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In late May 2004, Gretchen Wilson's debut
single "Redneck Woman" became the first by a solo female singer to top the
Billboard country singles chart in over two years; it also reached number
one faster than any single in the previous decade. At the same time, her
debut album, Here for the Party, entered the country album chart at number
one and the pop album chart at number two with sales of 227,000 copies, the
biggest opening week for a new country artist on record. Given the overtly
country style of her music at a time when much country had been leaning
toward pop, Wilson was immediately hailed as the latest in a long line of
country artists leading the music back to its roots. Her own roots went back
to the tiny town of Pocahontas, IL (36 miles east of St. Louis, MO), where
she began singing as a child. Her mother was 16 when she was born on June
26, 1973; her father left when she was two. She grew up poor, living in a
succession of trailer parks. She went to school only through the eighth
grade, and at 14 was working as a cook and bartender in the same club where
her mother worked. By the age of 20, she was singing in two different bands
in the area. She moved to Nashville in 1996 and tended bar while singing on
demos and in clubs for the next seven years. During this period, she became
part of an informal group of singers and songwriters known as the Muzik
Mafia who met once a week to try out new material. She and John Rich,
another member of the group (and a former member of Lonestar), wrote "Redneck
Woman," an autobiographical song in which she unabashedly celebrated her
redneck, white-trash background. In 2003, she auditioned for and was signed
by Epic Records. "Redneck Woman" was released in the late winter of 2004 and
immediately began its march up the charts. Here for the Party, originally
scheduled for release in July, was moved up to May 11 because of the quick
success of the single. As it, too, became a hit, Wilson agreed to opening
spots on tours with Brooks & Dunn and Montgomery Gentry in the summer of
2004. All Jacked Up, her follow-up to Here for the Party, appeared in
September 2005 and hit the top of the Billboard charts. |
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GRETCHEN WILSON PICTURES |
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