The Greatest Hits (CD - 1988)

Additional personnel: Don Potter (acoustic guitar, background vocals); Mark Casstevens (guitar); Sonny Garrish (steel guitar, dobro); Kirk "Jelly Roll" Johnson (harmonica); John Jarvis, Bobby Ogdin, Gene Sisk (piano); Jack Williams (bass); Eddie Bayers (drums); Brent Maher, Larry Strickland (background vocals).

Recorded at Creative Recording Inc., Nashville, Tennessee.

The Judds defined contemporary country music from the mid-1980s to the early '90s, and there were still hits yet to come when their first GREATEST HITS collection was released in 1988. Nevertheless, this anthology provides an excellent (if brief) overview of the first phase of the mother-daughter duo's career, from the rockabilly-inflected shuffle of "Rockin With the Rhythm of the Rain" to the mournful balladry of "Change of Heart."

These singles document the rise of Naomi and Wynonna Judd, a mother-daughter team who seemed, at times, to be singing for every bank teller, teacher, and struggling single mama in every small town in America. Songs like "Why Not Me," "Mama He's Crazy," and "Girl's Night Out" were more than country hits; they're like validation for every woman brave enough to believe in innocence even when she knows better. ~ Dan Cooper minimize