ARTIST SPOTLIGHT = Wynonna (5 songs)
This Ashland KY-native singer-guitarist, who began performing in 1977, was 1 half of the mother-daughter duo The Judds (1983-1991) & acted on CBS’ “Touched By An Angel”.
#1
Following the end of The Judds, Wynonna launched a successful solo career, starting with 3 straight chart toppers. This song, the 3rd of those, hit the country airwaves 08/15/1992 & spent 20 weeks on the charts, 4 of those at #1. The version in this video is the remix for the pop charts, where, despite the radio airplay, it only notched at #83 on the Billboard Hot 100. Her 1st 2 solo hits were 1992’s “She Is His Only Need” & “I Saw The Light” (3 weeks).
#2
1992-3’s “My Strongest Weakness” stopped the string of chart toppers, but kept the string of Top 5s alive, peaking at #4. This song became her 5th straight Top 5; it debuted 04/03/1993 & spent 20 weeks on the country charts, 3 of those at #3. The string of Top 5s stretched to 7 with 1993’s “A Bad Goodbye” (#2; duet with Clint Black) & 1993’s “Only Love” (#3).
#3
In my opinion, this song should have continued the streak of Top 5s. As it turned out, it peaked in the Top 10, becoming her 8th straight Top 10 to start her solo career. This single debuted 10/30/1993, spent 20 weeks on the charts & peaked in early 1994 at #6. It is 1 of those resonating songs, even if you don’t identify with the lyrics 100%. It has been relevant for me many times.
#4
1 of 4 releases in 1994, this song hit the airwaves 02/19/1994, spent 20 weeks on the charts & peaked at #2. The follow-up, “Girls With Guitars”, peaked at #10. The other 2 releases failed to crack the Top 50, surprisingly including a duet with Tammy Wynette, “Girl Thang” (#67). She released no new music in 1995; her 1st release in 1996, “To Be Loved By You”, returned her to the top of the charts, but that was her last Top 10.
#5
Of 16 releases mid 1996-mid 2000 & mid 2003-early 2007, only 4 reached the Top 20. Despite not hearing this song much on the radio, it was 1 of those 4. This single debuted 12/13/1997, spent 20 weeks on the charts & peaked at #14 in early 1998. Given the message, I think this should’ve been at least a Top 10; it has been relevant for me several different times. The other 3 Top 20s were 1996’s “Heaven Help My Heart” (#14), 1997’s “When Love Starts Talking” (#13) & 2003’s “What The World Needs” (#14).