Posted by AllAboutCountry.com on April 17, 2004 at 09:04:34:
Gretchen Wilson’s ‘Redneck Woman’ Breaks Records
In a matter of seven weeks Gretchen Wilson’s first single "Redneck Woman" has gone from a debut song from a new artist to a Top 10 anthem across America, setting or breaking several long-standing records in the process.
The single spent its second week in Radio & Records' Top 10 this week, moving from #9 to #6 with the highest play increase on the Country Top 50 Chart. According to Nashville R&R Bureau Chief Lon Helton, this is the fastest debut song to hit the Top 10 in the trade's country history.
The single moved from #14 to #8 in Billboard this week earning it the "Greatest Gainer" distinction. Wilson is only the fourth new artist debut, among artists with no prior chart history, in the BDS era to enter the top 10 in seven weeks or less.
"Redneck Woman" holds the fastest top 10 climb for a new artist since "Blue" by LeAnn Rimes entered the top 10 in the July 6, 1996 Billboard.
"By releasing 'Redneck Woman', we are doing an admirable job of following Gretchen's instincts," said Sony Nashville President John Grady. "We have all discovered a woman who is both extraordinarily talented and a member of the audience, at the same time. There is no substitute for reality. We are just now realizing how the audience feels about it. Thank God, she walked in our door, and the door happened to be open."
The single is being offered as an exclusive download on Walmart.com and was the #1 download in all genres last week. The "Redneck Woman" video was Launch.com's #1 On Demand streaming country video this week. Both CMT and GAC are playing the clip in heavy rotation, and it was one of the top downloaded videos on Cmt.com this week.
Wilson's debut Epic Records album, Here For The Party, will hit stores May 11.