Wynonna Judd Artistfacts

May 30, 1964
Wynonna first found fame as half of the country-music duo The Judds alongside her mother, Naomi. For nearly a decade, they were a staple on Country radio, with 14 singles going to #1. After their abrupt breakup in the early '90s due to Naomi's health issues, Wynonna launched a successful solo career.
Her real name is Christina Ciminella. She borrowed the name Wynonna from the song "Route 66," which references an Arizona town called Winona.
She told Larry King her biggest regret was never meeting her dad. Her mom, Naomi, was still in high school when she became pregnant with Wynonna and married her on-again/off-again boyfriend Michael Ciminella. Wynonna always assumed Ciminella was her biological father, but was shocked to learn her real dad was a man named Charles Jordan. She was making plans to meet him for the first time when he died in 2000.
Despite four nominations, she's never won a Grammy Award as a solo artist.
Her first trio of singles as a solo artist all went to #1 on the Country chart: "She Is His Only Need," "I Saw The Light," and "No One Else On Earth."
Her singing style has often been compared to Bonnie Raitt, who is one of Wynonna's musical heroes.
As a member of The Judds, Wynonna was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2021.
She's been married three times. Her first husband was businessman Arch Kelley III, the father of her children, Elijah and Grace. Her second husband was her former bodyguard D.R. Roach, whom she divorced after he was charged with sexually assaulting a minor. Her current husband is Highway 101 drummer Cactus Moser.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

More Songfacts:

Brass In PocketPretenders

Chrissie Hynde got the phrase "Brass In Pocket" from a Northern England slang term meaning you had some money, "brass" meaning coins.

TemptedSqueeze

The Squeeze song "Tempted" is one of their few with lead vocals by Paul Carrack, who sang the Ace song "How Long" and was in Mike + The Mechanics.

God Bless AmericaKate Smith

Irving Berlin said "God Bless America" was "not a patriotic song, but rather an expression of gratitude."

Radar LoveGolden Earring

At the end of "Radar Love," the driver dies in a crash but maintains a psychic bond with the woman he was racing to see. The song's lyricist was inspired by stories of extrasensory perception (ESP).