Speaker 1: Music Saved Me. Musicians on Call is a charity that
Speaker 1: is perfectly aligned with the mission of this podcast, delivering
Speaker 1: the healing power of music since nineteen ninety nine. Why
Speaker 1: not become a volunteer or a supporter by going to
Speaker 1: Musicians on Call dot Org.
Speaker 2: We had no neighbors, we had no TV, no the telephone.
Speaker 2: If it hadn't been for the guitar, I honestly don't
Speaker 2: know what I would have done with my life, and
Speaker 2: it saved me.
Speaker 1: This podcast is called Music Saved Me, and on each
Speaker 1: episode we'll look at a musician, will delve into their story,
Speaker 1: their deep connection to music. We'll talk with their fans everyday,
Speaker 1: people with their own story to tell me about how
Speaker 1: music has saved them in challenging times. I'm Lynn Hoffman,
Speaker 1: your host for the Music Saved Me podcast. I'm honored
Speaker 1: to take you on the journey of musicians and their
Speaker 1: fans who can say that music saved them On this
Speaker 1: episode of Music Saved Me. Our guest is one of
Speaker 1: the most respected and awarded musmusicians in music. She has
Speaker 1: had nineteen number one singles, including those of the Jets,
Speaker 1: making her one of the best selling country artists of
Speaker 1: all time. Now, when you can reduce a person's name
Speaker 1: to just one word that tells you something of their stature,
Speaker 1: you'll learn more of the character and resilience of Why Nona.
Speaker 1: Thank you so much for coming on the show. Let's
Speaker 1: get right into it. Tell us why is music so
Speaker 1: important to you?
Speaker 2: Wow, that is quite a question right out of the gate.
Speaker 1: Thanks.
Speaker 2: My name is my known Ellen Judd. I was born
Speaker 2: Christina Claisimonela in nineteen sixty four, and I started playing
Speaker 2: guitar when I was eight years old. I think out
Speaker 2: of loneliness and feeling very different in my family. I
Speaker 2: didn't feel like I belonged anywhere. I was a misfit,
Speaker 2: and I think music saved my life in so many
Speaker 2: ways that I still feel that today. I started playing
Speaker 2: music because we lived in the middle of nowhere. My
Speaker 2: mother had a thing about living out in the country.
Speaker 2: We had no neighbors, we had no TV, no telephone.
Speaker 2: If it hadn't been for the guitar, I honestly don't
Speaker 2: know what I would have done with my life, and
Speaker 2: it saved me.
Speaker 1: So it sounds like you really knew at a young
Speaker 1: age why music was so important to you.
Speaker 2: Yes, it was, Joni Mitchell. Yes, nineteen. Somewhere around nineteen
Speaker 2: seventy one or nineteen seventy two, I discovered Joni Mitchell,
Speaker 2: and I learned every word. I learned every note. I
Speaker 2: played the guitar and people would ask me to play
Speaker 2: music at parties and family get togethers, and I became
Speaker 2: known as the girl with the guitar.
Speaker 1: So why did Joni Mitchell's music speak to you, do
Speaker 1: you think?
Speaker 2: I think because I was so lonesome and her voice
Speaker 2: was so comforting to me. It was like someone in
Speaker 2: my family speaking to me. I just felt this personal
Speaker 2: connection with it. And to this day, Joni is one
Speaker 2: of my favorite heroes of all time, and I met
Speaker 2: her recently. We became bonded for life, and she literally
Speaker 2: saved my life. I don't know again what would have
Speaker 2: happened to me if it hadn't been for music. I
Speaker 2: would have either probably been incarcerated or not alive. I
Speaker 2: was a bit of a wild child in terms of
Speaker 2: spirit not doing illegal activity, but I was definitely the
Speaker 2: emotional one in the family and I had I really
Speaker 2: felt like I had nowhere to go because I didn't
Speaker 2: feel understood and I didn't feel like I fit in anywhere,
Speaker 2: and music gave me a place to belong.
Speaker 1: Yes, a sense of belonging is so important, especially when
Speaker 1: you're young. Were there any other musicians or artists that
Speaker 1: really resonated with you at that time.
Speaker 2: Yes, Bonnie Rait and Linda Ronstatt, and Emmy Lou Harris,
Speaker 2: any woman who had been through hell and sang about it.
Speaker 2: I was drawn to them. Aretha's voice is one of
Speaker 2: the first voices that I remember being attacked too. In
Speaker 2: a primal way. I was taken by her voice. It
Speaker 2: just took me somewhere, not of this world. And the
Speaker 2: women really spoke to me more so than anyone because
Speaker 2: of the fact that I was so young and becoming
Speaker 2: a young woman myself. I was drawn to Linda Ronscatt.
Speaker 2: She was beautiful, the way she sang her songs, it
Speaker 2: was like power, of.
Speaker 1: Course for you, especially someone growing up so isolated. I mean,
Speaker 1: this had to have deepened your appreciation even further for music.
Speaker 2: To the point where I didn't know what I was
Speaker 2: going to do with my life. If I wasn't going
Speaker 2: to be in music, I didn't want to be here.
Speaker 2: And it was that deep was I did really well
Speaker 2: in school and I was a good kid. I just
Speaker 2: felt again I was so spiritually defined by the music,
Speaker 2: and the music swept me away, and it took me.
Speaker 2: It took me. I was fourteen years old in Marin
Speaker 2: County outside of San Francisco, where I just got Bonnie
Speaker 2: Rait and I just went way, way deep into Bonnie
Speaker 2: and she saved my life.
Speaker 1: So as you further developed your career and became a songwriter,
Speaker 1: how did that deepen your love of music?
Speaker 2: I think when you're born poor and you have so little,
Speaker 2: you dream really big. And I would literally be in
Speaker 2: the wilderness. We had no TV, no telephone, and I
Speaker 2: would literally sit on the front porch and play my
Speaker 2: guitar and I would well be watching, for instance, the
Speaker 2: sun go down, and I wrote a song called Lazy
Speaker 2: Country Evening, and I would just sit there and strum
Speaker 2: the guitar or something to do. And if it wasn't
Speaker 2: for that, I don't know what would have happened. Again,
Speaker 2: because I was so defined by the notes that I
Speaker 2: was singing as well as the notes I was playing
Speaker 2: that it gave me an identity, and songwriting became a
Speaker 2: way out of the reality of being with a single
Speaker 2: parent on welfare. We're talking food stamps. We had so little,
Speaker 2: we raised a garden and we wrote songs about our pets.
Speaker 2: I remember writing a song about one of our cats
Speaker 2: and thinking what I thought about it was a natural progression.
Speaker 1: Well as a cat lover. Thank you. So writing songs
Speaker 1: is a very personal thing. Did you keep you know,
Speaker 1: with everything going on in your life at that time too,
Speaker 1: did you keep writing those songs in private or did
Speaker 1: you share it with the world.
Speaker 3: Oh.
Speaker 2: I never thought of sharing it with the world. It
Speaker 2: was such a personal thing. It's almost like if you
Speaker 2: keep a diary, you know, you think about that and
Speaker 2: you have a lock on the diary. I remember having
Speaker 2: a diary and with the lock. Yeah, it was very personal.
Speaker 2: It was just a way for me an event. My
Speaker 2: mother is very high spirited, she's a perfectionist. She's very strict.
Speaker 2: Actually and I are very very different. Even when I
Speaker 2: was little, I knew that we were very different from
Speaker 2: each other, and I felt very lonely. I was a
Speaker 2: girl that had a lot of spirit, and I didn't
Speaker 2: know what to do with that spirit. So I wrote songs.
Speaker 2: But the songs to me were so personal that I
Speaker 2: wasn't going to share my diary with anybody.
Speaker 1: I know that's going to be one of the hardest
Speaker 1: things to do as a songwriter, is to share your songs.
Speaker 1: Why have you chosen to be so transparent about the
Speaker 1: trials and tribulations in your life?
Speaker 2: That is a great question. I think it's who I am.
Speaker 2: I've been this way my whole life. My mom said
Speaker 2: I was not a good liar, and she said that
Speaker 2: I always told on myself. And I think it's because
Speaker 2: of my grandmother. My grandmother raised me with the sense
Speaker 2: of you know, the whole thing of grandparents have a
Speaker 2: way of guilty and shaming you into the reality of
Speaker 2: telling on yourself and getting right with God. And I
Speaker 2: think it had to do with that. And I think
Speaker 2: I've been this way my whole life. And look, I
Speaker 2: was eighteen years old when I made it, and the
Speaker 2: fans were my family then and they are today. I
Speaker 2: spend more time with the fans and I do most
Speaker 2: of my family. And I think they allowed me to
Speaker 2: be who I am in such a way that it
Speaker 2: gave me permission to tell the truth.
Speaker 3: You see.
Speaker 1: It's that honesty and authenticity that connects why Nonah so
Speaker 1: beautifully with all her fans. Check this out she.
Speaker 3: Has an inspirational voice and her relationships and it brings
Speaker 3: that out in the songs and the way she sings.
Speaker 3: You know, you can tell it comes from the soul.
Speaker 1: So why Noah? Music has always been a huge force
Speaker 1: that has guided you through your life. Besides music, what
Speaker 1: else guides you in life?
Speaker 2: Wow? I'm currently looking at my baby girl. I have
Speaker 2: a granddaughter. Her name is Khalia. Oh, and she looks
Speaker 2: at me, and she looks right through me. You know
Speaker 2: how kids look right through you? Yes, and they give
Speaker 2: you a sense of hope. She's definitely very high on
Speaker 2: my list of priority and the things I think about
Speaker 2: the most, and how to be a good grandmother, that's one.
Speaker 2: My animals they keep me honest because they don't give
Speaker 2: a crap. Or sometimes they do give a crap and
Speaker 2: you have to clean it up. I have animals. I
Speaker 2: have forty animals here on the farm. Wow. We raise
Speaker 2: a garden that's about as real as it gets. The
Speaker 2: dirt heaps me honest, and the farm keeps me hoping
Speaker 2: because when you grow things on the farm, it gives
Speaker 2: you perspective that you don't get in the city.
Speaker 1: That is true. What is your view on the power
Speaker 1: of music and religion, or the power of music fused
Speaker 1: with spirituality.
Speaker 2: Well, to me, it's spirituality. I think I was raised
Speaker 2: with the religion and I ran from it when I
Speaker 2: was eighteen years old. I was raised very strict Baptist,
Speaker 2: and I don't know that God is that strict in
Speaker 2: terms of the religion part of it. So to me,
Speaker 2: it's spirituality. There's religion and then spirituality. I think the
Speaker 2: spirituality comes from opening yourself up so deeply to the
Speaker 2: music and it just brings out something that you can't
Speaker 2: get anywhere else. You know, you can't buy this stuff.
Speaker 2: I know that show business the use of today, think
Speaker 2: that it's a lot more, you know, available, but sometimes
Speaker 2: you have to get really humble to do your best work.
Speaker 2: I think the best work comes from this tour, for instance,
Speaker 2: because it breaks me. It literally opens me wide open.
Speaker 2: When I'm on stage and I'm singing to thousands of
Speaker 2: fans who are singing back to me so loudly that
Speaker 2: I literally have to take a physical step backwards because
Speaker 2: it knocks me over and something happens in that moment
Speaker 2: because it's so much bigger than yourself. You know, you
Speaker 2: can't take credit for it because it's happening in spite
Speaker 2: of yourself. You might be the starter of it, but
Speaker 2: it certainly goes somewhere that you're not in control of,
Speaker 2: and it just makes you go, WHOA, I am not
Speaker 2: in control after all? I thought I was, but I'm not.
Speaker 2: That's pretty humbling.
Speaker 1: Yeah, sure is. Do you visualize your fans and particular
Speaker 1: struggles that you know they may be dealing with more so.
Speaker 2: Than ever before. I've always been a visionary. I was
Speaker 2: born with a gifting that has allowed me to visualize,
Speaker 2: and I take very very I take it very seriously.
Speaker 2: If it wasn't for visualization, I don't know that I
Speaker 2: would be here today. Because there are times when I
Speaker 2: feel absolutely like I can't do something and I will
Speaker 2: close my eyes. I did it on the airplane the
Speaker 2: other day, back from Mexico. I was doing a show
Speaker 2: with Brandy Carlisle, and I was on the airplane and
Speaker 2: I was thinking about this tour, and I was thinking
Speaker 2: about how vulnerable I feel, and sometimes I don't feel
Speaker 2: like I'm my best I'll be honest. I wake up
Speaker 2: and I don't know that I'm feeling as secure or
Speaker 2: as capable, and all of a sudden, I'll just visualize
Speaker 2: myself on the stage being very capable, and you have
Speaker 2: to do that. It's what carries you through all the
Speaker 2: insecurities because this business is not an easy business. It
Speaker 2: takes you away from really who you are at times.
Speaker 2: You know, the professional part of it and the success
Speaker 2: part of it. You know, that's not really who I
Speaker 2: am authentically. I'm a farm you know. I'm a farmer
Speaker 2: at home. And then I get my clothes packed and
Speaker 2: I put on my undergarments and I spray my hair
Speaker 2: with sparkles, and I go out there and I'm the
Speaker 2: ambassador and I have to visualize otherwise I don't think
Speaker 2: that I would be able to make it on my own.
Speaker 1: It's such a powerful tool. Well, here's another of why
Speaker 1: Nona's fans to prove that amazing connection between artist and
Speaker 1: fan Wanona's music.
Speaker 4: I grew up my mom listened to it on the radio,
Speaker 4: So her music takes me back to like road trips,
Speaker 4: and I don't know, it's just something we would sing
Speaker 4: along to their's song. I know where I'm going, like,
Speaker 4: I don't know. Graduating high school, I definitely thought I did.
Speaker 4: I still have no idea what I'm doing.
Speaker 1: I love that. Oh, I can't believe the time goes
Speaker 1: so fast. Whinona. But in closing, this is specifically talking
Speaker 1: to the musicians and songwriters and future superstars listening to
Speaker 1: you right now on how to stay on their path
Speaker 1: no matter what the challenge. What advice would you give
Speaker 1: to them, especially when it comes to music saving their life.
Speaker 2: I think one of the things that I do that
Speaker 2: helps me is I stay away from social media and
Speaker 2: I don't compare myself to other people because that's really
Speaker 2: easy to do, and when I compare myself to other people,
Speaker 2: I get very, very very discouraged. I would say also
Speaker 2: too that if you play an instrument, which always helps me.
Speaker 2: Playing guitar is literally part of my body. It's just
Speaker 2: I've been doing it for fifty years. I've been playing
Speaker 2: guitar for fifty years. I would say, write songs, because
Speaker 2: that's really about as honest as you can get. I
Speaker 2: would say, get really honest with yourself and ask yourself
Speaker 2: what is it that you want? You know, do you
Speaker 2: want to be famous? And if it's that, that's going
Speaker 2: to be quite a struggle because that changes like the weather.
Speaker 2: You know, the same part comes and goes. I would say,
Speaker 2: find somewhere authentic, whether it's church or singing in clubs.
Speaker 2: If you want to get a band together and just
Speaker 2: play music, play wherever you can, whether it's a county
Speaker 2: fair or you know, on your street. I always tell
Speaker 2: people sing and play as much as possible. And show up.
Speaker 2: That's one of my biggest things is showing up even
Speaker 2: at the worst day. Is I show up and I
Speaker 2: just go from where my gut takes me. I would say, also,
Speaker 2: following your gut, that's a huge thing for me. I
Speaker 2: say yes and no. I go into a room and
Speaker 2: I literally close my eyes and I sit down and
Speaker 2: I ask myself, is this something that you really want
Speaker 2: to do? Does it make sense? And I would say,
Speaker 2: listen to your gut more, and let's don't let the
Speaker 2: world define you. Never let anyone tell you who you are.
Speaker 1: Gosh, that is so true.
Speaker 2: Never.
Speaker 1: My mom always used to say, don't ever let anyone
Speaker 1: make you question your own integrity. Kind of close, but
Speaker 1: not exactly what you said, but similar mine. And thank
Speaker 1: you so much. It's been such a pleasure having you.
Speaker 1: If there's a takeaway here for you musicians out there,
Speaker 1: remember show up, play, play, play and listen to your gut.
Speaker 1: Whona Judd, a portrait in resilience, authenticity, transparency, sharing her
Speaker 1: bond with her audience on this episode of Music Safety.
Speaker 1: Thanks for joining us, I'm Lin Hoffman.