From humble beginnings as a single mom in a small Kentucky town to her meteoric rise as a country music superstar and American icon, Naomi Judd's incredible lifelong journey was an inspiring story of overcoming the odds through optimism and hard work.
Judd was first known to the world as half of country music's mother/daughter duo, The Judds. Reaching unprecedented success throughout the '80s and '90s, The Judds sold 20 million records, scored 15 No. 1 hits, and received over 60 industry awards, including six Grammys and seven consecutive CMA Vocal Group of the Year awards and the ACM's Top Vocal Duet award. At the pinnacle of their career, Judd was stricken with Hepatitis C, a potentially fatal chronic liver disease, incurred from an infected needle when she worked as a registered nurse, cutting short her musical career and forcing her into retirement to battle the disease. The Judds bid farewell to the fans in 1991, but Naomi did not step out of the public spotlight for long.
Judd was a survivor of Hepatitis C and served as the first national spokesperson for the American Liver Foundation. Using her fame, her experience as a former RN, and her passion to help people, she redirected energies into communicating her knowledge and research through educating audiences about the scientific link between mind, body, and spirit in the healing process as a keynote speaker. Once a member of Dr. Andrew Weil's board of directors, Judd advocated an integrative holistic approach to medicine along with the latest in modern technology. She helped to bridge the conversation between academia, medical communities and the everyday person about health and family-related issues whether her audience was the National Institutes of Health or a group of uninsured, single working moms.
In 2004, her self-penned bestseller, "Naomi's Breakthrough Guide: 20 Choices to Transform Your Life," remained on "The New York Times" best seller list for over eight weeks. In 2005, Naomi wrote her third children's book, "Gertie the Goldfish," and in 2006, "The Transparent Life" hit the shelves. Hallmark Channel tapped her to host "Naomi's New Morning," a weekly talk show that aired from 2005 to 2007. In 2007, Naomi released yet another best seller titled "Naomi's Guide to Aging Gratefully," which was a message of empowerment to the millions of baby boomers in this country. She also served as spokesperson for Partners Against Pain, Post Cereal's "Heart Health" campaign, Prilosec, and AARP. In seasons 2008-2009, she helped launch CMT's reality competition hit "Can You Duet" as a talent judge. And, coming full circle to where we first discovered this unique, captivating personality, Naomi and Wynonna took to the road in 2010 for "The Judds: The Last Encore Tour" and released a new single, "I Will Stand By You." That experience was chronicled by a hit docu-series, "The Judds," which premiered April 2011 on OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network. The series followed the award winning mother/daughter duo as they hit the road for their first and final concert tour in 10 years. Cameras captured their emotional journey as they worked to heal their relationship, reconnect with the fans, and share the spotlight once again.
Judd also served as a radio host with her six-week SiriusXM radio series "Think Twice," which launched nationwide on June 8, 2012. She also found time to add film projects to her list of accomplishments as she shot "Nearlyweds" in Vancouver in June 2012 for the Hallmark Channel and "An Evergreen Christmas," a feature film, in February 2013.
Naomi Judd continued her humanitarian efforts including River Cities Harvest, the Saint Louis University Liver Center, M.A.D.D., Parents Television Council, Make-A-Difference Day, Women's World Peace Initiative, the National Domestic Violence Hotline, and created her own July 4th Judd's Annual Food Drive to benefit families of Appalachia.
