Gretchen Wilson photo courtesy of Sony Music Nashville.

With her swaggering brand of country, small town-bred Gretchen Wilson has drawn comparisons to everyone from Merle Haggard to Lynyrd Skynyrd, so it’s a little surprising that she would turn to New York pop guy Billy Joel for an explanation of her values.

For what it’s worth, Billy’s got some swagger of his own, whether “Piano Man” seems to fit with “Redneck Woman” or not. So in the end, it’s still understandable that she’d be quoting “My Life” as she explains her approach to the world.

“It’s all just about bein’ yourself, bein’ honest with yourself,” she notes. “Billy Joel said it in a song: ‘Either way, it’s okay, you wake up with yourself.’ That statement meant so much to me, and it still does. And I think I’m trying to get that across to a lot of other people. I don’t think people need to worry so much about what everybody else thinks. If you’re happy with yourself and the way you live your life, and you wake up every morning with a clear conscience and a good life, and a great family and people around you that love you and that care about you, you’re doin’ everything you’re supposed to do.”

Gretchen’s Greatest Hits arrives in stores Tuesday, featuring all her biggies, including “Redneck Woman,” “When I Think About Cheatin’” and “Here For The Party.” It’s a compilation put together by Columbia Records after she left the label.

Meanwhile, Gretchen’s set a release date for the first album on her own imprint, Redneck Records. I Got Your Country Right Here is due March 30.

Look for her Thursday on GAC’s Headline Country at 9 p.m. ET, along with Gary Allan, Taylor Swift and Jack Ingram.

ShareThis