Tornado headed for Merritt

The last time the diva of country music was in Merritt she promised to return.

She wasn’t lying.

This summer, Tanya Tucker will help celebrate the 15th anniversary of the Merritt Mountain Music Festival when she takes to the main stage on Sunday, July 15.

Tucker performed at the first Merritt Mountain Music Festival in 1993, so it is fitting she should join in this important anniversary.

Tucker, known as the Texas Tornado, has been called one of the finest song stylists in any genre, a singer who owns the patent on any song she sings.

Tucker’s inimitable vocal styling and soulful performances have resulted in a string of hit albums and singles, garnered hundreds of honors and awards and made her a country music legend.

She was born on Oct. 10, 1958 in Seminole, Texas.

Tucker was 13 when a Las Vegas songwriter introduced her to legendary record producer Billy Sherrill. He soon signed her to Columbia Records and recorded the first hit song, Delta Dawn.

Last spring, Tucker made a brief appearance in Merritt while on her way to a concert in Kamloops. While she was in the city she made a hand print and signed her mural on Voght Street.

The large crowd that gathered was not disappointed by the brief performance. With such a devoted following, she is a strong addition to the 2007 lineup.

She will join Gretchen Wilson and the Road Hammers, who are set to take to the stage on Thursday, July 12, and Jamie O’Neal and Emerson Drive on Saturday, July 14.

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