 As one-half of
the Judds,
Wynonna Judd became one of the most popular and respected female country
stars of
her time. On her own since the early '90s,
Judd demonstrated an eclecticism that increasingly confounded hardcore
country fans and radio programmers but also helped her retain a core of admiring
followers. Her solo records might stick with
Judds-style country-pop or delve into roots rock, blues, gospel, adult
contemporary pop, folk, or Southern R&B.
Wynonna Judd was born Christina Ciminella in Ashland, KY, on May 30, 1964. Her
mother,
Naomi (then known by her birth name, Diana), was still in high school at the
time, and her biological father abandoned the family almost immediately;
Naomi married another man, Michael Ciminella, to create a traditional family
unit. In 1968, they moved to Los Angeles, but the marriage disintegrated in
1972.
Wynonna Judd spent parts of the next few years living on welfare and returned to
Kentucky with her mother in 1976. They lived in a mountain home with no phone or
television, and listening to country music on the radio was a major source of
entertainment.
Wynonna Judd learned to play guitar after receiving one as a gift and was soon
singing close harmony with her mother. By the time she was a teenager, her vocal
talents were apparent, and in 1979, the family moved to Nashville to try their
luck in the music business.
Naomi and
Wynonna landed a contract with RCA in 1983, and over the remainder of the
'80s, they became the biggest-selling duo in country music history (a title that
would later be taken over by
Brooks & Dunn).
Wynonna Judd wasn't always as career-minded as her mother, who effectively ran
the group, and was growing ever more rebellious when, in 1990,
Naomi was diagnosed with hepatitis C; she retired from performing after a
farewell tour in 1991.
Wynonna Judd was at first unsure whether she wanted to carry on without her
mother but quickly decided to embark on a solo career, signing with MCA. Her
first album on her own, Wynonna, was released in 1992 and was an instant smash,
selling over three million copies; it also topped the country charts, reached
the Top Five on the pop side, and earned many positive reviews as well. Her
first three solo singles -- "She Is His Only Need," "I Saw the Light," and "No
One Else on Earth" -- all went to number one on the country charts, and "My
Strongest Weakness" also made the Top Five.
Wynonna Judd's 1993 follow-up, Tell Me Why, was another platinum-selling, number one
country/Top Five pop album; it gave her five more Top Ten hits in the title
track, "Only Love," "Girls With Guitars," "Rock Bottom," and "Is It Over Yet."
However,
Wynonna Judd's career hit a snag when it was revealed that, like her mother before
her, she had become pregnant out of wedlock. The tabloids had a field day, and
more conservative country fans attacked her as being an immoral role model.
Wynonna Judd eventually married her son's father, Nashville businessman Arch Kelly,
in 1996, and that year finally released her third album, Revelations. It was a
more introspective affair that gave her a number one single in "To Be Loved by
You" and eventually went platinum despite not producing any further Top Ten
hits. For the follow-up, 1997's The Other Side,
Wynonna Judd refashioned her sound into a bluesy, rock-driven roots-music blend that
often recalled
Bonnie Raitt. It reached the country Top Five yet failed to sell a million
copies for the first time in
Wynonna Judd's solo career, prompting her to split with MCA and move to Mercury. By
this point,
Wynonna Judd had also had a second child, but her marriage fell apart in 1998;
instead of releasing another solo album right away,
Wynonna Judd reunited with her mother for a New Year's Eve concert to ring in the
year 2000. They embarked on a full-fledged tour together in 2000, and four new
Judds songs were released on an exclusive bonus disc with
Wynonna Judd's Mercury debut, New Day Dawning. Her most eclectic effort to date
(and her first as a co-producer), the album featured covers of
Joni Mitchell and
the Fabulous Thunderbirds, and while it didn't spawn any major hit singles,
it again climbed into the Top Five on the country album charts.
Wynonna Judd returned to her country roots in 2003 with What the World Needs Now is
Love, which found her reuniting on one track ("Flies on the Butter") with her
Mother. The live DVD/Audio collection Her Story: Scenes from a Lifetime arrived
in 2005. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide
Contact Grabow for more information or to book
Wynonna Judd for your next corporate or private event.
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