Gretchen Wilson

Gretchen Wilson Bio

Gretchen Wilson was born on June 26, 1973, and raised in rural Pocahontas, Ill., 36 miles due east of St. Louis, where numerous trailer parks are clustered among cornfields and pig farms. Her mother was 16 years old when she had Gretchen, and her father, unfortunately, had moved on with his life by the time she was 2. Whenever they couldn't make rent, which was every few months, they packed up what little belongings they owned and moved down the road only to find yet another trailer.

Gretchen Wilson Pictures

Wilson became somewhat discouraged after a brief encounter with a local musician, whom she happened to recognize at a Nashville music shop. She asked for advice, and he said she needed to create a buzz. It would take her four long years to figure out what he meant. In the meantime, she got a job slinging drinks at a bar in Printers Alley.

A few years later, and now with a daughter, she still had no luck in terms of getting a record deal. One Friday night, singer-songwriters Big Kenny and John Rich (of Big & Rich) walked into the bar and heard her sing with the house band. She remembers, "John followed me up to my little cubby hole bar upstairs with his trench coat and cowboy hat and I think his exact words were, 'Hey, how come you ain't got a record deal yet?' I looked at him in disgust ... threw him a business card and a little homemade demo and said, 'I'm busy. I'm working right now.'"

For months he tried getting in touch with her, and for months she ignored his calls until someone finally said, "Look, you should really return his call. He might be able to help you out." He not only introduced her to his circle of friends -- "they started to use me singing on some demos" -- but he also taught her how the Nashville songwriting community really works. She also became a member of the Muzik Mafia, a loose-knit group of singers, songwriters and musicians who get together to jam (and party) every Tuesday in a local Nashville nightspot. It was in front of her peers -- very honest peers -- that she honed her songwriting style. She later signed with Sony Music Nashville.