Brandi Carlile paid tribute to Naomi Judd, and sent a message of love to the late singer’s family, with a touching cover of The Judds‘ “Love Can Build a Bridge.”

Naomi Judd passed away on Saturday (April 30) at 76. Her daughters first announced her death with a statement that said they had “lost our beautiful mother to the disease of mental illness.” “We are shattered,” Wynonna and Ashley Judd said, according to The Associated Press. “We are navigating profound grief and know that as we loved her, she was loved by her public.”

On Sunday, Carlile wrote on Instagram that she had been scheduled to sing to The Judds that night (May 1), for the duo’s induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame. Instead, Carlile ended up singing for the Judd family virtually, from her yard, as she is currently recovering from COVID-19 at home; she canceled her set at this weekend’s Stagecoach festival.

“Having a bittersweet Sunday afternoon at home with my daughters today and praying for @wynonnajudd and @ashley_judd,” the singer-songwriter said in a post about Judd’s death, which was accompanied by a video of her performing the beloved duo’s early ’90s single “Love Can Build a Bridge” with her own daughter singing along nearby. “We know they woke up to a world without their mom today. We want them to know that they’re so loved and that they’ve given a language to not just mothers and daughters everywhere but that every family can learn something about love from @thejuddsofficial.”

Carlile continued, “They were my first, second and third concert in my life and they’ve given me more than they could possibly understand.”

“Tonight they will be Inducted into the Country Music Hall Of Fame and I was supposed to sing them this song tonight,” she wrote. “Let’s send them every bit of love and gratitude that they deserve.”

Naomi and Wynonna Judd recently performed “Love Can Build a Bridge” — which was a top five hit on Billboard‘s Hot Country Songs chart — together at the 2022 CMT Music Awards. They were accompanied by a gospel choir.

Watch Carlile’s emotional performance of the song below. See more tributes to Judd here.

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When Naomi and Wynonna Judd, aka The Judds, first debuted on country radio in 1983 with “Had a Dream (For The Heart),” listeners’ ears perked up. Wynonna’s throaty, bluesy vocals and the mother and daughter’s glorious, intertwined harmonies were unlike anything else on the airwaves.

That song peaked at No. 17 on Hot Country Songs, and then eight No. 1 songs in a row followed, with the duo logging 14 total No. 1s.

Their song choices reflected their embrace of family, tradition and love (and often the heartache it could bring).

Naomi Judd died on April 30 at 76. No cause of death was given, though in a statement Wynonna and Naomi’s other daughter, Ashley, said she died of “the disease of mental health.”

Her death came one day before The Judds were to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame and three weeks after The Judds had announced “The Final Tour,” which was slated to kick off in September.

Though the list could go much longer, here are 10 of The Judds’ best songs, including some deep cuts. Included are the chart peak on the Hot Country Songs chart and the year the song debuted.

10. “Girls Night Out,” No. 1, 1985

At a time when women stepping out with their friends still felt like like a bit of a rarity, Wynonna and Naomi were celebrating the joys of heading out with your best pals and dancing “every dance until the boys go home,” and there was no stopping until last call. There’s nothing salacious here, just a celebration of leaving work and other worries behind as they go to “hear a band with a country sound.”

9. “Had a Dream (For the Heart),” No. 17, 1983

The Judds covered an Elvis Presley tune (his version was already a cover of the Teresa Brewer original) as their introduction to the world and won over hearts with their interpretation. Brett Maher’s production smartly put the focus on their stunning vocals from the start: Just listen to Wynonna’s a capella opening and try not to get chills. Side note: One of the background singers on Presley’s version was Larry Strickland, who went on to marry Naomi. Four years later, the pair took another Presley song, “Don’t Be Cruel,” to No. 10.

8. “Working in the Coal Mine,” 1985

Though it was never released as a single, fans gravitated toward the pair’s upbeat, cheeky cover of “Working in the Coal Mine,” Lee Dorsey’s 1966 pop hit. Featured on 1985’s album Rockin’ With the Rhythm, the duo reworked the tune as a mostly acoustic number and also gave a nod to the blue-collar mining industry that was an essential part of the community in their native Kentucky.

7. “Rockin’ With the Rhythm of the Rain,” No. 1, 1986

Bolstered by an insinuating guitar groove, “Rockin’” features some of the mother and daughter’s best harmonies as they sing in the round about the joys of sitting on a porch swing with your beau as the rain pours down. It’s an infectious, joyous vocal performance by both — and listen for Wynonna’s fun yelp at the end.

6. “Grandpa (Tell Me ‘Bout the Good Old Days),” No. 1, 1986

 

The Judds didn’t write this — Jamie O’Hara did — but they made it their own as they wistfully sang about a bygone time when “lovers really fall in love to stay,” “families really bow their heads to pray” and “the line between right and wrong didn’t seem so hazy,” accompanied primarily by a gentle acoustic guitar. An ode to traditional values that struck a chord with fans, and also with Grammy voters, it won the Grammy for The Judds in the country duo/vocal group category.

5. “The Sweetest Gift,” 1987

Recorded for the 1987 album Heartland, the tragic storyline finds a mother visiting her son in prison, bringing no judgment for his crime but instead delivering an unconditional smile. First recorded in the 1940s, Naomi and Wynonna sang it for Naomi’s mom on Mother’s Day in 1975, a time when Naomi could not afford to buy a gift for the holiday. A year later, a version by Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris climbed to No. 12 on the country chart. The Judds enlisted Harris to provide a third harmony for their spare track, accompanied only by guitar and mandolin. This was one of the songs the duo sang when they auditioned for RCA’s Joe Galante in 1983.

4. “Have Mercy,” No. 1, 1985

Heartache never sounded so buoyant or sassy. The song’s protagonist knows her man is stepping out on her as she witnesses, soaked at a bus stop, him riding by with his “arm around some little brunette” and sees the tell-tale lipstick on his collar. In lesser hands, the song could have been maudlin — especially when the cheater drains her bank account — but in The Judds’ capable hands, even though they sing of being in misery, their delivery is so on point, you can’t help but smile as you sing along. The song ranks at No. 26 on Billboard‘s list of Top Country Songs of All Time.

3. “Mama He’s Crazy,” No. 1, 1984

One of the duo’s twangier songs and sweetest, “Mama He’s Crazy” celebrates finding the love of a good man who is crazy in a good way — or “crazy over me,” as they sing. A stirring ballad with a happy ending both lyrically and career-wise, it became the duo’s first No. 1 — making The Judds only the second female country duo to take a song to No. 1, following The Davis Sisters in 1953.

2. “Why Not Me,” No. 1, 1984

The song’s top-tapping, finger-snapping melody plays in perfect counterpoint to the tale of unrequited love. The object of her affection has been searching “from here to Singapore,” without ever noticing the girl next door. No matter how many times you listen hoping for a different resolution, it ends with “this country girl’s still free.” A perfect track from start to finish, and one of Wynonna’s best vocals.

1. “Love Can Build a Bridge,” No. 5, 1990

Though it inexplicably didn’t reach the top of the chart, it’s hard to think of a song that better exemplifies everything that The Judds stood for. Co-written by Naomi, the sweeping ballad with gospel overtones emphasized building a bridge between hearts that could overcome all our differences. A number of other artists recorded it, including Cher with Chrissie Hynde, Nenah Cherry and Eric Clapton, but The Judds’ version remains the pinnacle. Their CMT Awards performances from earlier in April 2022 will be go down as their last live performance, and it’s a fitting last grace note for a song that will live on for generations.

Naomi Judd, half of the iconic duo The Judds, with her daughter Wynonna, passed away unexpectedly Saturday, April 30, at age 76. Though no specific cause of death was given, Wynonna and Naomi’s other daughter Ashley said in a statement to The Associated Press that she died “of the disease of mental illness.”

The Judds, the most successful female duo of all time,  were about to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame on Sunday (May 1).

Between 1983 and 2000, the mother-daughter team rolled up 25 Hot Country Songs appearances, which encompassed 14 No. 1s and 20 top 10s.

Starting with “Mama He’s Crazy,” their first No. 1 in August 1984, and “Cry Myself to Sleep” in January 1987, The Judds snapped up eight straight leaders. Their 14 No. 1s rank them first among female duos and second among all twosomes to Brooks & Dunn (20).

On Top Country Albums, The Judds scored 10 top 10s, including four No. 1 sets.

Here are The Judds’ 20 biggest hits on Billboard‘s Hot Country Songs chart.

1. “Have Mercy,” 12/28/1985 peak date, No. 1 (2 weeks at No. 1)
2. “Cry Myself to Sleep,” 1/24/1987, No. 1 (1 week)
3. “Why Not Me,” 12/22/1984, No. 1, (2 weeks)
4. “Change of Heart,” 1/14/1989, No. 1 (1 week)
5. “Love Is Alive,” 8/31/1985, No. 1 (1 week)
6. “Let Me Tell You About Love,” 9/30/1989, No. 1 (1 week)
7. “Mama He’s Crazy,” 8/4/1984, No. 1 (1 week)
8. “Grandpa (Tell Me ‘Bout the Good Ole Days),” 5/10/1986, No. 1 (1 week)
9. “Give a Little Love,” 8/27/1988, No. 2
10. “Young Love (Strong Love),” 5/6/1989, No. 1 (1 week)
11. “Rockin’ With the Rhythm of the Rain,” 8/6/1986, No. 1 (1 week)
12. “Girls Night Out,” No. 1, 4/27/1985, No. 1 (1 week)
13. “Maybe Your Baby’s Got the Blues,” 11/14/1987, No. 1 (1 week)
14. “I Know Where I’m Going,” 7/18/1987, No. 1 (1 week)
15. “Turn It Loose,” 3/26/1988, No. 1 (1 week)
16. “Love Can Build a Bridge,” 2/23/1991, No. 5
17. “One Hundred and Two,” 6/22/1991, No. 6
18. “Born to Be Blue,” 10/20/1990, No. 5
19. “One Man Woman,” 1/27/1990, No. 8
20. “Don’t Be Cruel,” 4/11/1987, No. 10

This recap is based on weekly performance on Billboard‘s weekly Hot Country Songs Chart. Songs are ranked based on an inverse point system, with weeks at No. 1 earning the greatest value and weeks at lower spots earning the least. Due to changes in chart methodology over the years, eras are weighted differently to account for chart turnover rates over various periods.