American country music performer Wynonna Judd is a member of the well-known duo “The Judds.” The second member of the trio is her mother, Naomi. She was conceived by her mother’s love affair with her then-boyfriend and was born and raised in Kentucky. During Wynonna’s early years, the family was in abject poverty. The mother-daughter team relocated to Nashville to pursue their musical careers, and by the middle of the 1980s, they had become well-known with a number of chart-topping albums and hits to their name. The 26 singles that “The Judds” released reached the top of numerous US music charts. The band disbanded in 1991 as a result of Naomi’s illness. Wynonna soon started a solo music career. Wynonna has recorded eight studio albums and more than 20 singles as a solo artist.
Early Childhood & Life
On May 30, 1964, in Ashland, Kentucky, Christina Claire Ciminella became Wynonna Judd. She was Naomi’s (18) only child, and they were a couple. The outcome of Naomi’s union with Charles Jordan was Wynonna. When Wynonna was pregnant, Charles was not prepared to be a father, and when Naomi opted to give birth to Wynonna, he abandoned them. Naomi wed Michael Ciminella, despite the challenges she would have to endure.
Soon after, Naomi gave birth to Ashley, Wynonna’s half-sister, who also became a singer. When Wynonna was 4 years old, the family relocated to Los Angeles. However, the family struggled to adapt to the new way of life, and Michael and Naomi began to argue. In 1972, the couple got a divorce.
Ashley was given to Michael, and Naomi took Wynonna with her as she traveled around. As a nurse, Naomi was required to work in a variety of hospitals across numerous cities. In the middle of the 1970s, the mother-daughter team decided to relocate to Kentucky.
Naomi loved country music and wanted to be a singer. Hours of music practice were put into her ambition of getting a record deal. Meanwhile, Wynonna developed a dependency on country music and began rehearsing with her mother. Wynonna recalls that they were living in abject poverty at that time and occasionally going without water or electricity in the rooms.
In 1979, Wynonna and Naomi made their final relocation to Nashville, Kentucky—then the epicenter of country music—in search of a record deal. When “RCA Records” offered them a record deal in 1983, they finally succeeded after a number of years of trying. Their charm and skills quickly gained control.
Working for “The Judds”
Wynonna and her mother Naomi started recording music as their very own duo, “The Judds.” However, because they both had marginally different musical sensibilities, their relationship was largely problematic. Wynonna once remarked that she was aware of how much more her mother needed her than the other way around. A powerful producer, whose daughter Naomi had breastfed earlier, was swayed by Naomi. The producer listened to their performances and was impressed.
Following the success of their singles “Girls’ Night Out,” “Turn it Loose,” “Why Not Me,” and “Grandpa” in the 1980s, “The Judds” enjoyed rising popularity. Wynonna handled the creative aspects, such as the lyrics, while Naomi served as the show’s executive producer and star performer. The mother-daughter duo dominated the country music charts and rose to fame in the US as one of the most well-liked country groups.
Up until 1991, the pair worked with RCA Records and put out six studio albums. They also earned numerous honors, including Grammy and Country Music Association awards. The pair appeared on television in 1985 on “Austin City Limits” and “Square One TV.” When Naomi left the partnership in 1991 after receiving a hepatitis C diagnosis, they were at the height of their success. Wynonna finally received the encouragement she needed to pursue her solo musical goals.
Single Career of Wynonna Judd
Wynonna Judd made her solo debut in 1992 at the “American Music Awards,” during which time she also debuted her debut self-titled album. A song from her album “She Is His Only Need” was also released. On the country music charts, the song was at the top. I Saw the Light, My Strongest Weakness, and “No One Else on Earth,” the following three singles from the album, also made it onto the charts.
Five million copies of the album were sold, and the “RIAA” awarded it five “platinum” certificates, indicating its astronomical popularity. Tell Me Why, her second album, was a flawless second effort and it was published in 1993. Five #1 hits in a row from the album graced the country music charts. The songs “Girls with Guitars” and “Rock Bottom” were particularly popular across the nation. The second album likewise succeeded in going “platinum.”
Although the RIAA awarded her third album, “Revelations,” the designation of “platinum,” it failed to match the commercial success of her first two albums. With the release of her fourth album, “The Other Side,” Wynonna embraced a rock and blues-influenced sound. Despite being labeled “gold,” the album was Wynonna’s least popular to that point and could not even match the success of “Revelations.”
Wynonna released two more marginally successful albums in the years that followed, titled “New Day Dawning” and “What the World Needs Now Is Love.” She briefly reunited with her mother Naomi in 1999, and she also announced a tour for New Year’s Eve. Her magic was deteriorating, though. She teamed up with a couple of producers she had previously worked with, but nothing turned out as she had hoped.
Another studio album by Wynonna, titled “Sing: Chapter 1,” was released in February 2009 and featured mainly cover songs. She discussed her on-stage comeback with her mother Naomi when she made an appearance on the renowned chat show “The Oprah Winfrey Show” in September 2010. Eventually, “The Judds” reappeared on the scene and issued the single “I Will Stand by You.”
In 2011, Wynonna debuted her brand-new group, “Wynonna & the Big Noise,” and she also released a single off her brand-new album, which she billed as her most intimate work to date. Wynonna and her band released their studio album, “Wynonna & the Big Noise,” in February 2016.
Wynonna published her bestselling book, “Restless Heart,” in 2011.
Wynonna has made guest appearances on the television programs “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire,” “Touched by an Angel,” and “Kath & Kim.”
Individual Life of Wynonna Judd
In 1993, Wynonna Judd first met Arch Kelley III, and the two quickly began dating. In 1994, Wynonna gave birth to her son Elijah. In 1996, Wynonna and Arch got married. Soon later, Grace Pauline, her daughter, was born. In 1998, the couple got a divorce.
Before she wed Cactus Moser in 2012, she had a second unsuccessful marriage with her former bodyguard. He later suffered terrible injuries in a car accident, necessitating the amputation of his left leg.
Wynonna Judd’s Net Worth
American country music artist Wynonna Judd has a $12 million dollar net worth. Before beginning a solo career in the early 1990s, Ashley first gained notoriety in the 1980s performing country music with her mother Naomi as The Judds.