Here’s a song that was first recorded by Bette Midler, made into a country hit for Tanya Tucker, and became a huge mainstream hit for Helen Reddy. The song is “Delta Dawn” and it’s today’s classic song of the day.
“Delta Dawn” was written by Larry Collins and Alex Harvey. The lyrics tell the story of a faded Southern belle who’s haunted by the long-ago memory of a suitor who rejected her. Mr. Harvey said the song was inspired by his mother, who died in a car crash:
“My mother had come from the Mississippi Delta and she always lived her life as if she had a suitcase in her hand but nowhere to put it down.”
The first recording of “Delta Dawn” was made by a young Bette Midler for her debut album, The Divine Miss M. In fact, the song was originally intended as the album’s first single, for release in May of 1973. That decision was reversed when Helen Reddy rushed her version to market; Ms. Midler’s single was then flipped and the original B-side, “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy,” became the A-side—and a huge hit on its own.
Before Bette Midler released her recording, however, famous Nashville producer Billy Sherrill heard Ms. Midler sing the song on The Tonight Show and convinced Tanya Tucker to record it. (Actually, his first instinct was to have Ms. Midler record it for Epic Records, but she had already signed with Atlantic Records.) Tanya Tucker’s single of “Delta Dawn” was released in April of 1972 and went all the way to #6 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart (and #72 on the Billboard Hot 100).
In the meantime, producer Tom Catalano used studio musicians to create a vocal-less version of “Delta Dawn” for him to shop around to potentially interested singers. He first offered the song to Barbra Streisand, who turned him down. Next up was Helen Reddy, who knew a good tune when she heard it. She released her version of “Delta Dawn” in June of 1973 and it shot to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, Cash Box Top 100, and Billboard’s Easy Listening charts. (It was also #1 in Canada, New Zealand, and her native Australia.) That’s the version we all remember today.
So here’s today’s daily bonus video of the day, Helen Reddy in a live performance of “Delta Dawn.” It was one of the singer’s three number-one hits, the other two being “Angie Baby” and the iconic “I Am Woman.”
