Wynonna Judd Biography

Wynonna Judd was born with the name Christina Ciminella on May 30, 1964, in Ashland, Ky. She first became famous as one-half of the Judds, one of the most successful country acts of the 1980s. Her mother (temporarily) retired from the road at the end of 1991, paving the way for Wynonna's passionate solo debut in 1992.

The album Wynonna led to three No. 1 hits: "She Is His Only Need," "I Saw the Light" and "No One Else on Earth." Sales reached 5 million copies. Released a year later, Tell Me Why was an equally assured album with songs written by Karla Bonoff, Jesse Winchester and Sheryl Crow. Her version of Mary Chapin Carpenter's biographical "Girls With Guitars" reached the Top 10. Wynonna toured with Clint Black to promote her album, as well as their hit duet, "A Bad Goodbye."

Dropping her surname, the 1996 album Revelations boasted the No. 1 hit, "To Be Loved by You." However, she came off the road while pregnant with her son Elijah. It was a particularly emotional time because she also split with her manager and discovered the real identity of her father. She said that making Revelations kept her sane, and during the recording, she married Nashville businessman Arch Kelley III (Elijah's father).

After "To Be Loved by You," her hits slowed. The 1997 album The Other Side failed to yield a Top 10 hit. In time, she gave birth to daughter Grace and divorced Kelley. In 1999, she reunited with her mother for a New Year's Eve concert in Phoenix. The following year, the duo recorded four new tracks for a bonus disc issued with Wynonna's New Day Dawning and undertook a multi-city tour. For several years afterwards, she kept a low profile, occasionally surfacing on a film soundtrack (Lilo & Stitch and sister Ashley Judd's Someone Like You).
In 2003, Wynonna released What the World Needs Now Is Love, which debuted at No.1 and scored a Top 20 hit with the title track. In addition, she opened an office on Music Row, was arrested in Nashville for driving under the influence and married her longtime bodyguard. In 2004, she celebrated her 20th anniversary in country music by releasing the single "Flies on the Butter (You Can't Go Home Again)" which features harmonies by Naomi.