The Judds’ 1991 Farewell Tour marked not only a special moment in the lives and careers of Naomi and Wynonna Judd, but also a special moment in country music history.
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Parting ways due to mother Naomi’s retirement, The Judds said their goodbyes as a twosome with a final tour that came to a close at the Murphy Center in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Airing in living rooms everywhere, the television special depicted a heartfelt send-off of the mother-daughter duo who launched their careers together in 1983.
Now, that moment in time is being recreated as Wynonna once again sets off on The Judds: The Final Tour in honor of her late mother.
A special concert event will take place at the same Murphy Center at Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) on Thursday, Nov. 3. In partnership with CMT and Sandbox Productions, the event will be televised and set to air on CMT in March of 2023.
Wynonna will headline the event and will be accompanied by other country greats, eager to honor Naomi who passed away earlier this year. Ashley McBryde, Brandi Carlile, Kelsea Ballerini, Little Big Town, and Martina McBride are set to appear with additional special guests still to be announced.
“Stepping onstage at the Murphy Center for the first time since Dec. 4, 1991, will be so surreal for me. It was an emotional night over 30 years ago and will be an emotional night, for different reasons, now,” Wynonna said during a press luncheon at Fox & Locke restaurant in Leipers Fork, Tennessee. “I can’t wait to lean into the nostalgia with the artists who have made this tour so special, and recreate one of the most iconic nights in Judd ‘Herstory!’”
Executive Producer and SVP of Production, Music and Events at CMT, Margaret Comeaux, said “It’s serendipitous magic on so many levels to be able to capture Wynonna’s return to the Murphy Center, almost exactly 31 years to the date.
“We are also extremely excited to collaborate once again with our amazing partners at Sandbox to present a true Judds event spectacular that has been decades in the making, and continue to tell the next chapter in Wynonna’s story,” Comeaux added.
“I remember when I was 15 years old, watching The Judds 1991 Farewell Concert on repeat when it first came out on Pay-Per-View,” added executive producer of the event, Jason Owen of Sandbox Productions. “This is such an incredible, full circle moment to reproduce that same iconic special with Wy, and having her joined by all the powerhouse women she has brought with her on tour. I’m so excited for everyone to watch – and for the incredible legacy of The Judds to live on forever.”
Tickets for the Nov. 3 show are on sale now. A portion of ticket proceeds will benefit Tennessee’s chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness or NAMI.
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