The Judds to be inducted in Country Music Hall of Fame. ‘About damn time,’ Wynonna says

The Judds, the mother-daughter duo who hail from Ashland, Kentucky, were announced Monday as inductees into the Country Music Hall of Fame Class of 2021.

Naomi Judd and Wynonna Judd were one of the most successful duos in music history, totaling 20 top 10 hits, including 14 songs that topped the charts. They also won five Grammys, nine Country Music Association awards and seven Academy of Country Music awards.

“As a daughter, 20 years... it’s about damn time,” Wynonna Judd said Monday in a ceremony by the Hall of Fame. “That’s what everyone has said, including relatives. As an artist, it’s wonderful to be included in the family of country.”

Naomi, the matriarch of the Judd family, moved her daughters from Kentucky to Nashville when she began to learn of the singing gift of Wynonna. When Wynonna was 18 years old with Naomi working as a nurse, they were offered a contract by RCA.

Their first album, “Wynonna & Naomi,” topped the charts in 1984 to begin an illustrious 7-year career. The second single off that album, “Mama He’s Crazy,” won a Grammy for Best Country Performance by a Duo — their first of five wins in that category.

Naomi retired for health reasons in 1991 and Wynonna began a successful solo career.

The pair will be joined in this year’s Hall of Fame class by Eddie Bayers, Ray Charles and Pete Drake.

“I’m so moved. It’s like I’m hypervigilant, I look over my shoulder and think ‘Wow are they going to kick us out? Did that really happen? Did we really do all that?’” Naomi said Monday. “Because Wy’ and I didn’t really know what we were doing to tell you the truth. We were trying so hard to find out what moved us, what made us resonate.”

This story was originally published August 16, 2021 at 12:43 PM with the headline "The Judds to be inducted in Country Music Hall of Fame. ‘About damn time,’ Wynonna says."