The Judds photo courtesy of Webster PR.
Their life is kind of a crazy train, so when Wynonna and Naomi Judd launch a reality series on Oprah Winfrey’s OWN Network in 2011, will it be a new version of “The Osbournes”?
Probably not. But they could have done that if they wanted.
“We were offered the VH1 slot after ‘The Osbournes,’” Wynonna remembers. “I was like, ‘I’d rather have a lobotomy.’”
The Judds photo courtesy of Webster PR.
Wynonna and Naomi Judd hit the road on Friday as the Judds’ Last Encore Tour got underway in Green Bay, mixing some of the duo’s classics with numerous solo songs from Wy.
Mother and daughter locked voices on such historic titles as “Love Can Build A Bridge,” “Young Love,” “Grandpa (Tell Me ‘Bout The Good Old Days)” and “Love Is Alive.” Wynonna ran through “No One Else On Earth” and “She Is His Only Need,” and they added a few holiday performances as well, including “Silent Night” and “Ave Maria.”
The Judds took country by storm in the 1980s before a potentially fatal bout with hepatitis C forced Naomi to retire from the road. The disease has since gone into remission, but she’s been content to let Wynonna carry on her solo career while she stays at home in Nashville most of the time.
Wynonna Judd photo courtesy of Curb Records.
Wynonna Judd is getting ready to tour with her mom this month for the first time in a decade, and it’s likely to represent a major turn-around in her relationship with her career — and with herself.
When the Judds first took off in the 1980s, Wynonna was in her late teens, and the duo’s success set up a personal storyline that differs from most people. Instead of separating from her parents, as is typical in the 20s, she was cooped up with her mom, Naomi, on a bus, driving for hours from show to show. It was stressful, to say the least. And Wynonna had a hard time emotionally when she failed to live up to her mom’s expectations or to the praise she received from the public.
Fortunately, Wy has gone through some personal transformations, and she doesn’t feel career pressure in the same way.
The Judds photo courtesy of Webster PR.
The Judds make a rare Grand Ole Opry appearance tonight when they flip a switch at the Opry House and turn the live radio show’s traditional red barn backdrop pink. Grand Ole Opry® is joining Women Rock For The Cure and Susan G. Komen for the Cure® for this special event supporting the fight against breast cancer.
Naomi Judd talks to our friends at Dial Global about why this event is so important to her:
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And Wynonna shared her thoughts on how the healing power of music can make a big difference in peoples lives:
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Since Naomi’s retirement from touring 1991, she’s made only occasional trips back to the stage, but this Opry performance is — in some ways — a tune up for a whole series of shows. The Judds begin their Last Encore Tour in Green Bay on Nov. 26. And Naomi will probably end up in a trance-like state for part of the concert almost every night.
That’s how it was when Wynonna and Naomi played for more than 40,000 fans at the CMA Music Festival in 2009. And it’s a direct result of Naomi’s relationship with both the audience and her daughter.
Dierks Bentley photo courtesy of Capitol Nashville.
When Dierks Bentley booked his Miles & Music For Kids charity motorcycle ride for rainy Seattle, he had to know it was a possibility that the event would get drenched.
That possibility became reality. The city was hit with a heavy downpour last Saturday, but the good folks of Washington State still came out in full force. They raised $50,000 for Seattle Children’s Hospital, as Dierks continues his work for kids charities. Since he established the Music & Miles program in 2006, he’s raised a whopping $1.3 million in all.
“Rainy days aren’t typically when most people are itching to get out the motorcycle for a leisurely afternoon ride,” Dierks says. “But we’ve come to learn over the last few years of putting these rides on that motorcycle riders may look big and bad, but they have a heart of gold, and it would take a lot more than a little rain to deter them.”
Dierks has another Miles & Music date on the horizon, but it’s just one of numerous charity events that country stars are undertaking in the near future. They include:
The Judds photo courtesy of Webster PR.
Oprah Winfrey kicks off her 25th season on daytime TV next week, launching what’s billed as her final season.
So who’s among the first week’s guests? Appropriately, the Judds, who are reuniting this fall for what they’re calling their Last Encore Tour.
Wynonna and Naomi are slated for Tuesday’s “Oprah” show, according to The Chicago Tribune, with Wy discussing her loss of a staggering 60 pounds. The edition was taped Sept. 3, according to a tweet from executive producer Sheri Salata, and the Judds talk a bit about what fans can expect with the Last Encore.
Grand Ole Opry members Brad Paisley (l) and Little Jimmy Dickens (r) unveil the refurbished 6-foot circle of wood (taken from the historic Ryman Auditorium when the show moved to the Grand Ole Opry House in 1974) that was damaged in the May 2010 Nashville flood. Photo courtesy of the Grand Ole Opry.
It’s a six-foot piece of circular wood, scuffed and nicked and grooved, but it’s a monumental symbol. Brad Paisley and Little Jimmy Dickens joined four construction workers Wednesday in installing a major piece of oak into the center of the stage at the Grand Ole Opry House.
The moment was captured by a herd of reporters and photographers as Nashville continues its recovery from a devastating flood in early May. At that time, water from the Cumberland River swamped the historic venue, piling 46 inches of liquid on top of the stage. The waters were so significant that mud was hurled onto the ceiling and Opry VP and general manager Pete Fisher literally floated a kayak through the house.
Dirt and construction dust still litter the grounds around the Opry House, but the placement of the circle back onto the stage was a hardy symbol for the restoration of the Opry and its history. The circle was cut from the floor of the Ryman Auditorium and installed at the Opry House when it opened in 1974, providing a physical link between current generations of Opry members and some of the late performers who stood behind the mic stand on that same wood — people like Hank Williams, Patsy Cline, Roy Acuff and Marty Robbins. It was damaged during May’s floods, but not so much that it couldn’t be repaired. Its resilience embodies as well as ever the durability of the Opry and its legend.
Elvis Presley image used by permission, Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc.
The King is gone, but he’s certainly not forgotten — especially in Memphis, where the city is gearing up for Elvis Week, the annual pilgrimage of fans marking the loss of a cultural icon.
This year’s Elvis Presley activities kick off Tuesday, Aug. 10, when an Elvis tribute artist (that’s a euphemism for Elvis impersonator) re-creates one of Presley’s first noteworthy concerts at a venue formerly known as the Overton Park Shell. It all wraps up Aug. 16 — the anniversary of Elvis’ 1977 death — with a concert at Graceland Mansion.
In between those bookends is a wealth of panel discussions, movie screenings and even a 5k run and walk. Naomi Judd’s husband, Larry Strickland, will take part in a performance during one event as a member of the Stamps Quartet. He was a part of the vocal group when it toured with Elvis during the 1970s.
Wynonna Judd photo courtesy of Curb Records.
Wynonna Judd was hospitalized Wednesday after having a significant traffic accident in Utah, according to The Lake Tahoe Daily Tribune.
The day after a concert in Salt Lake City, she drove to a sushi restaurant with her daughter, Grace, and her tour manager. On the way, they suffered a head-on collision. The trio was released from the hospital by midnight with Wynonna insisting she needed to be in Oregon on Thursday.
The Judds photo courtesy of Webster PR.
After months of lead-in, the Judds have set 18 dates for a 2010 tour, plotting it for a time on the calendar that’s exceedingly appropriate for a family reunion.
Wynonna and Naomi will kick off the Last Encore Tour on Nov. 26, the day after Thanksgiving, in Green Bay, Wis. They’ll spend most of their time in the Midwest and on the West Coast, winding down the run on Dec. 19 in Phoenix, Ariz., at the US Airways Center, the same arena where they recorded a reunion album on Dec. 31, 1999.
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