Altoona Mirror
Who Hit The Airwaves First With “Delta Dawn”
October 20, 1993
Q. We have a question. Who first made it to the airwaves with the song “Delta Dawn” – Helen Reddy or Tanya Tucker? – L.C. and A.S., Idaho Falls, Idaho
A. “Delta Dawn” has a wild history. It was first recorded by one of its co-writers, Alex Harvey. Then
Tracy Nelson and her group, Mother Earth, performed it and Bette Midler heard it, liked it, began singing it in her act and it was on her first album. Tanya Tucker, who was only 13 at the time, recorded it for MCA, but it never got higher on the charts than 12. It was Helen teddy’s version that became the big hit.
