Though my heart is broken, I will continue to sing.
Wynonna Judd spoke those words on one of the worst nights of her life. The day before, on April 30, 2022, her mother Naomi Judd had died at home outside Nashville at age 76. The Judds were scheduled to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame the next evening. Naomi missed it by one day. The family asked the ceremony to continue. Wynonna walked in with her sister Ashley Judd and stood before the room with no notes. She said she had not prepared anything because her mother would have talked the most. Then she made a promise that turned into a tour and a year of keeping faith.
Ashley Judd accepted the medallion in tears. She told the audience she was sorry Naomi could not hold on until that day. Together the sisters recited Psalm 23. Before Wynonna stepped away from the microphone, she added one more line. It was not a figure of speech. Two weeks later, at a televised tribute at the Ryman Auditorium, she announced her decision live. The Judds: The Final Tour had been planned for two voices. She would go anyway.
Iβm gonna make this fast because my heartβs broken, and I feel so blessed.
After a lot of thought, Wynonna Judd said she had to honor her mother by doing the tour. She had to. The tour opened on September 30, 2022, in Grand Rapids, Michigan, to a sold-out arena. Martina McBride, Brandi Carlile, Faith Hill, Trisha Yearwood, Little Big Town, Ashley McBryde, and Kelsea Ballerini took turns standing where Naomi would have stood. It closed on October 29 in Lexington, Kentucky, the state where The Judds began. Then Wynonna Judd added fifteen more dates into 2023. She made a promise on the worst night of her life. She spent the next year keeping it.