I’ve always liked this song and Tanya’s voice. This song was first recorded by Alexander Harvey in 1972. Tracy Nelson (who sang backup on the original) and Bette Midler put the song in their live repertoire before it became a country hit for a 13-year-old Tanya.
The song peaked at #6 in the Country Charts, #3 in Canada and #72 in the Billboard 100 in 1972.
Helen Reddy would take the song to #1 in the Billboard 100 in 1973.
Barbra Streisand passed on the song after the backing track had been recorded by her producer without her prior knowledge.
Delta Dawn
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-meeting you here today
To take you to his mansion in the sky?
She’s forty-one and her daddy still calls her “baby”
All the folks around Brownsville say she’s crazy
‘Cause she walks dowtown 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 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 a-meeting you here today
To take you to his mansion in the sky?
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-meeting you here today
To take you to his mansion in the sky?
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-meeting you here today
To take you to his mansion in the sky?
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-meeting you here today
To take you to his mansion in the sky?
PowerPop... An Eclectic Collection of Pop Culture 
Me and my dad went to her old family farm one time when they had sold it and they were auctioning or selling the farm equipment. I was around 7 or 8 years old so I can’t remember much about it. It was outside of Nashville somewhere maybe near you?
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I worked on her ranch when I was 17 and 18. Tuckohoe Farms… They raised race horses… She had already sold it by then. A judge owned it. It’s on the way to Dickson
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Maybe they were just selling the equipment and I guess they still owned the Ranch. I was young and it was a long time ago.
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I worked there in 84-85…I was always hoping she would come back to visit but never did of course…
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that’s rather cool! Too bad she didn’t visit though
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I bought this album with piggy bank money, and tried to sing like Tanya. Thank goodness there weren’t smartphones and social media then, or my mom would certainly have secretly recorded me and shared it on Facebook.
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Great story lol. I like her voice. She could have been a rock singer just as easy.
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wow, that’s quite good. I’ve never heard her version of it before (I remember the Helen Reddy version well)
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Tanya’s voice is throaty…I’ve always liked it
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not bad for a 13 year old. Where is she now??
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Not bad at all… she could have been a rock singer with that voice
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She did sing a few rock tunes they are on YouTube.
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Yea singing more rock type songs but never a rock singer. She had the voice to be one.
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