Gretchen Wilson | |
|---|---|
 Wilson in 2008 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Gretchen Frances Wilson (1973-06-26)June 26, 1973 (age 52)[1] Pocahontas, Illinois, U.S. |
| Origin | Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupation | Singer-songwriter |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar |
| Years active | 2003–present |
| Labels | Epic Nashville,Columbia Nashville, Redneck |
Gretchen Frances Wilson (born June 26, 1973, inPocahontas, Illinois) is an Americancountry music singer and songwriter. She made her debut in March 2004 with theGrammy Award-winning single "Redneck Woman", a number-one hit on theBillboard 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 withAll 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 theBillboard country charts, of which five have reached top ten: the number one "Redneck Woman", as well as "Here for the Party" (#3, 2004), "When I Think About Cheatin'" (#4, 2004), "Homewrecker" (#2, 2005), and "All Jacked Up" (#8, 2005). The albumHere for the Party was certified 5× multi-platinum by theRIAA for sales of five million copies, whileAll Jacked Up was certified platinum. She has sold over 8.2 million records worldwide.
Wilson was born in 1973 inPocahontas, Illinois. Her mother was a teenager at the time. When she was 2, her father left the family, with her mother becoming a single mother. She dropped out of high school and worked as a cook.[2]
Wilson signed withEpic Records in 2003 and recordedHere for the Party within the year. Her first single, "Redneck Woman", was released in early 2004 and reached the top of theHot Country Songs charts and No. 22 on theBillboard Hot 100. This song was also the first number one country hit by a female in two years.[1] The success of "Redneck Woman" prompted an earlier-than-planned release forHere for the Party, and it debuted at No. 1 on theBillboard country chart. It reached No. 2 on theBillboard 200 andBillboard Internet album sales charts. She performed as a support artist forBrooks & Dunn andMontgomery Gentry.[citation needed]
She released the title track to her debut album as the second single. It peaked at No. 3 on theBillboard 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 (behindKasey Chambers) and the top 50 of the Australian charts.Here for the Party was certified 5× multi-platinum by the RIAA.[citation needed]
On September 27, 2005, Wilson released her second album,All Jacked Up,[1] 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 byCarrie 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, byESPN as the opening theme for its baseball coverage. Three more singles were released fromAll Jacked Up: "I Don't Feel Like Loving You Today", "Politically Uncorrect" (a duet withMerle Haggard) and "California Girls", none of which reached Top 20 on the country charts. These latter two singles were issued onColumbia 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 ofKris Kristofferson's "Sunday Mornin' Coming Down" on the tribute CDThe Pilgrim: A Celebration of Kris Kristofferson.
 | This section of abiography of a living persondoes notinclude anyreferences or sources. Please help by addingreliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourcedmust be removed immediately, especially if potentiallylibelous or harmful.(January 2016) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
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" (a duet with John Rich) and the title track, the first two singles released, both peaked in the 30s on the country charts, while the third and final single ("You Don't Have to Go Home") failed to reach the Top 40.
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.[3] 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 firstGreatest Hits album on January 19, 2010, to finish off her recording contract.
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 labelSony BMG, her publishing company, and the cable networkTNT, which had been using the song in commercials.[4] The lawsuit was eventually settled out of court for an undisclosed sum[5] and Black Crowes membersChris andRich Robinson were given songwriting credits.[6]
Wilson released an album of original songs titledRight on Time on April 2, 2013. It was led by the single "Still Rollin'". A collection of rock covers titledUnder the Covers was released on June 4, 2013. Wilson released her first Christmas album,Christmas in My Heart, on October 8, 2013.[7]
While a country singer first and foremost, Gretchen Wilson has also attracted favorable attention[8] for her rendition of classic rock songs byHeart – a group which she sees as "one of the biggest influences on my musical career".[9]
She has appeared several times on the same stage as lead singerAnn Wilson and guitaristNancy Wilson, once describing the experience as "beyond a dream come true".[10]
She has sung "Straight On",[9] "Crazy on You", and – most notably – "Barracuda",[11] which she performed withAlice in Chains and Nancy Wilson on guitar at the2007 VH1 Rock Honors.[12] She also performed, withRandy Bachman, the classicWho track "Who Are You" on the albumWho Are You – An All Star Tribute to the Who.[13] She performed onBuckcherry's single "The Feeling Never Dies" (from the albumRock 'n' Roll), which was released January 29, 2016.[14]
She has sung "Even It Up", "Rock and Roll" and "Barracuda" which she performed withHeart,Jerry Cantrell,Dave Navarro,Duff McKagan,Rufus Wainwright andCarrie Underwood at theDecades Rock Live!.[citation needed]
In 2025, Wilson competed inseason thirteen ofThe Masked Singer as "Pearl" and won the season. She then did an encore of "Redneck Woman" whileNick Cannon,Robin Thicke,Jenny McCarthy,Ken Jeong,Rita Ora, andAndy Grammer (who finished in 2nd place as "Boogie Woogie") danced in the background.[15]
Wilson joined the cast of a new music competition show,The Road, which premiered on CBS in the fall of 2025. She will serve in the role of 'Tour Manager' alongside co-starsKeith Urban andBlake Shelton as they travel America looking for the "next big musician" who will open for Urban on tour.[16]
Gretchen Wilson sang the National Anthem (blended with a voice-over of thePledge of Allegiance) to a national audience at theRepublican National Convention on September 3, 2008, later describing this as a "once-in-a-lifetime" experience at a "historic moment."[17] Wilson and her band also performed during a rally forRepublican presidential candidateJohn McCain and vice-presidential candidateSarah Palin atLunken Airport inCincinnati, 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 theHeart song"Barracuda" for Palin.[18]
In September 2024 she appeared at a Wisconsin rally for presidential candidate Donald Trump, where she sang "Redneck Woman" and then addressed the crowd from the podium.[19] She said, "the American dream that I have been fortunate enough to find will more most certainly be lost forever if we do not show up and vote for freedom in November. It is on us. Let's make sure we, the people, do all we can to save our country by voting for President Trump andJD Vance."
Wilson has been active in support for children's charities, adult education, and the fight against obesity. Initiatives to date include:
In2004, Wilson sang the national anthem before Game 4 of theWorld Series between theBoston Red Sox and theSt. Louis Cardinals atBusch Memorial Stadium as a long-time fan of the Cardinals.[21]
In April 2010, Wilson released a customized version of "Work Hard, Play Harder" in honor of theNational Hockey League'sNashville Predators, with reworked lyrics mentioning the team and its fans.[22]
She also sponsors a women's softball team inPierron, Illinois.
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.[23] The lawsuit was eventually settled out of court for an undisclosed sum[24] and Black Crowes members Chris and Rich Robinson were given songwriting credits.[25]
On August 21, 2018, Wilson was arrested atBradley International Airport inWindsor Locks, Connecticut.Connecticut State Police arrived at the airport after reports of a minor disturbance. Police arrested Wilson after she reportedly became belligerent during their on-tarmac interview. Wilson was charged with breach of peace and her bond was set at $1,000.[26][27][28]
| Year | Album or Song | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Herself | Best New Artist | Nominated[29] |
| "Redneck Woman" | Best Female Country Vocal Performance | Won[30] | |
| Best Country Song | Nominated[31] | ||
| Here for the Party | Best Country Album | Nominated[31] | |
| 2006 | All Jacked Up | Best Country Album | Nominated[32] |
| "All Jacked Up" | Best Female Country Vocal Performance | Nominated[32] | |
| Best Country Song | Nominated[32] | ||
| "Politically Uncorrect"(withMerle Haggard) | Best Country Collaboration with Vocals | Nominated[32] | |
| 2007 | "I Don't Feel Like Loving You Today" | Best Female Country Vocal Performance | Nominated[32] |
| 2008 | "These Days"(as featured artist) | Album of the Year | Nominated |
| 2011 | "I'd Love To Be Your Last" | Best Female Country Vocal Performance | Nominated |
Country music singer and long-time Cards fan, Gretchen Wilson, sang 'The Star-Spangled Banner' in front of the 52,037 fans who gathered at Busch Stadium to watch Game 4 of the 2004 World Series between the Red Sox and Cardinals...Edgar Renteria...grounded the ball back to (Keith) Foulke, who flipped it to Doug Mientkiewicz to record the final out of the series and give the Sox their long awaited World Series title.
