Gretchen Wilson Artistfacts

June 26, 1973
Gretchen Wilson is best known for her song "Redneck Woman," which topped the Country chart for five weeks in the summer of 2004. Her first single, it became an anthem for women who prefer beer to champagne, shop at Wal-Mart and listen to Lynyrd Skynyrd. Whe wrote the song after watching a Faith Hill video and realizing she was a very different kind of woman: the redneck kind.
Wilson's mother was just 16 when she had her, and her father left the family when Gretchen was 2. Her grandmother had a big role in raising her, and she introduced Gretchen to classic country music. Wilson describes herself as a "trailer park chick" because she and her family really did live in trailer parks.
Charlie Daniels, namechecked in "Redneck Woman" ("I know all the words to every Charlie Daniels song") was a mentor and father figure. She sang a gospel song called "I'll Fly Away" at his funeral in 2020.
She moved to Nashville in 1996 when she was 23. Wilson worked as a bartender while she made connections and worked on her singing and songwriting. She landed a deal with Epic Records in 2003 and released her debut album, Here For The Party, the following year.
She started her own independent label, Redneck Records, in 2009. Wilson uses it primarily to release her own music but has also put out tunes from the Oregon singer Jessie G on the label.
Raised in the small town of Pocahontas, Illinois, she dropped out of school to work at a local bar when she was 14. In 2008, when she was 34, she earned her GED. Charlie Daniels spoke at the ceremony and handed Wilson her diploma.
Wilson was a mom when she became a country star. Her daughter Grace - her only child - was born in 2000. They have a tight bond.
Gretchen Wilson wasn't very visible in the 2010s and pretty much vanished in 2020 after getting COVID and suffering a series of related health problems. Not long after, she broke her leg, which left her in a wheelchair for eight months. Her return to music came in 2025 when she won the competition show The Masked Singer (as "Pearl"), beating out Andy Grammer, Meg Donnelly and Brian Kelley of Florida Georgia Line. She sang some unexpected songs on the show, including "Saving All My Love For You," "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" and "You Don't Own Me."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

More Songfacts:

Dancing QueenABBA

ABBA's Bjorn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson conceived "Dancing Queen" as a dance song with the working title "Boogaloo," drawing inspiration from the 1974 George McCrae disco hit "Rock Your Baby." Their manager Stig Anderson came up with the title "Dancing Queen."

...Baby One More TimeBritney Spears

Britney Spears was just 16 when her first single, "Baby One More Time," was released. She quickly became a top search term on something called The Internet.

Wanted Dead Or AliveBon Jovi

"Wanted Dead Or Alive" by Bon Jovi got the Unplugged craze going when Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora performed it with just their acoustic guitars at the 1989 MTV Video Music Awards.

VeronicaElvis Costello

"Veronica" was inspired by Elvis Costello's grandmother, who suffered from Alzheimer's disease.

Feel It StillPortugal. The Man

"Feel It Still" by Portugal. The Man deals with lead singer John Gourley becoming a "rebel just for kicks" after having a daughter and settling down. "It's hard to be a punk when you're thinking about your baby daughter at home," he says.