The Judds A&E Biography - Documentary (Part One) - 1999

[Music] tonight the judds the single-parent family that rose from welfare to wealth from poverty to the pinnacle of success before they quit touring together naomi judd and daughter winona were country's most successful duo when you add movie star ashley into the mix the judds form a complex love triangle three stars who have shared triumph and suffering feuds and reunions they were the darling mother-daughter duo of country music their sassy and soulful songs captivated audiences their personal turmoils and triumphs won them the hearts of fans all over the world they are the judds they've done something in country music that no one else has ever done being a mother and daughter duo win in as many awards as they did consecutively i've called them the most happily dysfunctional family that i've ever encountered i've never seen more diverse personalities and they're all very deep naomi and wynonna judd were always more than just their music they were labeled beautiful and brilliant eccentric and eclectic you never knew what mother and daughter were going to do next they could be fighting like cats and dogs and then they'd start singing and you could just see the love between them music brought the dynamic duo fame fortune and family togetherness then tragedy struck the judge were forced to retire we were all crying because it was like watching cinderella turn back into the housemaid [Music] the judd saw their dreams slowly fade but their musical accomplishments would live on judd's rough road to stardom began in rural appalachia [Music] diana ellen who later changed her name to naomi was born on january 11 1946 in ashland kentucky naomi's mother polly was a housewife and later a riverboat cook her father glenn judd ran a gas station i could walk to all the schools i ever went to into my daddy's gas station and i was enormously proud of my daddy because he uh he took such pride in his station and he worked so hard the eldest of four naomi learned the value of hard work her family led a simple life but naomi seemed destined for more family and friends called her a china doll because of her porcelain skin and delicate features besides her beauty she was a straight a student who also enjoyed acting in school plays being on stage filled her mind with exotic dreams and aspirations [Music] to me my mother's most marked trait is her imagination because it helped her create a very delightful world for herself as a child and it definitely has stimulated her career and the thing about herself that she's the most proud of is that her daddy declared her a real good worker and that's part of i guess our eastern kentucky heartiness [Music] at age 17 naomi's innocent life suddenly crumbled her younger brother brian was diagnosed with hodgkin's disease naomi was devastated she and brian had been best friends the strain of his illness tore the family apart her parents were heading for a divorce at the same time naomi had her own worries the high school senior discovered she was pregnant i was 17 you know i didn't want things to change and i remember saying to our family doctor is it biologically possible to get pregnant the first time you have sex naomi eventually told her parents who sympathized with her plight she also told her on and off boyfriend michael simonella who was attending college michael was not the father of a unborn child however he loved naomi and promised to provide them with a stable life [Music] on january 3rd 1964 naomi and michael were married outside of town to avoid any gossip so there was that little bit of deception in her life that i'm sure she had a hard time dealing with because she basically want you know wants to be an open honest person i'm sure this weighed on her a lot and it it hurt her when we talked about it you could see the pain the pain eventually faded on may 30th 1964 during her last week of high school naomi gave birth to christina clare who became known as winona from the beginning the redhead showed off her independent spirit and musical talent mom says that i came into the world screaming on key and searching for harmony [Music] eighteen-year-old naomi was also searching for harmony in 1967 her beloved brother brian died naomi was heartbroken she was also deeply saddened by the fact that she would soon leave her kentucky homeland [Music] shortly after brian's funeral she and her new family moved to los angeles her husband michael was hired as a salesman for an aeronautics company a year later naomi gave birth to ashley tyler her second daughter from day one wynonna bonded with her younger sister my sister she's my hero some of my fondest memories are when we were at our grandparents at the same time we'd be falling asleep and she'd take my hand and she'd make me feel her mosquito bites she was convinced were always bigger than mine [Music] naomi adored motherhood but her marriage was falling apart she and michael had married too young in 1972 the couple divorced michael maintained a close relationship with winona and ashley but naomi took on the physical and financial responsibility of raising their daughters using persistence and hard work the kentucky native landed a job as a secretary for a hollywood agent but naomi became homesick she was ready to rediscover her appalachian roots in 1976 she moved her daughters back to kentucky in desperate need to support her family she enrolled in nursing school at eastern kentucky university if you were a nurse you could always get a job you could always survive it was a giving occupation that she could do well and it was always going to be work available to raise her children naomi and her two daughters lived in a cabin on a mountaintop in morrill kentucky with no television or telephone in these remote surroundings the judds were forced to entertain themselves she forced us to resort to our own creativities because we sure as heck didn't have the money to go out and do things that other kids were getting to do so she taught me how to make something from nothing the judd's lived a meager existence struggling to survive on welfare checks [Music] by day naomi attended school by night she gathered her daughters around the supper table to sing or listen to the grand ole opry on the radio but as wynonna approached adolescence she began resenting her mother from moving their family to the remote mountaintop in school she was a loner she had few friends and little interest in her academic studies i went through life feeling like i didn't and i didn't really fit in and i was pretty emotional and weird being me was hard because i was so passionate so emotional i had this mother who was extremely overwhelming naomi is very controlling and she's a mom you know don't do this stop doing that you're not doing this right you know and why not it was like sullen and teen and angst ridden like all teens are it was mother-daughter stuff naomi struggled to connect with her despondent daughter when wynonna was 12 years old naomi bought her a guitar she hoped music would somehow tame the rebellious teen i handed her this old cheap funky guitar i said these poetic words winona do not break this over my head there's an idea winona fell in love with her guitar eventually mother and daughter began harmonizing gospel and country tunes together music seemed to mend their strained relationship but not to the exclusion of young ashley that wasn't someplace i wanted or needed to go it was really a zone for them and i benefited from it if they didn't have the music as a place where they could be peacefully co-joined i don't know what our household would have been like i think that my sister could have gone away and never come back music became the glue that held mother and daughter together in time music would become their destiny [Music] peace and harmony had finally filled the judd's mountaintop home naomi and winona had found a way to communicate through their music for over five years the judd women soaked up the appalachian air and cozy country living then mother naomi decided the family needed a new adventure in 1977 they moved back to california and settled in a culturally diverse community in marin county near san francisco naomi completed her nursing degree at the same time she nurtured winona's musical talents as well as her own she began dreaming about a life in the limelight [Music] the judge created new images for themselves by giving each other exotic names diana ellen changed her name to naomi [Music] and christina claire became winona i think that there was a conscious idea there of self-reinvention we will remake ourselves into someone else we will make ourselves into stars in the late 1970s the san francisco bay area was teeming with musical talent naomi and winona would occasionally sing at a restaurant where naomi worked part-time when the band took a break wynonna also sang and strummed her guitar at home with her mother after school even so it still wasn't easy for mother and daughter to work together one of the memories i have of them when they would come over to sing they would bicker for at least 15 to 20 minutes before they decide who was going to sing what part harmony what key they were going to sing in and on and on and on it'd be comical and then the minute they'd break into song when they'd finally start singing all that went out the window it just was beautiful it's like angels singing what began as a way for mother and daughter to bond was becoming something more naomi and wynonna believed they had a shot at stardom they had a variety of musical influences which included bluegrass and rhythm and blues but they felt their heart and soul belonged in country music they were going to drive to nashville and try and get him to get a contract to sing country music and i gave her a going away party and of course there were a lot of people there saying oh yeah right she's going to go down to nashville and just break into the country music scene and i just kept thinking i know this woman is brilliant i just knew that she had a certain magic that she was going to make it [Music] in 1979 the judds moved to franklin tennessee a suburb of nashville the country music capital they were determined to get a record deal naomi and wynonna recorded a crude demo tape on a cheap tape recorder while her daughters were in school naomi took their demo to every record company on nashville's infamous music row her dynamic drive and ambition did not go unnoticed by those in the record industry i thought naomi judd had something from the moment i met her it would not have happened without the combination wynonna was the voice but naomi was the saleswoman if it had not been for naomi's skills her people skills her marketing skills her beauty her brains her vision wynonna would have wound up just another talented high school kid who sang the ambitious single mother also found time for romance in 1979 naomi met base singer larry strickland who performed backup for elvis presley the two began a long-term courtship while naomi struggled to get a recording contract in 1982 naomi and wynonna got a break they began performing on the ralph emery show an early morning country radio program they were dubbed the soap sisters but the gig couldn't even buy them a bar of soap naomi also worked part-time as a nurse and barely made enough money to keep her family afloat [Music] there was a period of time it was winter and there was no firewood and no food in the refrigerator and ashley and winona were sleeping under blankets to keep warm and the toilet was frozen over i mean that's just a plain ant that's pretty down on your luck that's pretty that's that's about rock bottom right there i'd say the judds lived in poverty but they were never poor in spirit in 1982 they got the opportunity they had been longing for at williamson county hospital near franklin tennessee naomi was caring for a patient named diana mayer her father just happened to be brent mayer a record producer who worked with such legendary talents as kenny rogers i was aware of naomi and wynonna because both of my kids went to school with y and they had done this morning show the ralph emory morning show numerous times and of course i wasn't up by then but my wife was and on two or three occasions janelle would yell upstairs and say you know brent come down and look at these girls they're great [Music] naomi eventually gave brent mayer their poor quality demo tape she asked him if he could take time to listen to their music and give them some feedback my wife saw that cassette and jesus brent have you listened to this tape yet and i said yeah i'll get around to it she says you get around to it today or don't come home she said that woman was so nice to diana so um i listened to it on the way into work and by the time i got into work my head was buzzing because of the uniqueness of their sound brent mayer knew the judds were blessed with a raw harmonic sound [Music] eager to showcase their talent he brought naomi and winona into the studio to record a series of songs after a year of pounding on producers doors the judd's new demo tape made its way to rca records in nashville the executives there were instantly moved by their heartfelt harmonies rca invited the judge to perform live in their studio that was a fantastic night to remember the girls were just like pins and needles and they walked in the rca building which they'd never been and you see all these gold records with chet atkins and elvis presley dolly parton and alabama and it was just like kids in a candy store i think about being 18 years old and most 18 year olds are you know leaving home to go to college and start off on a new adventure i was sitting in rca records with my mother with a guitar singing music and that day forever changed my life [Music] why is the type that that you know where that voice is coming from it's coming from her heart you can hear the anguish you can hear the the sincerity of where that's coming from 45 minutes after their live audition rca gave the judds a record deal naomi and wynonna were elated the lean days were finally over from that moment on their lives would never be the same [Music] in 1984 the judd's dream came alive naomi and her 19 year old daughter wynonna were ready to take their show on the road their first performance was opening for the staedtler brothers at the examine festival in omaha nebraska the duo suddenly found themselves scared to death to sing before such a large crowd it didn't really hit me until we walked out that evening we were backstage and i said well i'm going to head out get behind the sound booth and i walked out and i looked at that sea of people ten thousand people and i said oh my god i said this is either gonna be great or why he's gonna walk out and faint we're in place we're standing side by side and i'm looking at mom like okay you made me do this you're a bad mommy i'm traumatized i'm gonna need therapy um you know this isn't normal i should be out on a date what have you done and then you're a big pet i know and then the curtain goes up and i'm like [Music] [Applause] the girls from kentucky quickly overcame their stage fright concert goers lined up to see the mother-daughter duo their mountain harmonies and acoustic sound appeal to men as well as women they're strong women they're singing songs for not only women but for men also and the judge brought that honesty and sincerity and that specialness a uniqueness that nobody else has touched on since winona naomi you have to remember that in 1980 1981 this was like urban cowboy kind of music era a very not a very critically acclaimed era of country music here comes an act that is stripping all of that away with a very fresh acoustic based sound and a lead vocalist who could raise the hair on your arms i mean a thrilling lead singer and you can't beat family harmony there was definitely a hook there and something that they could do that really nobody else did just from being a mother daughter now as unique as that is all that will allow you to have is a little bit of cool press the reason the judge became quote the judge wasn't because they were mother daughter as much as it was they were a great talent yes the winners are the judge naomi and wynonna proved they were more than just a gimmick in 1984 the judd's first three singles went to number one that same year they won numerous awards including their first of six grammys for best country performance by a duo or group people that would normally not relate to country music they got into the judge because of their quirkiness i think and and their personality and then the music itself the country duo soulful lyrics touched a chord with audiences all over the world fans also flocked to see their lively stage performances and outrageous costumes both women had a flare for being flamboyant often times designing their own dresses i've got a couple of girls down here they're looking at me like what are you wearing this is my party dress i can see you talking about me one night and i named all of her out remember when they walked on stage in the vinyl dresses that are now on display in the country music hall of fame and i went what wow where is what's what is that all about what are they car interiors it's like they would do pretty out there stuff they loved playing dress both of them you look at some of those early clips and it looks like she's wearing somebody's furniture you know ripped this off a red couch and wrapped it around her but that that was her that's that's naomi and why over here with her big boots and black outfit and this and that the contrast is what made a lot of their show the the mother the daughter it kept the audience fascinated you never knew what they're going to say next what they're going to do next what they're going to wear next and that that's part of the overall judd's magic the judds made magic on stage they toured the country in a plush star-line bus called the dream chaser for years mother and daughter had chased their dream now they were living out their fantasy on the road sixteen-year-old ashley judd lived with family and friends while her mother and sister were touring but during the summer months she'd travel with the band we would put a couple of bikes under the bus and i traveled with them a lot and i'd explore whatever town we happened to be in in school i'd try to go never more than six weeks without making a visit the judd's popularity increased with every album they released [Music] their lives were full of glitz and glamour they bought farms and acres of land in tennessee but the country women never forgot their humble beginnings after two or three years of being on the road and being asked to do tv shows naomi gets out the bus and her hair is probably like this and like this and she's saying oh if i have to do one more of these things without a good night's sleep and her and her bass player says well mamo you could be emptying pans about now she goes good point you know both of the girls really do appreciate what they have the mother-daughter team experienced joyous times together on the road they had their music and each other but their darkest days were yet to come by 1987 the judds were the hottest duo in country music their popularity increased with every city they toured [Music] there was always a mystique about the judge because nobody really knew exactly where we were going next i mean naomi's sense of humor has been slightly whacked since day one and would always show that off at some of the most uh interesting moments you know [Music] the judd's quirky and complex personalities became the talk of nashville and the nation the two couldn't have been more different naomi was neat and punctual wynonna was carefree and often times late for concerts as a result being on the road together day in and day out had taken its toll on their already tumultuous relationship if you interview one of them or talk to one of them one-on-one it's completely different when they're together it's like a competition it's like uh okay it's my turn to talk i want the podium it is literally almost a fight for the podium and there's a lot of banter back and forth a lot of cutting each other down building each other up uh they can say nasty things to each other and they do but let an outsider say something nasty to one of the judds about another one and they're in trouble so it's it's they're a fun group to watch it's a very strange life because it's not a normal life and everything that i did was with my mother ladies and gentlemen that's not normal the music that brought mother and daughter together was also tearing them apart naomi and wynonna found it difficult to maintain their family harmony there's a lot of pressure and sometimes you just want to vent and sometimes it's not good if your mama's the one that's venting or you're the one that's venting and you're venting to each other early on you would go into an interview with them and they would fight in front of you sitting there with the tape recorder running like just they just start bickering it was like do we really want to go there they fought openly they were days when they didn't even speak being around them was like a constant festival of anger and tears that was how it was with us we couldn't live without each other but it was almost impossible to live with each other somebody said it was like tying two cats tails together and throwing us over a clothesline called at the agony in the ecstasy there you go folks it was a blessing and a curse [Music] over time the curse turned out to be a blessing in six years the judge had more fame and fortune than most artists could hope for in a lifetime their singles were number one their albums were platinum their concerts were sold out i remember one very goofy night i was walking back to my car after a cma awards show and this limousine went speeding by with these shrieking women holding their high-heeled shoes out the window and waving them and statuettes flying and stuff like that and i thought that can only be naomi and wynonna there just wouldn't have been anybody else that that could have been the hard time seemed to be over and the judd family had a lot to celebrate in 1986 ashley judd departed an honors student from the university of kentucky

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Length: 30min 13sec (1813 seconds)

Published: Fri Oct 30 2020