She calls herself a free bird and says that there are “so many words that describe me.” And that’s fitting, because no one word—no one musical category—can fully describe Wynonna Judd.

In this special two-hour edition of In Performance, the eighth-generation Kentuckian gives a stellar performance that also cannot be easily defined in celebration of the re-opening of the Paramount Arts Center in Ashland in January 2002.

Wynonna sings a beautifully arranged mixture of heart-pounding songs and soft, lyrical ballads to the capacity crowd in Ashland. She mixes old favorites such as “She Is His Only Need” with newer numbers such as “Love by Grace” and “New Day Dawning”—a song she calls her “theme song these days.”

All of her songs, as well as her comments on stage, convey Wynonna’s unshakable belief in the power of love, dreams, perseverance, and believing in yourself. It is a powerful theme that she both inherited from and created with her mother, Naomi, who joins her for the last portion of the concert. Reuniting in their hometown for the first time since Naomi’s retirement, the Judds sing many of the songs that catapulted them to national fame, including “Mama He’s Crazy” and “Grandpa (Tell Me ’Bout the Good Old Days).” Sister and actress Ashley Judd also makes an appearance.

Seasons 2-5 were made possible
by a generous grant from Ashland Inc.