May 30: Country singer Wynonna Judd is 49-years-old today.

 

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Born Christina Claire Ciminella on May 30, 1964 in Ashland, Kentucky, Wynonna was given the last name Ciminella after Michael Ciminella, the man her mother Naomi married after being abandoned by her boyfriend and Judd's biological father, Charles Jordan. Jordan died in 2000. Her younger half-sister is actress Ashley Judd.

They moved to Los Angeles in 1968, and by 1976, Wynonna and Naomi were living in Kentucky, where Wynonna took inspiration from the country music that her mother listened to and learned to play guitar after receiving one for Christmas. The two of them moved to Nashville, Tennessee, in 1979 in pursuit of a musical career.

Wynonna first rose to fame in the 1980s alongside  Naomi, in the country music duo The Judds. Wynonna and Naomi were signed to RCA Records in 1983 as the duo The Judds. Between 1983 and 1991, The Judds charted 23 hit singles on the Billboard Hot Country Singles (now Hot Country Songs) charts, including 14 number ones. They also recorded eight studio albums and two Greatest Hits compilations.

In their six-year career, The Judds sold more than 20 million records worldwide and had won over 60 industry awards, including five Grammy Awards, nine Country Music Association awards (seven of them consecutive), and eight Billboard Music Awards. At the time, they were the biggest-selling duo in country music and remained so until they were eclipsed by Brooks & Dunn in the 1990s.

Although Wynonna sang lead vocals on all of the duo's songs, Naomi ran the duo. A chronic bout of hepatitis C forced Naomi into retirement following a 1991 farewell tour.

Wynonna then signed to MCA Records in association with

Curb Records as a solo artist. Wynonna has released eight studio albums, a live album, and a compilation album in addition to charting more than 20 singles of her own. Her first three singles—"She Is His Only Need," "I Saw the Light" and "No One Else on Earth"—all reached number one on the U.S. country singles charts, as did 1996's "To Be Loved by You." Three of her albums are certified platinum or higher by the RIAA. Her most recent recording, Sing: Chapter 1, was released on February 3, 2009.

While Wynonna is most recognized for her musical work, she has also pursued acting and philanthropy.

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For more about Wynonna, visit her Website at – http://www.wynonna.com/

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