TUCKER LUCK: Cheyenne Autumn Matthews, owner of The Southern Blonde Vintage Mobile Salon in Little Rock, isn't much of a country music fan.
But she attended Monday's inaugural Arkansas Country Music Awards ceremony at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock -- along with her boyfriend, as well as White Water Tavern owner Matt White -- to support their friend, singer-songwriter Bonnie Montgomery, who was nominated in several categories.
While there, Matthews says, "I was backstage talking to this woman for probably, like ... 45 minutes before I realize people keep taking pictures of her. What is going on?"
Matthews asked the woman for her name. "'I'm Tanya,'" she told her.
It finally came to Matthews who asked, "'Are you Tanya ... Tucker?' She laughed and she said, 'I am.'"
Tucker, a surprise guest of the night, was there honoring Lifetime Achievement recipient songwriter and Keiser native Ed Bruce, and she performed her hit, "Texas (When I Die)," which he wrote.
Matthews says, "We told [Tucker], 'We're all going to go to White Water after. You should come.'"
And, about an hour later, she did.
"We just hung out all night long. Danced. She approved [of] my boyfriend," Matthews says. "Everybody was really star-struck -- and I was lucky that I didn't have that -- so I got to just spend this time with this amazing woman who is so legendary without feeling weird. Then she invites our little crew ... to get on her bus. And she can party.
"So we were on that bus for, like, two hours -- just talking about life and drinking tequila, which she loves."
Days later, Matthews said to Montgomery about their new friend, "'I can't believe we didn't exchange numbers. I feel like I miss her.'"
And soon after, Matthews says Tucker reached out to her via social media: "'Hey, it's me, this is my personal account. Love ya!'"
So maybe someday they'll get to visit again until the "Delta Dawn."
BUS FUSS: And speaking of music and buses, American Idol last week announced 20 cities where "simultaneous East and West Bus Tours" will be stopping to conduct auditions for the singing competition's second season on ABC. And Little Rock is one of them.
Sept. 12 is the Little Rock date (americanidol.com/auditions cautions: "Locations and dates subject to change").
But where? No specific venue is named.
Could the Idol bus return to the Clinton Presidential Center where it made a stop in 2013? We could not confirm by deadline.
We know where auditions won't be. They will not be at North Little Rock's Verizon Arena, which hosted Idol auditions back in 2015, before the show's final season on Fox.
After all, the arena has the J. Cole/Young Thug show booked the night of Sept. 12; its stage already will be occupied by music idols.
Email: jchristman@arkansasonline.com
SundayMonday on 06/10/2018