Wynonna Judd pays tribute to her late mother Naomi at CMA Fest with a surprise performance.
Wynonna joined Carly Pearce on stage and sang “Why Not Me?” from her 1984 hit album, which she co-wrote with her mother.
Wynonna Judd surprised fans when she appeared on stage with Carly Pearce at the 2022 CMA Fest in Nashville, Tennessee, to pay tribute to her late mother, Naomi Judd.
Pearce, 32, introduced Wynonna, 58, to the audience by talking about the family’s singing group The Judds and the legacy they left behind.
“CMA Fest, we lost one of our absolute pillars in country music earlier this year: Miss Naomi Judd,” she said, according to The Tennessean. “As a girl growing up in Kentucky, I idolized the Judds and wanted to be like them.”
“My first concert was to see Wynonna. And I’ve always loved all of the music that the Judds made and feel like it is such a representation of the best of country music, So CMA Fest, please make welcome Wynonna Judd.”
When Wynonna entered the stage, she sang a duet with Pearce of her 1984 hit “Why Not Me?”
The Judds first played the song in the mid-’80s, and it helped them gain popularity in the country music market.
Naomi died in April, only a day before she was to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. Wynonna and Ashley Judd, her children, said they were “shattered” when they learned of her death.
“We are navigating profound grief and know that as we loved her, she was loved by her public. We are in unknown territory,” they said in a statement.
Wynonna opted to continue their joint tour, “The Judds: The Final Tour,” in honour of her mother “They were supposed to do it this fall.
“So, I made a decision and I thought I’d share it on national television. That after a lot of thought, I’m going to have to honor her and do this tour. I’m just going to have to,” Wynonna said in a May CMT special, “Naomi Judd: A River of Time Celebration.” “Because that’s what you would want, and Bono once told me give them what they want, not what you want.”
Wynonna has asked some prominent country music performers to join her in singing some of The Judds’ songs as a way to honour her mother, and so far, Brandi Carlile, Faith Hill, Little Big Town, Martina McBride, Ashley McBryde, and Trisha Yearwood have all said yes.
More singers will be revealed at a later date. The event, however, will begin on September 30 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and conclude on October 29 in The Judds’ home state of Kentucky.