Two-time Grammy-winning entertainment legend and Country Music Hall of Fame inductee Tanya Tucker’s new song, “When the Rodeo is Over (Where Does the Cowboy Go?),” is debuting today. Listen/share HERE.
Reflecting on the song, Tanya shares, “I was in LA, the night before the first session started. Brandi sent me a song, saying ‘If you like it, we’ll start with it. I gave it to Craig [Dillingham, Tanya’s boyfriend] to listen to. He comes back in a minute, and I asked him, ‘Did you like it?’ and he says, ‘Like it? Hell, I wrote it!’ He’d never pitched it to me, but Brandi did. It’s one of those songs that just stays with you.”
“When the Rodeo is Over (Where Does the Cowboy Go?)” is the second song unveiled from Tanya’s highly-anticipated new album, Sweet Western Sound, which will be released June 2 on Fantasy Records (pre-order/pre-save). Ahead of the release, album track, “Kindness,” recently debuted, of which Music Row declares, “Pensive and powerful…the living legend exudes enduring charisma in this stunning, stirring performance,” while Consequence praises, “the track really centers Tucker’s classic voice as she recalls her storied life with a sense of hard-fought strength.”
Produced once again by Brandi Carlile and Shooter Jennings, Sweet Western Sound reunites the award-winning trio following the release of Tanya’s landmark 2019 album, While I’m Livin’. Her first new album in 17 years, While I’m Livin’ reintroduced Tanya to a new generation and went on to win the GRAMMY for Best Country Album as well as Best Country Song for its poignant single, “Bring My Flowers Now.”
Sweet Western Sound stands on Tanya’s exquisitely warm and wizened vocals and a spectacular collection of cut-deep songs—an assertive and confident declaration of vitality and purpose from an irrepressible and irreplaceable country music icon. In addition to songs by Tanya, Carlile and Jennings, the album features contributions from Bernie Taupin, Phil and Tim Hanseroth, JT Nero, Billy Don Burns and Craig Dillingham as well as a voicemail-generated rhyme from Tanya’s hero and close friend, the late great Billy Joe Shaver, which opens and closes the album.
In celebration of the new music, Tanya will kick off her “Sweet Western Sound Tour” this summer including a special “Texas Takeover” run with shows at Lubbock’s Buddy Holly Hall, Helotes’ John T. Floore’s Country Store, Houston’s Heights Theater (two nights) and Fort Worth’s Billy Bob’s. Additional stops along the tour include New York, NY, Atlanta, GA, Knoxville, TN and Fayetteville, AR. See below for tour itinerary. Additional dates to be announced soon.
“Sweet Western Sound is another revelation and I'm excited to see what folks think of our new endeavor,” says Tanya. “It's ALWAYS a trip working with Brandi and Shooter. I didn't know if we’d be working together again on a new album after While I’m Livin’!! But we did it! Lots of new things we did this time and I even co-wrote some of the songs, which means a lot to me. Brandi says we're MAGIC together, and I'm starting to believe her!!!!”
Born in Seminole, Texas, Tanya had her first country hit, the classic “Delta Dawn,” at the age of 13 in 1972. Since that auspicious beginning, she has become one of the most admired and influential artists in country music history, amassing 23 Top 40 albums and a stellar string of 56 Top 40 singles, ten of which reached the No. 1 spot on the Billboard country charts. Tanya’s indelible songs include some of country music’s biggest hits such as the aforementioned “Delta Dawn,” “Soon,” “Two Sparrows in a Hurricane,” “It’s a Little Too Late,” “Trouble,” “Texas (When I Die),” “If It Don’t Come Easy” and “Strong Enough To Bend.” Tanya is also the recipient of numerous awards, including two CMAs, two ACMs and three CMT awards. In 2020, Tanya received two GRAMMY® Awards for Best Country Album: While I’m Livin’ and Best Country Song: “Bring My Flowers Now.” In October 2022 “The Return of Tanya Tucker, Featuring Brandi Carlile,” a documentary that chronicles the resurgence in Tucker’s career following the success of her aforementioned 2019 album While I’m Livin’, hit theaters globally via Sony Pictures Classics. Lauded by The New York Times, the documentary raves that Tanya “hasn’t lost a step in terms of phrasing. The teardrop in her voice, strategically used in heartache songs, remains credible. [The doc] interweaves the contemporary sessions…better-than-competent piece of fan service.” In December 2022, Tanya made her acting debut in a lead role in Paramount’s “A Nashville Country Christmas,” starring alongside Academy Award® winner Keith Carradine. On the spirits side, the country icon’s signature tequila, Tanya Tucker’s Cosa Salvaje Tequila, is now available in 14 U.S. states and Canada, with additional stores carrying the tequila every day. To order Tanya Tucker’s Cosa Salvaje Tequila, visit CosaSalvajeTequila.com. To keep up with Tanya Tucker, go to TanyaTucker.com!
TRACK LIST
SWEET WESTERN SOUND
1. Tanya (written by Billy Joe Shaver, Tanya Tucker)
2. Kindness (written by Tim Hanseroth, Phil Hanseroth)
3. Breakfast In Birmingham featuring Brandi Carlile (written by Brandi Carlile, Bernie Taupin)
4. Waltz Across a Moment (written by Shooter Jennings)
5. Ready As I’ll Never Be (written by Brandi Carlile, Tanya Tucker)
6. The List (written by Brandi Carlile, Tanya Tucker)
7. Letter To Linda (written by Tanya Tucker, Shooter Jennings)
8. City of Gold (written by JT Nero)
9. That Wasn’t Me (written by Brandi Carlile, Tim Hanseroth, Phil Hanseroth)
10. When The Rodeo Is Over (Where Does the Cowboy Go?) (written by Billy Don Burns, Craig Dillingham)
TANYA TUCKER CONFIRMED TOUR DATES
May 12—Biloxi, MS—Golden Nugget Casino
May 13—Lake Charles, LA—Golden Nugget Casino
May 18—Prior Lake, MN—Mystic Lake Casino Hotel
May 20—Saint Michael, ND—Spirit Lake Casino
June 3—Nashville, TN—Ryman Auditorium
June 4—Nashville, TN—Ryman Auditorium
June 11—George, WA—The Gorge Amphitheatre*
June 17—Martinsville, IN—Morgan County Fairgrounds+
June 23—Lubbock, TX—The Buddy Holly Hall
June 24—Helotes, TX—John T. Floore’s Country Store
June 27—Houston, TX—The Heights Theater
June 28—Houston, TX—The Heights Theater
June 30—Fort Worth, TX—Billy Bob’s
July 1—Miami, OK—Buffalo Run Casino
July 22—Fort St. John, BC—Energetic County Fair
July 26—Vancouver, BC—Commodore Ballroom
July 30—White Sulphur Springs, MT—Red Ants Pants Music Festival
September 7—Marietta, OH—The Peoples Bank Theatre (on-sale May 1)
September 9—Orillia, ON—Casino Rama Entertainment Centre (on-sale date TBA)
September 14—New York, NY—SummerStage in Central Park
September 15—Shippensburg, PA—H. Ric Luhrs Performing Arts Center
September 22—Florence, KY—Turfway Park Event Center
September 23—Huntsville, AL—Orion Amphitheater#
September 28—Knoxville, TN—Tennessee Theatre
September 29—Atlanta, GA—Atlanta Symphony Hall
October 4—Fayetteville, AR—Walton Arts Center – Baum Walker Hall
*with The Highwomen
+co-headline with Ashley McBryde and special guests Neal McCoy and Easton Corbin
#with Brandi Carlile
