Wynonna Judd opened up about her career and the loss of her mother during her raw and revealing acceptance speech at the inaugural People’s Choice Country Awards on Thursday night (September 28). Brothers Osborne took the stage to present Judd with the Country Champion Award, honoring her activism and philanthropic efforts through the decades.
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After accepting the trophy from TJ and John Osborne on the Grand Ole Opry House stage in Nashville, Judd reflected on the winding path that her life and career have taken.
“I graduated high school in 1982, and in 1983, I got a record deal with RCA Records,” Judd told the crowd. “I got on a Silver Eagle bus with my mama and did her hair every night for ten years for free. It started there. Of course, ten years later, she would have to retire, and I would go on to make country music ‘herstory.’ And thanks to the fans, I didn’t give up. Then I would have another ten years, [and] a second career.
“Then, on August the 30th of last year, my mother committed suicide,” she continued. “I went to her house, and she died there. But we followed the ambulance anyway to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead. I walked into the room, and I held her in my arms, and I kissed her on the forehead, shut her eyes, and said, ‘I love you, mom.’ I walked out of that room, went home, got up the next morning, and showed up at the Country Music Hall of Fame to be inducted.
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“You know why? Because that’s how much we love music, regardless of what has happened to me…I show up, and I show out,” Judd declared, garnering a wave of applause from the audience. “I looked up the word ‘champion’ today, and it says to do battle for others, honor. And that is exactly what I’m going to do tomorrow when I get on a commercial flight and fly to Denver and do one more show because I can’t get enough of you.”
After thanking her husband, Cactus Moser, and extended family members, she offered a piece of wisdom to anyone hoping to pursue their own passions in life.
“Let me tell you something: it’s getting harder and harder out there. Never give up on your dreams,” she recommended. “For half of y’all in this place tonight, I know you don’t know who I am or you were not born when I had my years of being fabulous, and I’ll let that go,” Judd joked before reflecting on a performance in the early 1990s, which featured Tim McGraw as her opening act.
“Four weeks ago, I opened for Tim. The highs are high, and the lows are low, baby,” she said with a smile. “But don’t ever let them tell you who you are.”
On Wednesday (September 27), American Songwriter broke the news that Judd and Trisha Yearwood will release a duet version of The Judds‘ track “Cry Myself to Sleep” on Friday. The reimagined version of the duo’s 1981 hit single was recorded for the upcoming all-star cover album, A Tribute to The Judds, set for release on October 27.
Watch Wynonna Judd’s powerful speech from the 2023 People’s Choice Country Awards below:
Photo by Mickey Bernal/NBC
