Gretchen Wilson - Biography

Last Editor: nicky101482				Gretchen Wilson Biography -   Name : Gretchen Wilson Date of birth : 26 June 1973 Place of birth : Pocahontas, Illinois, USA Birth name : Gretchen Renee Wilson Nickname : Redneck Woman

Gretchen Wilson Trivia -

Gretchen won as breakthrough artist at the 32nd Annual American Music Awards [November 14, 2004]. Has a bus dog named Sanford. Her bus is named Bus 27 which is her lucky number and how old she was when she had baby Grace. She has a daughter, Grace Frances Penner, with long-time boyfriend, Mike Penner Is a member of "MuzikMafia", a popular group of new country music artists that also includes John Rich, Big Kenny Alphin (of the band Big & Rich), Shannon Lawson, and Cowboy Troy.

Gretchen Wilson Detailed Biography -

Gretchen Renée Wilson (born 26 June, 1973 in Pocahontas, Illinois, ca. 30 miles (60 km) east of St. Louis) is an American country music singer. Her debut album, Here for the Party, topped the US country charts in 2004 and reached #2 on the Billboard album charts. Gretchen Wilson is from a small town with about 700 inhabitants. She was raised in a trailer park in Pocahontas, Illinois, by a single mother, who was 16 when Wilson was born. Her father left his wife and baby two years later. Wilson grew up in poverty and moved to a succession of trailer parks as her mother struggled to pay the rent through working as a waitress at a diner. She left school during the ninth grade and was working as a cook and bartender at 14. By 15, she was living on her own. She was singing in two bar bands by the age of 20. She moved to Nashville in 1996 to pursue a career in music but found little initial success. She was then discovered by John Rich in 2000, formerly a member of Lonestar, who suggested that she write songs with him. After some reluctance, she started working with him as a member of the MuzikMafia, an informal group of aspiring country songwriters and singers that met every Tuesday night. She also started singing as a backup singer on records. She has one child, a soon-to-be six-year-old daughter, Grace Frances Penner, with her longtime boyfriend, Michael Penner. After the movie Super Size Me, Gretchen Wilson announced a commitment to eating at McDonald's at every stop along her world tour.