Gretchen Wilson
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
This biographical article needs additional citations for verification.
Please help improve this article by adding reliable references.
Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (May 2007)
Gretchen Wilson
Background informationBirth nameGretchen Frances WilsonBornJune 26, 1973
(1973-06-26) (age=A034)OriginPocahontas, Illinois,
USAGenre(s)CountryOccupation(s)Singer-songwriterInstrument(s)Vocals,
guitarYears active2004=E2=80"presentLabel(s)Epic, ColumbiaAssociated
actsMuzikMafia, Big & RichWebsitehttp://www.gretchenwilson.com
Gretchen Frances Wilson, June 26, 1973 in Pocahontas, Illinois) is a
Grammy award-winning American country music singer-songwriter. Her debut
album, Here for the Party, topped the US country charts in 2004 and
reached #2 on the Billboard 200 chart. Her two subsequent albums, All
Jacked Up (2005) and One of the Boys (2007), have also reached the top
of the US country charts.[1]
[edit] Biography
[edit] Early life
Gretchen was born in Pocahontas, Illinois to a 16-year-old mother. Her
father left before she was two years old, and she and her mother lived
in trailer parks and relative poverty. Gretchen's mother worked as a
waitress, and Gretchen herself dropped out of the 9th grade at age 15 to
work as a cook and bartender in rural Illinois. In 2008, she completed
the GED program.
After a failed marriage to former Baywolfe bandmate Larry Rolens,
Gretchen moved to Nashville and began dating Mike Penner. They have a
daughter, Grace Frances Penner, who was born November 9, 2000.
Gretchen, who had sung for Kmart as a child, sang in two bar bands by
the age of 20. In 1996 she moved to Nashville to sing back-up and record
sample songs. In 2000, she met John Rich, a former member of Lonestar,
who invited her to become his song-writing partner. Wilson signed with
Epic Records in 2003 and recorded Here for the Party within the year.
[edit] Career
Her first single, "Redneck Woman", was released in early 2004 and
reached the top of the Hot Country Songs charts and #22 on the Billboard
Hot 100. The success of "Redneck Woman" prompted an earlier-than-planned
release for Here for the Party -- May 11, 2004 -- and it debuted at #1
on the Billboard country chart. It also reached #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 Here For The Party as the second single. It
peaked at #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 #2 on the Australian country charts
(behind Kasey Chambers) and the top 50 of the Australian charts. As of
July 5, 2004, "Redneck Woman" was #1 on a world composite country chart
(based on the U.S., UK, and Australia charts). The album went on sell
more than 4 million copies in the U.S. and 5 million worldwide and was
certified four times platinum.
On September 27, 2005, Gretchen released her second album, All Jacked
Up, which peaked at #1 on both the Top 200 and Country album charts,
but, after initial decent sales, the album quickly fell off the charts.
It was certified Platinum and sold 1 million copies. The title track,
All Jacked Up, peaked at a disappointing #8 on the Country singles chart
and was the only song from the album to reach the top 10. The second
single, I Don't Feel Like Loving You Today, peaked at #22. The third and
the fourth singles were Politically Uncorrect and California Girls,
which peaked respectively at #23 and #25 on the Country chart. Kid Rock
appeared on "The Other Side of Me," an exclusive track that Target
released with the album.
On February 28, 2006, Gretchen appeared on Kid Rock and The Twisted
Brown Trucker Band's "Live" Trucker, as she performed "Picture" recorded
at Detroit's Cobo Hall, 3/26/04. On November 2006, she released a new
single called Come To Bed, a song produced by her friend John Rich, who
also sings the background vocals. The song's suggestive video received a
TV-14 S rating when aired on CMT.
Gretchen'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. In 2007, Wilson displayed
her rock and roll vocals on the cable TV special VH1 Rock Honors,
singing Heart's hit Barracuda, along with Alice in Chains and Heart
member Nancy Wilson on guitars.,
On May 15, 2007, Gretchen released her third album, One of the Boys. The
album debuted at #5 on the Top 200 and at #1 on the Country album chart.
After 11 weeks, it exited the Billboard Top 200, having sold just
178,220 copies at that point. "Come To Bed" and "One Of The Boys", the
first two singles released, both failed to enter the top 30 and missed
the Hot 100 completely. The third single, "You Don't Have to Go Home",
was even less successful, peaking at #53.
[edit] 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
[edit] Grammy Award history
CategoryGenreAlbum or SongYearResultBest Country Female Vocal
PerformanceCountry"Redneck Woman"2005WonBest New
ArtistGeneralN/A2005NominatedBest Country SongCountry"Redneck
Woman"2005NominatedBest Country AlbumCountryHere for the
Party2005NominatedBest Country AlbumCountryAll Jacked
Up2006NominatedBest Female Country Vocal PerformanceCountry"All Jacked
Up"2006NominatedBest Country SongCountry"All Jacked Up"2006NominatedBest
Country Collaboration w/ VocalsCountry"Politically
Uncorrect"2006Nominated
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
YearAlbumChart PositionsUS SalesRIAARecord LabelUS CountryUS 2002004Here
for the Party125,000,000+5=C3=97 Multi-PlatinumEpic2005All Jacked
Up111,250,000+Platinum2007One of the Boys15450,000+GoldColumbia
[edit] Singles
YearSongChart PositionsRIAAAlbumUS CountryUS Hot 1002004"Redneck
Woman"122PlatinumHere for the Party"Here for the Party"339Gold"Red Bird
Fever"A59Single only2005"When I Think About Cheatin'"439Here for the
Party"Homewrecker"B256"Our America" (w/ Big & Rich and Cowboy
Troy)C44Comin' to Your City (Big & Rich album)"All Jacked Up"D842GoldAll
Jacked Up"I Don't Feel Like Loving You Today"221092006"Politically
Uncorrect" (w/Merle Haggard)E23"California Girls"25121"That's How They
Do It in Dixie"
(w/ Hank Williams, Jr., Big & Rich, and Van Zant)36That's How They Do It
in Dixie:
The Essential Collection (Hank Williams Jr. album)"Come to Bed" (w/John
Rich)32One of the Boys2007"One of the Boys"35"You Don't Have to Go
Home"53
A "Red Bird Fever" was a digital single, set to the tune of "Redneck
Woman", released in November 2004 to correspond with the St. Louis
Cardinals' trip to the World Series.
B Reached #1 on U.S. Radio & Records (now Mediabase 24/7) country
singles charts.
C Album cut, charted from unsolicited airplay.
D "All Jacked Up" also peaked at #51 on the US Pop 100 and #37 on US
Digital.
E "Politically Uncorrect" originally charted at #58 in October 2005
before being confirmed as a single.
[edit] References
^ News=A0: Headlines=A0: Gretchen Wilson Scores Another No. 1 CD=A0:
Great American Country
[edit] External links
Gretchen Wilson official site
Gretchen Wilson at CMT
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gretchen_Wilson"