The Judds are one of the most successful duos in country
Last week, it was announced that Naomi and Wynonna Judd would be reuniting at the 2022 CMT Music Awards for their first televised award show appearance in 20 years. The pair will make a triumphant return to the stage to perform their international hit and chart-topping single, “Love Can Build A Bridge” with the iconic landmark of Nashville’s Country Music Hall of Fame as their background, a nod to the duo’s upcoming 2022 induction.
The press release states that the “performance kicks off a soon-to-be momentous year for Naomi and Wynonna” as they’re officially inducted in May. Additional plans have not been announced as of press time, but a cryptic message published on their new website that says “Don’t you think it’s time?” — quoting a line in “Love Can Build A Bridge” — with an email subscription box, leads us to believe a tour announcement is pending. The famed mother-daughter duo also recently joined Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, bandsintown, and SongKick, leading to further speculation.
The Judds accomplished no small feat when they secured a recording deal with RCA Records/Curb Records after a live audition at RCA Records’ Nashville offices in 1983. Between 1984-1991, they released six studio albums and an EP with every single landing in the Billboard Top 10 and 14 of them becoming No. 1 hits.
Together, The Judds have sold more than 20 million albums, received 16 Gold, Platinum and multi-Platinum albums and longform videos, led by 2x Platinum albums Why Not Me and The Judds Greatest Hits. Their stripped-back style revived the popularity of acoustic sounds in country music and opened up the genre for more traditional approaches. It’s also earned them five Grammys, nine CMA awards, and seven ACM awards.
In October 1990, Naomi announced her retirement from performing due to Hepatitis C. That retirement would come after the 124-date Love Can Build a Bridge Farewell Tour, which wrapped December 4, 1991, at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, TN.
Naomi focused on her health and beat the disease. She’s written several New York Times best-selling books and has become a popular motivational speaker.
With encouragement from her mother, Wynonna launched her solo career in 1992 with a string of No. 1 hits in a partnership between MCA and Curb Records. Her 5x Platinum self-titled debut topped the country charts and landed at No. 5 on the pop charts, marking Wynonna a superstar.
Naomi and Wynonna have occasionally reunited over the years, notably for the 1994 Super Bowl halftime show, a 2000 reunion tour, a 2008 performance at the Stagecoach Festival and a 29-date Last Encore Tour from 2010-2011. In 2021, they received a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
The Judds were the subject of a 1988 CBS TV-Special called Across The Heartland, a 1995 NBC mini-series based on Love Can Build A Bridge, the best-selling novel written by Naomi, and a 2011 reality series, The Judds, on the Oprah Winfrey Network.
We will have further details as they become available.
