Who could ever forget Gretchen Wilson’s number one rowdy hit “Redneck Woman” that also won her a Grammy for Best Female Country Vocal Performance? The song, which was the lead-off single of her 2004 debut album Here for the Party, topped the charts for five weeks and paved the way for a groundbreaking career.
And for the first decade of her career, Wilson undeniably enjoyed success and fame. But after she released her third studio album, One of the Boys, in 2007, her career started to decline, and her breaks between releases also became farther apart. Not to mention a few troubles along the way, the once phenomenal country singer faded into the background.
What happened to Gretchen Wilson?
After skyrocketing to fame, her small-town girl life suddenly turned into a high octane lifestyle that the country singer, later on, confessed she wasn’t ready for. In an interview with The Boot, Gretchen Wilson said that she had spent her whole life waiting for her big moment. But as much as she thought that she was prepared for it, the truth was she wasn’t. Everything happened so fast – she signed a major record deal, and she was lined to be the next Shania Twain.
And for the next twelve years, she spent her life on the road with nonstop tours and no time to be alone. She also shared that there was one trip that they crossed the International Date Line three times in just a span of one-and-a-half weeks that she didn’t know what day it was. And there came the burnout. Wilson felt that she was worn out not just vocally but also physically and that she needed time off for herself.
After releasing two albums – an original songs compilation Right on Time and rock covers album Under the Covers, and her very first Christmas album Christmas in My Heart in 2013, she took a much-needed time off. According to Wilson, she knew how fortunate she was at the time because there weren’t many artists like her who could afford to take a break for that long. At the same time, she also realized that that time allowed her not only to think, recuperate, get creative again but also gave her time to catch up with her daughter. As a single mom who was always on tour, she did miss a lot of things in her daughter’s life.
And so, for around two to three years, she enjoyed her life and allowed herself to heal from all the exhaustion.
Where is Gretchen Wilson now?
After taking a break, a lot has changed for Gretchen Wilson. Her daughter already entered college, and her body was able to recuperate. And so, she got back to the studio and put together a new album, Ready to Get Rowdy, which she released on June 16, 2017. For this one, she focused on her songwriting and worked with fellow songwriters Desmond Child and Marti Frederiksen, who have all previously worked with big names in the music industry.
But since a few years have passed, she felt apprehensive to go back on stage. Nevertheless, the excitement was still there, and she definitely craved the live show with all the highs and emotions rolled into it. She also missed the crowd singing back the words to her.
Sadly though, Gretchen Wilson’s comeback got a bit of a hitch in 2018 when she was taken into police custody after she had an altercation with a fellow passenger aboard a commercial flight from D.C. to Connecticut. She was charged with breach of peace and had a bond set at $1,000.
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