JACKSON, Wyo. — Landmark Showroom Session #20 at the Silver Dollar hosted megastar Wynonna Judd and her band Thursday evening for a historically intimate performance — both for the venue and for the artist. With 20 million albums sold and 19 No. 1 hits between her time with The Judds (1983-1991) and her solo career, Wynonna has accumulated five Grammy awards and numerous ACM and CMA awards. Comprehending this resume and then looking at the intimacy of the experience for the audience, it was a rare occasion.
While Wynonna is country music royalty and a definitive legacy artist, it can be a weight of expectation for the artist and audience alike. With 10 years between album releases and a deliberate choice to step back from the commercial pressure of the industry, the 90 or so audience members in attendance at the Showroom were witnessing, for better or for worse, a highly anticipated career revival.
Wyonna’s five-piece band included electric bass, keys, acoustic guitar/harmony voice and her husband since 2012, Scott “Cactus” Moser, who works extensively as Wynonna’s musical director, producer, harmony singer and drummer in the band. It was a hot combo of musicians that was particularly funky and soulful, fitting to Wynonna’s smoky-gospel-blues-country-soul vibe. It was notably stripped-back, though also moved into rockin’ territory. Wynonna’s music is well beyond country — a rootsy blend of acoustic blues (plenty of slide guitar), traditional Appalachian folk, boogie-woogie, blues-rock, and gospel. Her expressive, husky vocal tone and delivery are still impeccable.
Having never seen Wynonna, but being married to a superfan and sitting next to my mother-in-law superfan, I had plenty of intel to work with, though zero expectations. The emotional tie to the hits drew a profound reaction from all superfans in the room, and they were performed with the utmost integrity.
Surprisingly, what stood out about the song choices were not the hits, but the amount of new, reflective, quality material from forthcoming release, The Hard Truth. The songcraft fit Wynonna’s style remarkably well, with poignant lyrics contrasted with fun arrangements. Speaking frequently in between songs, the level of vulnerability and genuine authenticity was the real deal, detailing the heartbreak, healing, faith and survival that it took over five years of writing and recording the new material. The audience was politely asked by Cactus to not film these early performances of the songs, which made it feel even more vulnerable and fleeting. Turning pain into purpose was the overarching message.
In one moment, Wynonna spoke of her own challenges of perfectionism, battles with self-confidence, the deep hurt of her mother, Naomi, committing suicide in 2022. Early in Wynonna’s career around the age of 18, she’d been told “don’t forget to smile / wear this / do what you’re told.” It seems she has been reconciling these impacts throughout her career and commented, “42 years I’ve been doing this, it’s a miracle, but I can still get it done … and, with the wisdom of a badass. I’m sick of all the bullshit.”
These autobiographical new songs included recently released, Appalachian-influenced single “Kentucky Queen,” a message to her mother in “Hear Me Now,” and a song about nearly meeting her estranged father at age 30, “Girl Who Could Sing.” Three crowd-pleasers closed the set, including The Judds’ sing-alongs “Born to be Blue” and “Grandpa.” Wynonna’s massive 1992 hit, “No One Else on Earth,” capped the strong set.
There were a lot of combined elements of what made this show special, though intimacy certainly played the largest role, admittedly giving Wynonna a bit of nervousness early in the set. By the end of the set, it felt like the entire room had witnessed both the uncontrived arc of a great artist, and the initiation of the next important chapter in her career. Congrats to The Baxter Family and The Silver Dollar, Inc. for its 20th Showroom Session in eight years — it was one for the record books.
Wynonna Judd — 6/11/26 Showroom Session #20 at the Silver Dollar Showroom, Jackson WY
What it Takes
I Saw the Light
She is His Only Need
Love is Alive ^
Kentucky Queen *
Hear Me Now *
Ain’t no Thing
All Downhill from Ashland *
What the world needs
Only Love
Don’t Forget to Smile *
Girl Who Could Sing *
Why Not Me ^
Born to be Blue ^
Grandpa ^
No one Else on Earth
^ The Judds song
* new song
