 Delta Dawn  is a song written by former child rockabilly star Larry Collins and songwriter Alex Harvey, best known as a 1972 top ten country hit for Tanya Tucker and a number-one hit for Helen Reddy in 1973.elta Dawn also marked Reddy's only chart appearance in South Africa, reaching number 13 in the autumn of 1973. The Statler Brothers recorded Delta Dawn and released it on their 1973 Mercury album, The Statler Brothers Sing Country Symphonies in E Major.