More than 20 years after Gretchen Wilson released her empowering breakthrough single, “Redneck Woman,” the song continues to speak to listeners. Arguably, that’s even more true today, when identifying as blue collar, country, or, yes, redneck is worn as a badge of honor by many. But when Wilson released the song in 2004, that wasn’t necessarily the case in country music.
“‘Redneck Woman’ was just different enough at that time and authentic enough in that moment to become an anthem for women who weren’t being talked to, or talked about either,” Wilson says on Rolling Stone’s Nashville Now podcast. “I’m a very proud woman. I actually like myself. I like the things I’ve been able to accomplish.”
Wilson, who won a Grammy for “Redneck Woman” in the Best Female Country Vocal Performance category in 2005, is teeing up a new accomplishment: The Illinois native says she’s re-recording her debut album, Here for the Party, as an all-star duets project for her own indie label, Redneck Records.
“I’m going to have a guest vocalist on each song. I’ve gotten some promises from some pretty big names. You know how music works, though. They don’t actually have to be there the day I’m tracking it,” Wilson says. “But I’ve gotten far enough to know what key everybody’s song needs to be in.”
Wilson is bullish on naming names. She says Tanya Tucker will sing on “Redneck Woman” and Cody Johnson will duet on the LP’s unconventional love ballad. “I played a show a few weeks ago with [him] and he told me he and his wife have a favorite song on that record: ‘When I Think About Cheating,’” Wilson says.
Wilson also says Miranda Lambert and Travis Tritt are on board, and that she’s “almost 100 percent” on securing Ella Langley.
Along with the Here for the Party re-record, Wilson has been busy advising contestants on CBS’s new musical competition series, The Road. Produced by Yellowstone’s Taylor Sheridan, the show is hosted by Keith Urban and Blake Shelton and casts Wilson in the role of “tour manager.”
“This show follows these individuals much more closely than any show you’ve seen like it. And it’s a lot more real life. We’re putting them on tour buses, taking them across the country, putting them in bars. It’s not a built-in audience,” she says. “It’s a lot more realistic to what it really is to be on tour and to be on the road.”
Download and subscribe to Rolling Stone’s weekly country-music podcast, Nashville Now, hosted by senior music editor Joseph Hudak, on Apple Podcasts or Spotify (or wherever you get your podcasts). New episodes drop every Wednesday and feature interviews with artists and personalities like Lainey Wilson, Hardy, Charley Crockett, Gavin Adcock, Amanda Shires, Shooter Jennings, Margo Price, Halestorm, Dusty Slay, Lukas Nelson, Ashley Monroe, Old Crow Medicine Show’s Ketch Secor, and Clever.