Tanya Tucker has been considered the female Elvis Presley ever since she broke out with her 1972 hit, “Delta Dawn,” a song she’s been performing since she was 13 years old.
Tucker once met Presley at one of his Las Vegas concerts, and during the iHeartCountry radio remotes leading up to Wednesday’s (June 5) 2019 CMT Music Awards, she said that night, she diverted his attempt to kiss her.
“I didn’t have a crush on him,” she told CMT.com. “I just wanted to hang out with him. I never wanted to kiss him or anything.
“I went to see him for the first time in Vegas, and after we talked a little while, I was 17, and he went to kiss me, and I gave him the little side cheek. And that beautiful smile that he had just come out, and I think he was a little shocked. But it was a moment I’ll never forget. And he was beautiful.”
Tucker gave Presley a nod when she swiveled her hips during her dynamic “Delta Dawn” performance at the CMT Awards. Tucker made her awards show return with Shooter Jennings, Brandi Carlile and twins Phil and Tim Hanseroth backed by an iconic country diva choir that included Deana Carter, Martina McBride, Trisha Yearwood, Carly Pearce, Lauren Alaina and RaeLynn.
Tucker’s first album in 17 years, While I’m Livin’, produced by Carlile and Jennings, arrives Aug. 23.
