Pocahontas, IL · country

Gretchen Wilson

2 festivals played

'Redneck Woman' incarnate — mid-2000s country's loudest, proudest barroom voice.

Gretchen Wilson grew up in Pocahontas, Illinois, and worked in bars before moving to Nashville, where she became part of the MuzikMafia circle alongside Big & Rich and John Rich. Her 2004 single "Redneck Woman" made her one of the more visible country artists of the decade and won a Grammy for Best Female Country Vocal Performance.

Her debut album, Here for the Party, followed the same template: rock-leaning production, a big belting delivery and songs written from a working-class point of view. Later releases, including All Jacked Up, kept that barroom-country approach, and she has since put out music through her own label.

country