Elvis Presley once nicknamed a teenage girl “female Elvis” for her musical prowess; however, she rejected the Rock ‘n’ Roll king after he started to take things beyond singing. Tanya Tucker was only 13 when she made her first number-one hit song, “Delta Dawn,” which put her on the map as a country singer to look out for.
Tanya admitted to getting her inspiration from the late star, who quickly noticed her and graced one of her shows in Denver, Colorado. She recalled the moment, as a member of Elvis’ team, Mamma Mae Boren Axton, asked what he thought of Tanya, and he, without much thought, called her his female version.
Who Elvis Presley deemed “the female Elvis”
Elvis was known to be a serial womanizer, and Tanya was not spared from his gaze. She initially claimed he was unaware of her age and immediately withdrew his advances upon learning she was just a teenager; however, she contradicted that narrative during a 2019 interview on Watch What Happens Live.
Tanya narrated how her father advised her to reject Elvis’ advances as their work relationship advanced. She recalled how he tried to kiss her and bickered with her constantly to visit him at Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee. Tanya claims she turned him down each time because she did not want to be one of the girls he could have his way with.
She thought Elvis was wonderful
Despite the constant advances and inappropriate behavior towards her teenage self, Tanya considered Elvis a wonderful man and, in her words, everything she imagined him to be. Long after Elvis’ demise in 1977, Tanya has maintained her audience and continues to make music until now.
The 66-year-old went on to win her first two Grammy Awards in 2020 “Bring My Flowers Now,” and “While I’m Livin,’” which was produced by Shooter Jennings and Brandi Carlile. She also came out with a self-documentary titled The Return of Tanya Tucker: Featuring Brandi Carlile, in 2022. Interestingly, Tanya named her first child of three Presley, which might be a nod to her hero.