Wynonna is the debut solo studio album by American country music artist Wynonna Judd, released on March 31, 1992, via MCA Records in association with Curb Records.

Prior to the release of Wynonna, Judd was part of the massively successful duo, the Judds, which consisted of her and her mother Naomi Judd. They were one of the biggest acts in country in the 1980s until the duo disbanded in 1991 following Naomi's hepatitis diagnosis. Production on Wynonna was handled by Tony Brown except "Live with Jesus", which was produced by Paul Kennerley.

Wynonna received mostly favorable reviews from music critics upon its release and became one of the best selling country albums of all time by a female artist. All of the album's four singles topped either the Billboard or Radio & Records country airplay charts, with "I Saw the Light" becoming the number one country song of 1992 according to Billboard. The album has gone on to become certified 5× platinum in the United States and is to date, Wynonna's best selling album.

Content The album's first three singles, "She Is His Only Need", "I Saw the Light", "No One Else on Earth", topped the US Billboard Hot Country Songs, for a combined total of eight weeks, while the album's final single "My Strongest Weakness" also cracked the top five of the chart. "When I Reach the Place I'm Goin'" was later recorded by Patty Loveless for the 1994 compilation album Red Hot + Country and on her 2005 album Dreamin' My Dreams. "It's Never Easy to Say Goodbye" was later recorded by Kenny Chesney on his 1996 album Me and You.

Track listing

Personnel As listed in liner notes.

Wynonna Judd – lead vocals, backing vocals (2, 5, 8) John Barlow Jarvis – keyboards (1, 9) Steve Nathan – keyboards (2–4, 6, 8, 9) Matt Rollings – keyboards (2–4, 6–8) Barry Beckett – keyboards (7) Paul Kennerley – all instruments (10), backing vocals (10) George Marinelli – electric guitar (1, 9) Don Potter – acoustic guitar (1–5, 7–9), MIDI acoustic guitar (5), electric guitar (6) Steuart Smith – acoustic guitar (1, 5, 9), electric guitar (1–4, 6–8) Sam Bush – mandolin (7, 9) Marty Stuart – electric guitar (8) Leland Sklar – bass guitar (1, 9) Willie Weeks – bass guitar (2–8) Rick Marotta – drums (1, 9) Eddie Bayers – drums (2–8) Dave Loggins – backing vocals (2) Judy Rodman – backing vocals (2) Andrew Gold – backing vocals (3) Naomi Judd – backing vocals (5) John Cowan – backing vocals (6) Jonell Mosser – backing vocals (6, 8) Gary Chapman – backing vocals (7) Donna McElroy – backing vocals (7)

Production

Tony Brown – producer (tracks 1–9) Paul Kennerley – producer (track 10), recording Don Potter – associate producer Chuck Ainlay – recording, overdubs, mixing, mastering Steve Tillisch – recording Jeff Coppage – second engineer Karen Eckhoff – second engineer Jason Garner – second engineer Mel Jones – second engineer Russ Martin – second engineer, overdubs Craig White – second engineer Brad Gilderman – overdubs Denny Purcell – mastering Jessie Noble – project coordinator Team Design, Inc. – art direction and design Andy Engel – hand lettering Peter Nash – photography Jim Kemp – director of creative services Earl Cox/Trumps – hair Mary Beth Felts – make-up Vanessa Ware – styling

Locations Emerald Sound Studio – recording location 16th Avenue Sound – recording location Backstage Studio – recording location Paul Kennerley's house – recording location (track 10) Georgetown Masters – mastering location

Charts

Weekly charts +Weekly chart performance for WynonnaChart (1992)Peakposition Canadian Country Albums (RPM) 1

Year-end charts +1992 year-end chart performance for WynonnaChart (1992)PositionCanadian Country Albums (RPM) 3US Billboard 200 29US Top Country Albums (Billboard) 6

+1993 year-end chart performance for WynonnaChart (1993)PositionCanadian Country Albums (RPM) 50US Billboard 200 64US Top Country Albums (Billboard) 12

+1994 year-end chart performance for WynonnaChart (1994)PositionUS Top Country Albums (Billboard) 68

Certifications

References