Born 61 Years Ago Today in Kentucky, One-Half of Country Music’s Most Beloved Mother-Daughter Duo

On May 30, 1961, 18-year-old Diana Judd gave birth to her first child, a daughter named Christina Claire Ciminella, in Ashland, Kentucky. Today, you may know that baby girl as Wynonna Judd, the throaty-voiced younger half of mother-daughter duo the Judds. Until the emergence of Brooks & Dunn in the 1990s, Naomi and Wynonna Judd were the most commercially successful country music pairing of all time. And Wynonna’s success continued after her mother’s retirement in 1991, releasing eight solo albums and notching four number-one hits.

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Becoming Wynonna Judd

Naomi Judd—then known as Diana—was still in high school when she gave birth for the first time, and her daughter’s biological father abandoned the family almost immediately. She quickly married Michael Ciminella, and the couple had a daughter, Ashley, in 1968.

The family moved to Los Angeles that same year, but the marriage had disintegrated by 1972. Four years later, Naomi Judd moved her daughters back to her home state of Kentucky.

Living in a remote mountain home with no phone or television, the three Judd ladies relied almost exclusively on country music radio for entertainment. Wynonna Judd learned to play guitar after receiving one as a gift, and was soon regularly harmonizing with her mother.

In 1979, the family moved to Nashville to try their hand at the music business. Diana Ellen Judd rechristened herself after the biblical figure of Naomi, which she felt better aligned with “”her own spiritual, rural Kentucky conception of her true heritage.” Meanwhile, her oldest daughter—who had since begun using her mother’s maiden name—adopted the stage name Wynonna, after the song “(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66”.

Achieving Country Music Stardom

In 1983, Naomi and Wynonna Judd signed with RCA Records. Over the next eight years, the Judds sold more than 20 million records worldwide, sent 14 country singles to the top of the charts, and won more than 60 industry awards. They took home the CMA Vocal Duo of the Year trophy seven straight years, from 1985 to 1991.

However, 1991 marked their final year as a duo, with Naomi Judd retiring after receiving a diagnosis of hepatitis C. Initially unsure whether to continue without her mother, the younger Judd released her solo debut, Wynonna, in March 1992.

All four of the album’s singles topped the country airplay charts, with Billboard naming “I Saw the Light” as its number-one country song of the year.

[RELATED: Wynonna Judd Shows Off Her Sass With “Woman to Woman” Performance During Tammy Wynette Tribute Concert]

Today, on her 61st birthday, Wynonna Judd remains one of the most recognizable and respected women in country music.

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