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Gretchen Wilson music biography continued...

park with her teen mother as a youth. As a teenager herself, she began bartending to make ends meet and wound up singing for extra tips in between serving drinks. She eventually wound up singing for a cover band and them moving to Nashville in 1996 to see if she could make a go of it in the music business. She picked up another job at a bar where she also sang and was discovered one night by singer-songwriters Big Kenny and John Rich (of Big & Rich). Rich recognized her talent and introduced her to the Muzik Mafia, a loose-knit group of singers, songwriters and musicians who got together to jam every Tuesday in a local Nashville nightspot. Wilson honed her songwriting skills there, and in 2004 released her debut single, "Redneck Woman." The tune zoomed to the top of the country charts and stayed there for five weeks, leading to a whirlwind, worldwide promotional tour. Her debut album, Here for the Party, sold nearly five million copies. The title track, "When I Think About Cheatin'" and "Homewrecker" all did well on the charts too. As a result of her immediate success, she won the CMA Horizon Award in 2004, finally gaining acceptance from the Nashville establishment and country fans everywhere.



In September 2005, Wilson released her second album, All Jacked Up, which peaked at #1 on both the Top 200 and Country album charts and sold 1 million copies. The title track debuted at #21 on the Hot Country Songs charts, setting a record at the time for the highest debut ever made by a female artist. One single off the album, "I Don't Feel Like Loving You Today," was nominated for two Grammy Awards: Best Female Country Vocal Performance, and Best Country Song. In May 2007, Wilson released her third album, One of the Boys. It contained a duet with her mentor, John Rich, whose faith in her, it was clear, had not been misplaced.