Roots & Rhinestones

I didn’t know The Judds’ music until I knew they were walking away from it. 

Garth and Reba had just introduced me to a new kind of country — a twang different from what my dad played — when Naomi and Wynonna Judd told the world that Naomi’s devastating hepatitis C diagnosis was forcing her into early retirement. Whether I watched their press conference live on the news or in countless retrospectives since, those images are burned into my brain. 

Wy sat stunned, gripping her mother’s hand as Naomi dabbed at her eyes with a tissue. There was a tremor in her voice as she tearfully explained the Judds’ music wasn’t the only thing at stake. Naomi’s life was in jeopardy. 

It wasn’t the last time the Judds — known for their strength, resilience and abiding faith in God — would wield their vulnerability like a superpower. On the mountaintops of professional success and in the valleys of personal tragedy, the Judds endeared fans with grit and grace that’s woven through their music. 

Like so many of my favorite ‘90s artists, I started the Book of Wynonna in the middle. She was already one of the most unmistakable voices in country music when her 1992 solo debut rocked me in my boots. Without forsaking her acoustic roots, Wy broke new ground with a fresh sound that folded in glossy keyboards, electric guitars and more pop influences. 

Producer Tony Brown — who was shaping the decade alongside Vince Gill, George Strait, and Reba — gave Wynonna even more space to explore her raw vocal power and astonishing range.  

The woman-child with Elvis Presley swagger and Tammy Wynette ache was eager to step into her own spotlight. And as established Judds’ fans embraced Wy’s next chapter, her voice — with its shades of country, rockabilly, gospel, and the blues — became my gateway to one of the most successful duos in country music history. 

My Top 5 Wynonna Songs 

“Only Love” 

From her 1993 album Tell Me Why. Written by Roger Murrah and Marcus Hummon. Peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. 

Listen, I could include the entire Tell Me Why album on my list and call it a day. It didn’t have the same commercial success as her solo debut, but only because that record set the bar so high. I love the acoustic guitar intro, the soft arrangement, and the intimacy of Wynonna’s voice — how it rises to a church-choir solo on the bridge — on this song. 

“Is It Over Yet” 

From her 1993 album Tell Me Why. Written by Billy Kirsch. Peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. 

Packed with raw emotion and that throaty delivery, Wynonna skillfully balances quiet devastation with wracked regret. Vocally, I think this is her best performance. There’s a live version — one that ends in a standing ovation from her peers — that I’ll include on my YouTube playlist. It’s Wynonna at her most exposed and most commanding. 

“No One Else on Earth” 

From her 1992 album Wynonna. Written by Jill Coluccia, Stewart Harris, and Sam Lorber. No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. 

Her third solo single followed “She Is His Only Need” and “I Saw the Light,” two songs that could have easily been Judds hits. But “No One Else on Earth” was something new. With its horn‑like intro and killer electric guitar riff, it has a big‑band swagger distinct from her earlier recordings. There’s a “Burning Love” edge to it — a sense that Wynonna has found her voice and is done wading into her solo career. She’s plunging in headfirst. 

“Girls with Guitars” 

From her 1993 album Tell Me Why. Written by Mary Chapin Carpenter. Peaked at No. 10 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. 

Skip the liner notes and you’d swear Wynonna wrote this anthem about a young girl’s rock ‘n’ roll dreams. Her parents buy her a guitar, hoping it’s a phase — but their baby girl’s in it for the long haul. My favorite image is when she “gives a little grin and blows away the jerk,” which Wy delivers with a smirk you can hear. Lyle Lovett and Naomi join her on the chorus in what I can only imagine was a joyful day in the studio. 

“Testify to Love” 

From 1998’s Touched by an Angel: The Album. Written by Paul Field, Henk Pool, Robert Riekerk, and Ralph Van Manen.  

Originally recorded by contemporary Christian group Avalon, Wynonna’s cover appears on a compilation that peaked at No. 3 on both the Billboard Top Christian Albums and Top Country Albums chart. Mom and I watched Touched by an Angel after church on Sunday nights, and she bought me the CD soundtrack. “Testify to Love” quickly became a favorite — the simple acoustic opening, the wide-open vocals, the gospel lift. I still get chills hearing it. 

My Top 5 Judds Songs 

“Love Is Alive” 

From their 1984 Why Not Me album. Written by Kent Robbins. No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. 

Those early Judds’ records are marked by their simplicity — simple instrumentation and simple arrangements — but Wynonna and Naomi add layers with their high, ringing harmonies and soulful phrasing. They turn “simple” songs like “Love Is Alive” into timeless classics.  

“Rockin’ with the Rhythm of the Rain” 

From their 1985 album of the same name. Written by Brent Maher and Don Schlitz. No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. 

A joyful, jubilant ode to love, with the Judds inviting us onto that front porch swing. I love the call-and-response chorus, the steady backbeat, and that opening acoustic guitar riff. It’s modern and rootsy all at once — the Judds at their most effortless and effervescent. 

“Born to Be Blue” 

From their 1990 album Love Can Build a Bridge. Written by Brent Maher, Mike Reid, and Mack David. Peaked at No. 5 on the Hot Country Songs chart. 

Wynonna gets wild on this one, and I’m for it. That growl in her voice — that bluesy bite — is a clear precursor to her solo work. You can hear her stretching out, testing the edges of her range, and leaning into that rockabilly swagger that would define her 1992 debut. 

“Grandpa (Tell Me ‘Bout the Good Old Days)” 

From their 1985 album Rockin’ with the Rhythm of the Rain. Written by Jamie O’Hara. No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. 

I know I’m not the only sucker for nostalgia because fans still cling to this touching portrait of families gathered around the supper table. The Judds aren’t just singing a song — they’re pleading for a renewal of relationships, promises, and faith. Their fervent hope echoes down through the decades and still lands with the same pining. 

“Why Not Me” 

From their 1984 album of the same name. Written by Harlan Howard, Brent Maher, and Sonny Throckmorton. No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. 

When you see Harlan Howard’s name in the credits, you know you’ve got a well-crafted song. The legendary songwriter preferred simple, emotionally honest lyrics that created a conversation between the singer and listener. The Judds interpreted “Why Not Me” with warmth, balancing flirtation with longing — Wynonna’s rich lead and Naomi’s bright harmony creating that unmistakable Judds shimmer. 

Life beyond the music 

I don’t usually delve into the personal lives of the artists I write about. I don’t know these people, not really. I think I know some of them — or at least the versions they’ve shared with the public — but it’s hard to separate the person from the image. With the Judds, that line feels even thinner. 

But I can’t write about Wynonna and Naomi without discussing their humanity — the childhood abuse, the generational trauma, the battles with mental illness — so going beyond their music feels necessary. 

On stage, the Judds were a perfect match — Naomi with her frilly dresses and high heels, playfully working the crowd while Wynonna embraced a more tailored style and stood grounded at the mic stand with her guitar. They told jokes, talked about their musical “heroes and sheroes,” and racked up 14 No. 1 hits. 

They were darlings of the industry, with five Grammy Awards, eight ACMs, and nine CMAs. 

How were we to know what was going on behind the scenes? It would take years of therapy to confront their reality — and courage to share it with the world. Along with daughter/sister Ashley, the Judds put on that heavy mantle of responsibility. 

They were no longer aspirational; they were relatable. I don’t know what it’s like to hear my name called at the Grammys. I don’t have the means to buy anything or go anywhere I want, and nobody’s asking for my autograph. 

But I know the burden of self-doubt. I know depression is a liar. I know grief. And so do you. 

When the Judds — in their seemingly carefree existence, didn’t just let their masks slip but willingly took them off for the world to see — people took notice. Oprah Winfrey hosted them on her eponymous talk show a combined 18 times, and her OWN network aired Wynonna and Naomi’s 2011 docuseries The Judds. 

The Judds probed the complex and at times strained relationship beneath Wy’s wry observation, “If it’s not one thing, it’s your mother.” These women were hurting, and the road to reconciliation and healing for all three Judds would be long and arduous.  

In 2012, I won tickets to a live taping of the first episode of Naomi’s limited-run talk show on SiriusXM. Before the show, I bumped into her leaving her hotel and summoned the courage to say hello. 

Her smile lit up her face and mine, and we shared a brief but warm conversation. She asked my name, my hometown — taking an interest in me that felt genuine. I walked away completely charmed. 

After the show, we met again “backstage” where SiriusXM had a photographer. Before posing for a photo, she asked me how she did and waited, almost nervously, for my answer. 

Seriously. 

After selling 20 million records, Naomi Judd looked to me — a stranger — for validation. That moment didn’t fully sink in until 2022, when she died by suicide the night before she and Wynonna were to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. 

On the precipice of the ultimate professional validation, Naomi was fighting a darkness deeper than her stardom could shine. Her adoring public wept with her family and friends in a moving memorial service televised from the Ryman Auditorium.  

Her daughters and husband are still letting us in — through 2023’s Wynonna Judd: Between Hell and Hallelujah and 2025’s The Judd Family: Truth Be Told — as they reckon with their grief and search for hope in their heartache. 

When the Judds burst on the scene in 1983, they were a breath of fresh mountain air in the crossover-friendly world of country music. They sounded like perfection, but their lives were far from it. They sang through the hard parts — and helped us feel less alone in our own struggles. That’s their legacy. 

And Wynonna — still touring and bringing audiences to their feet — keeps pushing the boundaries of country music while finding solace in her mother’s melodies and memories.