CIO (Tracy): You have had such an incredible career, what have you been up to lately with your music career?
Tanya Tucker: Well, what has been going on? Oh my gosh where do I start? For a while last year we did a show called Tuckerville, which involved my family and kids; my three kids who are now 17, 15 and 7. So that took me off the road for a while; it was a new experience. I think now everyone knows that I am a mother ‘cause I go to Wal-Mart now and people always stop me, especially women. They ask 'what did you ever do with that snake' and all sorts of stuff. But now I think it is time to get back to doing what I do that brought me to the dance: my singing. I am really excited about making a new record and going back in the studio. It has been a 5 year hiatus for me. I am doing the new CD with my producer from Complicated which was 10 years ago since that album was out. I think that was one of my best albums, and Greg Brown produced it. So, now he is involved in this project; he is producing this album. We are not going to worry about this; it is all about the music. When the music is good then everything else falls into place. I am now at a point in my life that I wanna do what I wanna do.
CIO: That is really what you have to do. What is in your heart is how you have to lead your life.
TT: Yeah and I think that it really shows. I am much happier and if you are doing what you want to do then you can be successful at being happy.

CIO: So will you go on tour to support the new CD?
TT: I am always on tour! I have a lifetime tour I call it. It is a luxury to have that. I go out for a while then come back home and then go back out on tour again.

CIO: So have you been implementing the new songs into your shows?
TT: Oh no! We are keeping these a secret. We are not letting anybody hear these until they come out on the radio.

CIO: How do you feel about the transition that has happened in country music since you first started?
TT: I think there has always been a transition going on in music. The only sure thing is change. It is always evolving. Sometimes I like it and sometimes I do not. I think the artists now are a little more business orientated then when I came out. Also the gimmicks or characters are not as many. There is only one Loretta Lynn and only one Merle Haggard. So the youngsters coming up today have a tough road ahead of them, because there are some big shoes to fill. And who is going to fill those shoes - I have not seen anyone yet.

CIO: What gives you the drive or inspiration for your music?
TT: Wow! That is a good question. My first instinct is to say how I feel. But, I am always thinking about the buyer, you know the fans that buy my music, or drives 700 miles to see you every three days. You look out in the crowd and there they are. Then you start to think aren’t they going to get tired of me? I mean I get tired of myself how can they not get tired of me? I like to try to hit a nerve in that fan out there. I like to stay in touch with what the fans want from me.

CIO: Do you have a lot of control over your new CD project?
TT: Oh yes! I get total control over the CD, too much control actually. That is a big, big change for me and one that I did not think I could handle. By the grace of God and some good friends I am able to press on and think if I am doing the right thing. My Dad recently passed away and I find myself thinking would my dad have handled it this way?

CIO: What do you like to do for fun?
TT: That depends on where we are and what we are doing. I like to do a lot of things for fun. You know, what’s close to us? If we are going through ski country I like to ski. But my true thing I like to do for fun is ride and show horses.

CIO: What is your guilty pleasure?
TT: Well, I have a lot of those. Salsa and chips would be a big time guilty pleasure. Shopping, I would love to be able to go down Rodeo Drive and buy whatever I wanted. See how fast I could go thru 3 or 4 million dollars.