Before they became Country Music Hall of Famers, The Judds were a mother-daughter duo with a crazy dream—and a crazy-good song that changed everything for them.
Written by Kenny O’Dell, “Mama He’s Crazy” became The Judds’ first chart-topping country song 41 years ago today – August 4. It was the first of 14 chart-toppers for the contentious pair, but it was this tender, twangy ballad that proved the Judds were here to stay.
The song showcased their crystalline-yet-smoky harmonies with Country Universe calling “Mama He’s Crazy” “a perfect marriage between artist and song that broke them through to the big leagues.”
“Mama He’s Crazy” is one of NSAI’s 50 Songs of the Year – and O’Dell was inspired to write it from eating lunch in front of a midday soap opera.
O’Dell worked from home back then, and every day between 11 a.m. and noon, he would take a break, and his wife would fix him lunch. They’d settled in front of their television to eat, and O’Dell got hooked on a soap opera.
Videos by American Songwriter
A Soap Opera Inspired The Judds’ First No. 1
As expected, there was some drama. There was a mother and daughter, and the daughter’s boyfriend was a rancher. Someone was trying to build oil wells on the rancher’s land, and he was livid.
“He told her, ‘Well, if they start building oil wells on my ranch out there, I’m going to just blow the whole thing up,’” the daughter recounted to her mother, according to O’Dell. “That shocked her, and she was thinking, ‘This guy’s got a short fuse.’ She’s worried about this temper that he has. She says, ‘It scares me. He’s nuts. He’ll go ballistic.’ She said, ‘Mama, he’s crazy.’”
O’Dell saved the idea and didn’t write the song right away. O’Dell told NSAI’s Bart Herbison that at the time, Ralph Emery had a midday talk show on in Nashville. O’Dell’s wife saw The Judds on the talk show and suggested that O’Dell try to write a song for them.
He started fiddling with “Mama He’s Crazy.” Of course, the soap opera’s storyline isn’t reflected in the song at all. O’Dell even turned the catch phrase around and made it sweet: “Mama, he’s crazy. Crazy over me.”
The “Nashville Channels” Carried Song to The Judds
O’Dell made a work tape of himself singing the song and dispersed it through the appropriate Nashville channels, trying to get “Mama He’s Crazy” to the duo. In the meantime, his longtime friend Brent Maher calls him. Maher already had O’Dell’s song, because the Nashville channels had worked, and The Judds had played it for him.
When Maher played their recording to O’Dell, the songwriter was stunned.
“It’s sounding really good,” O’Dell said. “It gets to the chorus there where it goes, ‘Mama, he’s crazy.’ I said, “Holy…blank. That is just fabulous. That’s a clean version of what I said. I said, “I love this man.” He said, “It’s going to be their next single.”
Between 1984 and 1991, The Judds earned 20 Top 10 country hits, including 14 No. 1 songs ranging from “Grandpa (Tell Me ‘Bout the Good Old Days)” to “Love Can Build a Bridge.” The duo won five Grammys, nine Country Music Association awards, and seven Academy of Country Music awards.
Three years ago, on April 30, 2022, The Judds were preparing to mount their final tour. The mother and daughter were heavily involved in rehearsals and wardrobe decisions. Then, one Saturday—a couple of weeks after Naomi and Wynonna delivered their first televised performance in 20 years on the CMT Music Awards and the day before they were to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame—Naomi Judd died. She was 76.
Naomi Judd Dies
A statement from Wynonna and her sister, Ashley, on The Judds‘ website said: Today, we sisters experienced a tragedy. We lost our beautiful mother to the disease of mental illness. We are shattered …and navigating profound grief and know that as we loved her, she was loved by her public. (The family) are in unknown territory.
Four months later, the autopsy confirmed what the family had already said—she died by suicide. Judd shot herself in the Tennessee home she shared with her husband, Larry Strickland.
“We have always shared openly both the joys of being family as well as its sorrows, too. One part of our story is that our matriarch was dogged by an unfair foe,” a statement from the family read.
“(Doctors) treated her for PTSD and bipolar disorder, to which millions of Americans can relate.”
While Naomi struggled with mental illness behind closed doors, she was larger than life on stage. The former nurse adored brightly colored fashion, loved hosting parties, and in public, was always ready with a hug and a smile, cherished animals, and had an open heart anxious to accept everyone.
If you or someone you know is facing a mental crisis, visit 988lifeline.org for help.
(Photo by Ebet Roberts/Getty Images)
Leave a Reply
Only members can comment. Become a member. Already a member? Log in.