Naomi Judd to Be Inducted Into Country Music Hall of Fame

Naomi Judd will be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, alongside John Anderson and Brooks & Dunn.

Introduction

Naomi Judd, one half of the country music duo The Judds, will be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame later this year. Naomi and her daughter Wynonna rose to fame in the 1980s with hit songs like “Mama He’s Crazy” and “Why Not Me.” The Judds were one of the most successful country music acts of their time, winning five Grammy Awards and selling more than 20 million records. Naomi retired from performing in 1991 to focus on her health, but Wynonna has continued to have a successful solo career. This will be the first time a mother and daughter have both been inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Early Life and Career

Naomi Judd was born Diana Ellen Judd on January 11, 1946, in Ashland, Kentucky. She was the eldest of three children Born to Charles Glen Judd and Pauline Rita (née Oliver) Judd. Her father managed a gas station and her mother was a homemaker. As a youngster, Judd took piano and voice lessons and she sang in the church choir.

Judd made her singing debut at age 13 when she performed on a local radio show. After high school, she worked various odd jobs to save money for college. She eventually enrolled at the University of Kentucky where she studied art therapy. In 1967, while still in college, Judd wed Michael Ciminella; the couple had one child together before divorcing in 1972.

In the early 1970s, Judd met Wynonna Judd—then Christina Claire Ciminella—at a church function; Wynonna was Michael’s younger sister. Bonding over their love of music, the two began performing together as The Judds in 1979. They made their official album debut with 1984’s Why Not Me—which spawned the chart-topping singles “Mama He’s Crazy” and “Why Not Me”—and went on to enjoy massive country success throughout the rest of the 1980s and early ’90s. The mother-daughter duo recorded seven studio albums in all and won five Grammy Awards before Naomi retired from performing due to ill health in 1991; Wynonna continued on as a solo artist.

Judds’ Commercial Success

The Judds were one of the most commercially successful country music groups of the 1980s. They sold more than 20 million records and had sixteen No. 1 hit singles on the Billboard country music charts. The duo was also named the CMA’s Entertainer of the Year in 1991, and they were inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2000.

Later Career and Induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame

In 1991, Judd appeared in the film, Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, as a doctor on the USS Enterprise. Three years later, she released her autobiography, Love Can Build a Bridge, which reached number five on The New York Times Best Seller list. In 1996, Judd retired from performing to focus on her family and philanthropic work. That same year, she was diagnosed with hepatitis C and made her diagnosis public in an effort to raise awareness about the virus.

In 2010, Judd announced that she was once again cancer-free after undergoing successful treatment. Two years later, she was inducted into the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame. In 2016, it was announced that Judd would be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Conclusion

Judd will be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame on October 16, 2016, in a ceremony that will be hosted by her daughter, Wynonna.