You came to me,
you were upset when you came out here.

- Oh, well, I was joking with you.
- Come on. All right.

It's been a hell of a year, hasn't it?

A hell of a year, a heck of a year.
Sorry, Daddy.

A lot of people come to see you
in personal appearances

not only because they admire your music
and your performance,

but they have great curiosity about you

because of what they read in the tabloids
and the pulp sheets and the rags.

- Don't you think?
- I don't believe that.

I think people that read those magazines
are not record buyers, first of all.

I don't think they really...
The majority-type thing is like...

Well, I won't say the difference between
one show and another, but your show...

To be on your show sells records
because people...

A majority of people watch your show
and it sells records.

- You're really nervous, aren't you?
- I'm not.

Actually, I'm scared to death.

No, TV makes me nervous.

Well, really nervous.

Anyway, so...

I'm in rare form tonight, folks.
Better enjoy it. No.

The difference is
those people don't buy records.

You know, my voice is...

- Tired?
- Yeah.

Tired, and it's about to give up on me.

Hurry up and wait.

Man, I gotta quit smoking. Shit, I hate...
I hate the idea of having to quit smoking.

- Because I like doing it so much.
- Yeah?

Fucking ain't got a choice, though.

How much can you put in your lungs

- before they finally go, "Fuck off!"?
- Yeah.

But it's really affected me.

I think being tired was the most...
The biggest thing, but...

definitely has a lot to do
with smoking too.

Sure.

So...

I dread having to be disciplined
about anything.

You know, age will make you
eventually have discipline, but...

Hang on, just hang on for a minute

I've got something to say

I'm not asking you to move on or forget it

But these are better days

To be wrong all along and admit it
Is not amazing grace

But to be loved like a song you remember

Even when you've changed

Tell me, hey

Did I go on a tangent?

Did I lie through my teeth?

Did I cause you to stumble on your feet?

Did I bring shame on my family?

Did it show when I was weak?

When that's what you see, that will be me

That will be me, yeah

That will be me

That will be me

Mercy.

Yeah!

Dang, you guys.

That's gonna be great, man.

If your heart is in them flowers
Bring 'em on

If your heart is in them flowers
Bring 'em on

Ready for T. Waiting for T.

Waiting on Tanya Tucker

I'm gonna call Jerilyn and James,
find out what's going on.

This is an event for Loretta's birthday.

And Loretta and Tanya are friends

and Loretta has mentored
and supported Tanya.

There'll be a lot of amazing people there.

Everybody from Miranda Lambert
to Kacey Musgraves,

Garth Brooks, you name it.

A lot of people coming out
to tribute Loretta.

Tanya will be the only one
singing an original song.

A song that she wrote
with Loretta in her mind and in her heart.

So it's quite significant in that sense.

Also the only one singing
without the house band.

So it's gonna be profound and just
very real and raw, like this album.

So it's, in a way, Tanya stepping out
in front of one of her heroes

and in front of this town and saying,

"I'm back and I'm ready
to reveal myself in a new way."

And there's all these people
that are watching,

that have been a part of Tanya's past,
good and bad, that are wondering:

"Is she gonna make it?
Is she gonna come out and do this?"

And so no big deal.

I don't like to be surprised.

I can't even open my birthday presents
in front of other people.

Tanya's like a constant birthday present.

I've thought about it so many times,
like, should Tanya take media training?

Should she talk to somebody about...?

I was telling Miranda Lambert,

"You know, Tanya, she's a real wild card.

I never know what she's gonna say,
it makes me really nervous."

She's like, "At some point",

you have to accept
Tanya Tucker's fucking crazy

and you can't control what she says,
that's what we all love about her.

Just deal with it."
Takes a drink, and I was like,

"Okay, I think at some point
I'm gonna have to understand

that Tanya Tucker's crazy,

in the best possible way
that a person can be crazy."

And maybe I was put into this project

to force me
out of this rigidity that I have

around being fearful
about what people are gonna do and say.

T.T. here?

No?

- Not yet.
- Not yet, huh?

What time do I gotta leave, Ike? 5:30?

- We should... The latest 5:45.
- Okay.

- I mean, I'm pissed.
- Yeah.

She fucking knows I'm pissed.
She knows the song.

Because she's been singing
and showing it off.

Right.

But you guys needed the time. So it...

I had a bad feeling about it,
so I specifically asked them

not to put her on the official rehearsal.
I said I'll rehearse her myself

and then I'll come to the rehearsal.

And don't worry,
she'll be rehearsing tomorrow.

Because if she had been even
15 minutes late to the official rehearsal,

she'd throw off the whole timeline
in the day and then rumors would start.

- The rumors wanna start anyway.
- Oh, I know.

I never worry about a performance
when she gets there.

If she can get there, she'll be
the best thing since sliced bread.

- Yeah.
- She'll kill it.

I'm 90% sure you're right,
but I'm 10% so protective of her

in this next phase of her life
that we cannot put her on stage

at the Bridgestone Arena
unless I hear it and it's perfect.

It's all on me, this one.

I called this one in and if she...

I mean, I'll tell everybody she's sick,
I'll do anything,

except for have her stand up there
and forget the lyrics.

She just text me going, "I don't
fucking know, but you're pissing me off."

So my response is, "Fucking good."

I'll just go to my rehearsal. Call me,
and if she's in a good state of mind

and it can happen, then I'll come back.

If she's not, we'll pull her from the show

and we'll protect her
from making a fool of herself.

Okay, I'm gonna go to my rehearsal.

Sorry I'm late, guys.

That secret extra.

- Extra, you know.
- Yeah.

- Hey, T.
- Hey, babe. I'm so sorry.

It's all right.

- One thing after the other.
- It's all right, T.

But you know... Yeah, oh, no. I was like,
"I really wanna be late, yes, I do."

- No, no, no.
- For your first big thing?

- I'm ready. I'm ready.
- Okay, I'm ready too.

- Are you afraid of tomorrow night?
- No.

- No?
- Am I supposed to be?

- I don't know.
- I'm talking about just normal.

- I'm afraid of tomorrow night.
- Oh, shit.

Okay, she planted the seed.

- Now it's planted...
- It's all right.

I'm going to damn sit on that egg and go...

Are y'all ready for this?

- Yeah, it's good.
- Bad reputation's made me a good living.

"Made me a damn good living."
That's what she said.

It sounds great, Bran.
Nothing to worry about there.

- Yeah. You got it?
- Yeah.

But it is a big night. All the things
I've been running my mouth about

for the last five months are happening,
like right now.

Yeah.

Here, here?

No, like by 2 or 3 in the afternoon.

This is the kind of stuff
I want in my horse stalls.

Just like this.

Look, my Lee press-on nails
look pretty good, don't they?

Calling on T.T. to the stage.

Hi.

Hi, y'all.

I've got your picture

That you gave to me

And it's signed with love

Just like it used to be

The only thing different

The only thing new

I've got your little things

She's got you

You sang your ass off.

- Well. She ain't got one no more.
- Cool, man.

Shit.

Lookit, my hands are shaking.

I'm a nervous piano player,
I'll get it right.

I'm a nervous singer. I'm a nervous wreck.

- How's that?
- If I'm singing, I'm good.

If I'm trying to back you up,
that scares me.

- Oh, hell, no.
- It's good to be scared.

- Well...
- And I'm scared.

Yeah, me too. I think I got you beat.

Oh, it goes...

So if you got love

Then you're sitting on a gold mine

And you can't take it with you when you go

This one here.

So don't wait, help your sister

Forgive your brother and your neighbor

We all think

Yeah, that's the one.

It comes in a little earlier, didn't it?
I mean, than the other one.

- No, it's exactly the same time.
- One more time.

Forgive your brother and your neighbor

We all think, yeah, we got the time
Until we don't

Your voice sounds good.

- Why does it sound so good today?
- I have no idea.

What did you do? Steroid shot in your ass?

I'm fixing to, though.

You don't need it. You sound crazy good.

- Okay.
- You sounded great too.

I ain't never heard that song
sung like that ever.

- Thank you.
- Ever.

I'm comfortable, like, doing that.
Like, I can do that.

I can do the vocal aerobics,
and the throw down thing,

but it's this, like we're saying something
that really means something

and I don't wanna screw this up.

Like, I don't wanna be the one...
I'm just terrified.

Well, you're gonna fine
because it's gonna be perfect.

All there is to it.

Well, I was born a coal miner's daughter

I feel like I've been carrying her
since we started this thing

and tonight, she's actually more prepared
for... I think to do this than I am.

- She's gonna be carrying me.
- Oh, she totally will be.

- A little bit.
- I can just tell.

Socials.

I get to introduce another legend
that would like to sing a special song.

Somebody that you might love very much
and find familiar.

The great Tanya Tucker.

Thank you so much.

Happy birthday, my girlfriend.

My hero.

I love you.

Bring my flowers now, while I'm living

I won't need your love when I'm gone

Don't spend time, tears or money

On my old breathless body

If your heart is in them flowers
Bring 'em on

All the miles

Cast a long shadow

I'd take a couple back if I could

I'd have learned to play guitar

Told my daddy more I loved him

But I believe, for the most part
I done good

There's always sunrise

And rainbows and babies

And the little things I cherish on my way

Even though one day

They'll bury me and Jesse Ray

I just know we're gonna ride again someday

I could not be happier with that.

Could you see the people's eyes?

I was looking. He told me to look
at everyone's eyes. So I did.

- Oh, shit.
- I'm looking in people's eyes.

You have a way, man. You open your mouth
and it's like... silent.

Even when you're telling your stories,

it's like you gotta know that you're
sanctioned. Like, you have something.

But you've always known that,
but you have something from another place.

It's a real thing.

Well, I'm happy that it's transferring.

Because I tell you what, for three minutes
that song was, about 3:15?

- Yeah.
- It was heaven.

Was it?

- That's what it's gonna be like.
- It was heaven.

So the label...
We went for dinner last night.

First, they were overwhelmed
with how great yesterday went.

- Awesome.
- So the second thing is

we gotta talk about strategy
for this record.

To make sure everybody hears it.

Every time we talk about strategy,
I'm pulled back into the Rick Rubin...

direction with American Recordings

and the stuff that he did
for Cash around that, you know?

Johnny Cash did like a House of Blues,
Viper Room, Mercury, Bowery-type tour.

- Right.
- It just was like, "Oh, my God.

Did you get tickets
to the Johnny Cash show?

Place only holds 400 people."

This music will lend itself to that,
people feel it's intimate and lovely.

The truth about Tanya's
hard ticket game is that

she might only be able
to sell 500 tickets.

So selling out a 400-seat club
makes it look like

she could have sold 2,000 tickets,
you know.

We all do it. We all do it to, like, help
pay for the cost of the road and stuff.

It's not like Tanya can never go
into a casino again,

it's just that, like, if you do more hip,
perception-based gigs than casino gigs,

then you're gonna change that.

- Yeah.
- Yeah, and we...

Optics on what Tanya Tucker does
on the road.

But it's gonna be meager for a while,
like, hard to make ends meet.

Yeah. We are all in.

And we looked at each other
and said, "Are we insane?"

- We're gonna find out.
- If you're insane, we're all insane.

We're all insane, so... But we believe.
And shit, you know, music does this to us.

Show me the pictures, the ones we chose.

No, first...

- Last one's a charm.
- Here we go.

- The only thing I worry about. The...
- Oh, never mind.

You're talking about the camel toe?

- That camel toe rules.
- You wanna leave the camel toe?

- Don't take that thing out.
- Okay.

Man, when you can rock a camel toe,
you are like a boss bitch.

- But...
- She said to leave the camel toe.

Okay, here's what Brandi says:

"What new songs should we learn
for these shows coming up

and what old songs should we do of mine?"

She says, "Well, you can't go wrong,
people love 'What's Your Mama's Name, '"

'Delta, "Strong Enough," Last Teardrop.'

An acoustic version of 'Two Sparrows'
will rip folks to bits.

"I can't wait to see one."

You know, I come from the Elvis,
you know...

thing. I told them that last night.
So you know:

- You know?
- An introduction, yeah.

And I'm talking about, you know...

- And then you go out singing something...
- Great.

Oh, see, C.C. rider

Right.

So, I got that Elvis syndrome going on.

I don't have the Neil Young syndrome,
where you go out and just

walk out on stage and go, "Hi, everybody."

And go into:

Old man, take a look at my life

And then do a bunch of songs
that I've never heard in my life.

- If it makes you...
- And I'm bored to death.

If it makes you uncomfortable to do that,

then start with "Trouble"
and then go into those.

If "Trouble" gives you a comfort zone,
start with it.

'Cause that's what you gotta warm
up your vocal with anyway, basically.

Yeah.

I'd move like... "A Little Too Late" up.

- Up where?
- After "Stroll."

It's a fast-tempo song
and another fast-tempo song.

Right, but don't you want to have
your newer ones before that?

I'm 60, you know.

- I know you're 60.
- I gotta get my breath.

So, this is what I came up with.

Okay, that's what I came up
with last night. "Blood Red."

- "Jamestown Ferry."
- Yeah, yeah.

-"What's Your Mama's Name,""Lay With Me,"
-Yeah.

"Don't Bleed My Heart"
and "Stand Another Year."

Yeah. I'm getting cold chills. Yeah.

And then "Strong Enough to Bend,"

"Lizzie."

- Say, hi, Uncle Craig.
- Hey, baby.

- And then go into the new stuff.
- Yeah. Yeah, yeah.

Yeah. "This is what I am. You don't like
that, you can get your ass out right now."

- They'll love it.
- I know it.

- "Hello, I'm Tanya fucking Tucker."
- I know it. I know.

I'm gonna tell you how it's gonna be

You're gonna give your loving to me

Love lasts more than one day

Tanya Tucker's new album is TNT,

and it's her most dynamic, most exciting,

and most explosive one yet.

I wanted to bring country music
to a new level.

And these people didn't know how to do it.

And it kind of bit me
in the you-know-what.

I wanted to be a singing entertainer.

And I told my dad,

I said, "They think we're still in
horse and buggy down here in Nashville."

It was Charlie Douglas.
Big, you know, DJ in New Orleans.

He called every major radio guy

and said, "No,
don't play Tanya Tucker, man.

She's left country music.
She's betrayed us."

When you started, there was no real place
you could look for direction.

And what you were doing,
you were what, 12, 13?

- Oh, yeah.
- And no one had really done that.

- No. No one available.
- No.

- Not in our business.
- No.

- You were the one. You took chances.
- Right.

I don't like to be called
a country singer.

Not to offend anybody,

I rather be called a singer because
when they call you a country singer,

or you're a rock singer,
they're limiting you.

- Right.
- And I can do anything.

I feel like I can sing rock or country.

Can you remind me to tell Jodi
to have a bottle of tequila up there?

On my table?

I just wish everybody'd get really drunk.

So then they would...

not know how bad I'm gonna be.

Do you think I should put...
Take this out.

And put in "Texas," or...

- I thought I'd do it.
- Take what out?

"Little Too Late."

Yeah, I would.

I'd do "Texas."

Instead of "Little Too Late"?

Well, you asked me.

- I know.
- Yeah.

I'm trying to shorten this motherfucker,
not lengthen it.

A woman's life ain't just a list
Of the bad

Of the bad things she has done

All I can say is, I'm glad
there's a teleprompter up there.

The problem is, can I read it?

- Tanya, are you on there?
- Hi, darling.

Hi, baby. How are you?

Oh, I'm a little tired, but I'm here.

- I wish you was here.
- Where you at?

I'm at the Exit/In in Nashville.

Oh, in Nashville?

Getting ready to go on.

Oh, my goodness.

- I love you, honey.
- I love you so much,

- and I...
- You know you're my number one.

Well, you're my number one, you know that.

Oh, I love you, Retti.

We love you. No over-singing.
Remember, it's just Nashville.

Lot of real good friends of mine
in the house tonight.

I want to say thank you to all of them,

and of course I want to say
thank you to Brandi Carlile.

How about it for my daughter and Spencer?

Reverie Lane.

Thank you all for being here.

When I die, I may not go to heaven

I don't know if they let cowboys in

If they don't, just let me go to Texas

'Cause Texas is as close as I've been

Help us out.

When I die

I may not go to heaven

Come on!

I don't know if they let cowboys in

If they don't
Just let me go to Texas with y'all

'Cause Texas is as close as I've been

Okay, so, it's been since 2002
that you've made new music.

17 years, yeah.

So, 17 years. I mean,
there are human beings driving now

that were born 17 years ago.

Why did you wait so long?

I think maybe there's
two answers to that,

but the one that comes
to the top of my head would be...

You know, after losing my parents,

you know, I really kind of lost my mojo.

And I just thought...
I didn't have a manager,

didn't want one,

because I couldn't imagine anybody
managing me but my dad.

So, I went through a lot of things.

So, me and my daughter
got in a three-horse slant-load trailer

with my Ford truck and we just started,
you know, just being gypsies.

And that worked for a little while.

And then Merle Haggard called me
and said, "What are you doing?"

I go, "Well, I don't think I'm gonna do it
no more. I think I'm done doing it."

He goes, "You can't do that.
You've got to get back out there

and you gotta get to doing
what you do the best."

Okay. Time check, ten minutes.

I'm nervous this is all
gonna be for nothing.

Should I make myself a blessing

To everyone I meet

And when you fall
I will get you on your feet

Did I spend time with my family

Here we are!

- Here we are.
- T.T.?

Let's get started. Here's the nominations.

- Oh, my God.
- Has it already started?

It's on, come on.

Solo Performance...

"Bad Guy," Billie Eilish.

"7 Rings," Ariana Grande.

"Truth Hurts," Lizzo.

"You Need to Calm Down," Taylor Swift.

For Best Country Song.

The nominees are...

Best Country Song.

"Bring My Flowers Now."

Oh, my God! Best Country Song!

- And Tanya Tucker.
- Yes!

Song is by Tanya Tucker.

"Girls Going Nowhere..."

Oh, my God!

Best Country Song.

Oh, my God.

"It All Comes Out in the Wash"
is by Miranda Lambert.

Yeah! Oh, my God!
I never would've thought.

Are you happy?

Are you happy, baby?

You happy, baby?

Oh, my God.

- The very first one.
- Yeah.

What was that for?

- Best Country Song.
- Best Country Song.

Oh, my God. Oh, my God.

We're gonna announce the next category,
which is Song of the Year.

Okay. The nominees are...

"Always Remember Us This Way,"

and the songwriters are Natalie Hemby,
Lady Gaga,

Hillary Lindsey, and Lori McKenna.

"Bad Guy," Billie Eilish O'Connell...

The horses in the back

and Finneas O'Connell.

- "Bring My Flowers Now"...
- Oh, my God!

Brandi Carlile, Phil Hanseroth,

Tim Hanseroth, and Tanya Tucker.

Oh, my God. Song of the Year!

Song of the Year.

Country Song of the Year
and Song of the Year.

Oh, my God.

- Are you kidding me?
- My God!

Jesus Christ.

Well...

My God.

Are you serious? There is no way!

There... It's real!

Melissa Jefferson and Jesse Saint John.

What category is this?

Song of the Year.

- Yeah, but of all...? Of all genres?
- Of all.

- Of everything.
- Yeah.

Like, the big one. Like, the big one.

Hold on, I'll put you on speaker.
I'm here with Tanya, and Craig, and James.

You're on speaker phone.

Hi. I have the full list,

so I know all of it.

Do we want her to read it?

It's good news.

It's good news?

It's more than two.

- It's more than three.
- It's more than three.

- Oh, my God. You guys...
- It's more than three.

No, no, no.

Oh, my God. Okay.

- Oh, this is wonderful.
- Congrats!

Let's celebrate!

Call Brandi Carlile.

Calling Brandi Carlile.

Might have to pick up. Is it downstairs?

Hi, Tanya.

How you feel this morning?

Congratulations!

Congratulations to you.

I just want to say, I never...

Never would I have ever imagined
this happening.

And you guys have been

solid, a solid force,

and I could never have done it
without you,

nor would I have wanted to.

So... Brandi knows that.

I didn't want to.

I didn't want to, but you know what?

I'm so glad I was wrong,

and I'm just... I can't be happier.

Thank you all for everything. Everybody.

Brandi, Tanya leads in country with nods
in three of the four categories.

She leads all country artists.

"The resurgent Tanya Tucker
leads in country."

In the main category, T.

That means you're gonna be
sitting on the floor.

It's gonna be a big deal.

And you'll be sitting there with me.

- Right by your side.
- Yeah.

- Hey, guys.
- Hey.

Well, we got stuck.

Did you have to get him out?

- Good. How are you?
- Good.

This is so pretty.

You come move in here,
stay here anytime you want.

- Oh, my God.
- I know you don't get to Seattle...

I don't get to the West...

- too much, but that could change.
- Yeah.

Wow, this is so nice.

That over there.

- That was a gift.
- Yeah, I know,

- you sent me a picture of it.
- "Easy Street."

This is such a great place.
Something to be really proud of.

- Thanks.
- You really...

You worked your butt off
and you deserve it.

You got life insurance?

I don't know, babe.

- I don't know.
- Nice knowing you.

I can't believe I'm pouring
Dom Perignon in your grapefruit juice.

Yeah. It's mighty fine.

I just poured like $75 in there.

We need a race.

- Hey, you wanna race?
- Wanna race.

We got stuck on the hill.

Yeah!

Have you ever been nominated
for a Grammy outside of country?

I have no idea.

The first one, I was 14, though.
I remember that.

Are you kidding me?

But you still haven't won one. Crazy.

I don't know a better loser anywhere.

Did you think this would happen?

No, I had no clue.

- You had no clue?
- Nope.

We knew it would happen.

We knew it the whole time,
from the first day.

It's a... Thank you guys all,
for having the vision,

driving around in your cars,
listening to my music,

- Googling me.
- Thank you.

- And I love you.
- I love you too.

Brandi, I love you too.
Goddang talented gal.

Go down every avenue you can.

Oh, yeah, there we go. Amazing.

It looks good. That looks great.

Nice bum!

Great. I love it, guys.

I know who that's for.

- Mom and Daddy.
- Look at that, it's my parents.

- Right there on your arm.
- Named Beau and Juanita.

Isn't that awesome?

- And look at that.
- So this is "Two Sparrows in a Hurricane."

Oh, gosh!

One flip of the hat, you change
your whole attitude, you know?

Hi, y'all. I'm Brandi.

Is there anything you'd like to say
before we get this day started?

Shall we open the champagne?

Too early.

What is your inner thoughts right now?

My inner thoughts are...

that someone said I should...

get four pieces of paper,
since I'm up for four awards...

and kind of write a...

A different kind of thing for every award.

- And that...
- Don't forget that.

I want to thank Brandi and Shooter
for having a vision

that I did not have.

A vision of my future,
that my music could be important

in my future, not just my past.

Yeah.

I want to say something like,
"Awards are..."

I'm not really...

I'm not used to getting any awards.

If it wasn't for Brandi,
I wouldn't be here. I'm pretty sure.

Hey, Brandi.

Oh, man, I'm running around like a
one-legged man in an ass-kicking contest.

Tryin' to get my shit together for today.
I was callin' to see how you were feelin'.

Well, I'm a lot better.

By the grace of God.

So I took my last breathing treatment
because it makes me nervous.

- Oh, yeah?
- That's the last thing I need to be.

You got this. You got this.

Lot of emotion floating around here.

I wanna go around wanting to cry
all the time and I don't even cry.

You know what? It's good. That's all good.

You guys have everything, correct?

- Yep.
- Shit.

If she doesn't get one, this recognition,

through an award,

what more could have been done?

- Okay.
- Here's the other earring. Here.

I'll get this.

- Okay, that's good.
- Good?

Is Rod fixing my hair?

Am I going out like this?

He's coming.

Where the hell is he?

There. Where'd you go?

Just trying to find superglue.

Get somebody else.
You're supposed to be doing my hair.

There's a million people
to do that shit.

- Yeah, take it.
- Okay. Here.

- Can you hold this?
- Yeah.

- It's good.
- Come on.

Come on! It's all fun and good from here.

- Yeah.
- Let's rock and roll.

Let's do this!

No matter what happens...

And everyone
who voted to get you here cares.

You look beautiful. Good luck.

- Okay.
- I got this. Right here.

Right now, it is time for music's
biggest night of the year.

That's right. The Grammy Awards
are finally here.

Tanya Tucker is here.
She has had quite a journey

the last few years.

Kind of doing nothing at all,

and now she's suddenly back
with multiple nominations

for her first album of original music
in 17 years.

Happy Grammys day.

Both huge nights for you guys!
How are you feeling?

I don't know how to say what I'm feeling.
It's just... I'm overjoyed.

For Best Country Song,
a songwriter's award...

And the Grammy goes to...

"Bring My Flowers Now."

Thank you.

You know, after...

almost 50 years in this business,

after many dreams...

and it's still unbelievable to me
that I'd still have a few firsts left.

So after 14 trips,

14 nominations,

this is the first win, and I...

I can't believe it.

Me and Shooter asked Tanya
why she hasn't made an album

in almost 20 years,

and she said it's because
when her mom and her dad died,

she just couldn't do it anymore.

And that she thought that it meant
there was more love

behind her in her life than ahead of her,

and she knows that's not true right now.

- Thank you.
- Thank you all!

I feel like the gates are wide open

for me to be able to do
some of the things I know I'm capable of,

but just never had the avenue.
Couldn't find the right road.

It's been a long, hard climb,

but I'm sitting here
at the edge of the hill

still looking up at Mount Everest,

and I finally got my hiking boots on
and I'm ready to go.

Someone was asking me
about what I thought about this album,

and I said, "Well, it's a beginning."

Would you please make welcome
to the stage of the Grand Ole Opry,

Miss Tanya Tucker.

I felt you calling

I saw you start

From the old town movies
To the bars on the boulevard

The bells were ringing

For a gypsy soul

Straight to the smart-mouth
Little girl from Seminole

All you outlaws and the Opry queens

That wrapped those golden arms
Around the baby of the family

To stand beside you then
Was more than enough

I always was
And always will be looking up

So gather around now

It's time to sing

It's bittersweet
But it's a hell of a silver lining

I tell the same old stories

Y'all get your wings

And I get better every time
I kiss a weathered cheek

And watching doves fly

Sooner than me

I guess I'm ready
Ready as I'll never be

The snow don't fall on Willcox

And the whip-poor-will don't lie

Are the two things you can count on

And if you blink
You're gonna miss it twice

Even if I saw it coming
Even if I wanted to

You're just going to the one place left

That I can't follow you

So gather around now
It's time to sing

It's bittersweet
But it's a hell of a silver lining

I tell the same old stories

Y'all get your wings

And I get better every time
That I don't know

Ain't no debts to repay

Even if you're light years away

May the circle be unbroken

Let it breathe through you

So one sweet day

Whoa, happy day

Gather around now

It's time to sing

It's bittersweet
But it's a hell of a silver lining

I tell the same old stories
Y'all get your wings

And I'll get better every time
I kiss a weathered cheek

And watching doves fly
Sooner than me

I guess I'm ready
Ready as I'll never be

I'm ready as I'll never be