Gretchen Frances Wilson is an American country music artist. She made her debut
in 2004 with the Grammy Award-winning single "Redneck Woman," a number-one hit
on the Billboard country charts. The song served as the lead-off single of
her debut album, Here for the Party. Wilson followed this album one year
later with All Jacked Up, the title track of which became the
highest-debuting single for a female country artist upon its 2005 release. A
third album, One of the Boys, was released in 2007.
Overall, Wilson has charted 13 singles on the Billboard country charts, of
which five have reached Top Ten: the Number One "Redneck Woman", as well as
"Here for the Party", "When I Think About Cheatin'", "Homewrecker", and "All
Jacked Up". The album Here for the Party was certified 5× Multi-Platinum by the
RIAA for sales of five million copies, while All Jacked Up was certified
platinum. She has sold over 8 million records worldwide.
Country music career = Here for the Party =
Wilson signed with Epic Records in 2003 and recorded Here for the Party within
the year. Her first single, "Redneck Woman", was released in early 2004 and
reached the top of the Hot Country Songs charts and No. 22 on the Billboard Hot
100. This song was also the first Number One country hit by a female in two
years. The success of "Redneck Woman" prompted an earlier-than-planned release
for Here for the Party, and it debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard country chart.
It also reached No. 2 on the Billboard 200 and Billboard Internet album sales
charts. She performed as a support artist for Brooks & Dunn and Montgomery
Gentry. She released the title track to her
debut album as the second single. It peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard country
chart. Two other songs were released as singles, and both reached the top 10.
Released in markets outside the U.S., the album hit No. 2 on the Australian
country charts and the top 50 of the Australian charts. Here for the Party
was certified 5× Multi-Platinum by the RIAA.
= All Jacked Up = On September 27, 2005, Wilson released
her second album, All Jacked Up, which peaked at No. 1 on both the Top 200 and
Country album charts and sold 1 million copies. The title track debuted at No.
21 on the Hot Country Songs charts, setting a record for the highest debut
ever made by a female artist. This record was broken in late 2007 by Carrie
Underwood's "So Small". Despite its high debut, however, "All Jacked Up" peaked
at No. 8 on Hot Country Songs after only eight chart weeks. It was also used, at
one time, by ESPN as the opening theme for its baseball coverage. Three more
singles were released from All Jacked Up: "I Don't Feel Like Loving You
Today", "Politically Uncorrect" and "California Girls", none of which
reached Top 20 on the country charts. These latter two singles were issued on
Columbia Records, due to the closure of Epic Records's Nashville division.
Wilson's "I Don't Feel Like Loving You Today" was nominated for two Grammy
Awards: Best Female Country Vocal Performance, and Best Country Song. In
2006, Wilson contributed a well-received cover of Kris Kristofferson's "Sunday
Mornin' Coming Down" on the tribute CD The Pilgrim: A Celebration of Kris
Kristofferson. = One of the Boys =
On May 15, 2007, Wilson released her third album, One of the Boys. The album
debuted at No. 5 on the Top 200 and at No. 1 on the Country album chart. After
10 weeks, it exited the Billboard Top 200, having sold 178,220 copies at that
point. "Come to Bed" and the title track, the first two singles released,
both peaked in the 30s on the country charts, while the third and final single
failed to reach the Top 40. = I Got Your Country Right Here =
On July 14, 2008, Wilson released a new single, "Don't Do Me No Good". This song
was intended to be the lead-off single to a fourth studio album, but it failed
to reach the Top 40 and the album was delayed. It was followed in 2009 by two
more singles, "The Earrings Song" and "If I Could Do It All Again," neither of
which entered the charts. Wilson then issued a press release on July 28, 2009,
stating that she would be parting with Sony Music Nashville. Wilson then
launched Redneck Records, her own record label. "Work Hard, Play Harder" was
released to radio on October 26, 2009 as the first single from the label and her
fourth studio album, I Got Your Country Right Here, was finally released on
March 30, 2010. Her former label, Columbia Nashville, released her first
Greatest Hits album on January 19, 2010, to finish off her recording contract.
= Right on Time, Under the Covers and Christmas in My Heart =
Wilson released an album of original songs titled Right on Time on April 2,
2013. It was led by the single "Still Rollin'". A collection of rock covers
titled Under the Covers was released on June 4, 2013. Wilson released her first
Christmas album, Christmas in My Heart, on October 8, 2013.
Other ventures = Rock music =
While a country singer first and foremost, Gretchen Wilson has also
attracted favorable attention for her rendition of classic rock songs by Heart
- a group which she sees as "one of the biggest influences on my musical
career.". She has appeared several times on the same stage as lead singer Ann
Wilson and guitarist Nancy Wilson, once describing the experience as "beyond a
dream come true". She has sung "Straight On", "Crazy on You", and - most notably
- "Barracuda", which she performed with Alice in Chains and Nancy Wilson on
guitar at the 2007 VH1 Rock Honors. She also performed, with Randy Bachman, the
classic Who track "Who Are You" on the album Who Are You - An All Star Tribute
To The Who. = Lawsuit =
On July 31, 2008, The Black Crowes filed a lawsuit against Wilson for copyright
violation, alleging that her song "Work Hard, Play Harder" copied the Crowes
song "Jealous Again". Also included in the suit were her label Sony BMG, her
publishing company, and the cable network TNT, which had been using the
song in commercials. The lawsuit was eventually settled out of court for an
undisclosed sum and Black Crowes members Chris and Rich Robinson were
given songwriting credits. Activism
= Politics = Gretchen Wilson sang the National Anthem
to a national audience at the Republican National Convention on September 3,
2008, later describing this as a "once-in-a-lifetime" experience at a
"historic moment." Wilson and her band also performed during a rally for
Republican presidential candidate John McCain and vice-presidential candidate
Sarah Palin at Lunken Airport in Cincinnati, Ohio on October 22, 2008 to
a crowd of approximately 12,000 supporters. Palin started the rally by
exclaiming that she couldn't wait to get Wilson's autograph. Wilson played a
version of the Heart song "Barracuda" for Palin.
= Charities and public service = Wilson has been active in support for
children's charities, adult education, and the fight against obesity.
Initiatives to date include: Raising over $1.5 million through benefit
performances for children’s charities, such as St. Jude’s Children’s Research
Hospital and the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Serving as national spokesperson for
Country Bands Together, a national obesity education and counseling/support
campaign sponsored by Allergan. Advocacy for adult education, including testimony
before Congress on the value and importance of support for adult
learners. = Sports =
In April 2010, Wilson released a customized version of "Work Hard, Play
Harder" in honor of the National Hockey League's Nashville Predators, with
reworked lyrics mentioning the team and its fans. She also sponsors a women's
softball team in Pierron, Illinois. Awards
2005 CMA Female Vocalist of the Year 2004 ACM Top Female Vocalist
2004 ACM Top New Artist 2004 CMA Horizon Award
2004 Grammy Award Best Female Country Vocal Performance
= Grammy Award history = Discography
Here for the Party All Jacked Up
One of the Boys I Got Your Country Right Here
Right on Time Under the Covers
Christmas in My Heart References
External links Gretchen Wilson at CMT