This mother and daughter country duo hails from Ashland, Kentucky. The Judds, comprised of Naomi and Wynonna Judd, were discovered back in 1983 but an RCA Nashville executive and they secured a guest spot on the Ralph Emery Show, and the rest, as they say, is history.
The Judds went on to make their debut on the Billboard Hot Country charts at the end of 1983 with “Had a Dream (for the Heart),” and they were on their way to an illustrious career in the country music scene. For the rest of the ’80s decade, every single by The Judds that was released by RCA Nashville landed in the Top 10 on the Billboard charts, and that included 14 No. 1 hit singles.
In 1991, Naomi was diagnosed with hepatitis C, which forced her to retire from touring. As a result, The Judds embarked on a farewell tour. The next year, Wynonna embarked on her solo music career with an eponymous solo album that went quintuple-platinum.
Wynonna’s first three solo singles (“She Is His Only Need,” “I Saw the Light,” and “No One Else on Earth”) reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country charts, and she has become a modern country music icon in her own right. Naomi focused on her health, beating the disease, and she authored several New York Times bestsellers and become a motivational speaker. Her most recent book was a paperback version of River of Time: My Descent Into Depression and How I Emerged With Hope.
The respected music career of The Judds has served as an inspiration for their peers and other young and aspiring artists and bands, especially duos. Naomi and Wynonna Judd remain one of the most successful acts in the history of the country genre of music. The mother and daughter country duo were honored with their own exhibit at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, entitled “The Judds: Dream Chasers.”
For all of these reasons and more, The Judds deserve to be immortalized into the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum as inductees.
Other women that are overdue for the Country Music Hall of Fame (just as much as The Judds) include Jeannie Seely, Jan Howard, Crystal Gayle, Tanya Tucker, Martina McBride, and the late but great Lynn Anderson.
To learn more about The Judds, check out their Facebook page.
