- Cledus T. Judd
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Cledus T. Judd Birth name Barry Poole Born December 18, 1964 Origin Cartersville, Georgia, USA Genres Country, parody Occupations Singer-songwriter, parodist Instruments Vocals, harmonica Years active 1995–present Labels Razor & Tie, Monument Nashville, Audium Entertainment, Curb, E1 Music Associated acts Chris "P. Cream" Clark, Julie Reeves, "Weird Al" Yankovic Barry Poole (born December 18, 1964, in Cartersville, Georgia) is an American country music artist who records under the name Cledus T. Judd. Known primarily for his parodies of popular country music songs, he has been called the "Weird Al" Yankovic of country music, and his albums are usually an equal mix of original comedy songs and parodies. Judd has released nine studio albums and two EPs, and several of their singles have entered the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts. His highest chart peak is the #48 "I Love NASCAR", a parody of Toby Keith's 2003 single "I Love This Bar”. Poole graduated from Cass High School in Cartersville, Georgia in 1982.
Contents
Musical career
1995-1999
Cledus T. Judd released his debut album, Cledus T. Judd (No Relation), on Razor & Tie Records in 1995, the "(No Relation)" part of the title being a reference to Wynonna and Naomi Judd.[1] Two non-country parodies were also included on this album: one of the Eagles' "Hotel California", and one of "We Are the World", a 1980s charity single credited to USA for Africa. Judd's parody, entitled "We Own the World", satirized the marriage of Lisa Marie Presley and Michael Jackson.
I Stoled This Record followed in 1996. This album, despite not producing a chart single, earned RIAA gold certification for shipping 500,000 copies. This album included parodies of two Shania Twain songs: "(If You're Not in It for Love) I'm Outta Here!" became "(I'm Not in It for Love) Just Yer Beer" and "Any Man of Mine" became "If Shania Was Mine." John Michael Montgomery's "Sold (The Grundy County Auction Incident)" was parodied twice on this album.
His third album, Did I Shave My Back for This? (a take-off on Deana Carter's Did I Shave My Legs for This?) included his first duet, with Buck Owens on the original track "First Redneck on the Internet." The album also parodied Alan Jackson, Brooks & Dunn, and Mindy McCready.[1]
1998's Juddmental was his final album for Razor & Tie. It included a duet, this time with Daryle Singletary on "Ricky Tidwell's Momma's Gonna Play Football", a non-parody song previously recorded by Tim Wilson. This album once again parodied a Twain song, with her "Honey, I'm Home" becoming "Shania, I'm Broke." The Garth Brooks/Trisha Yearwood duet "In Another's Eyes" was also parodied on this compilation.
2000-2005
After leaving Razor & Tie Records, Judd signed to Monument Records Nashville in 2000 to release his fifth album, Just Another Day in Parodies. This album produced his first chart single in "My Cellmate Thinks I'm Sexy", a parody of Kenny Chesney's 1999 single "She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy" which referenced Chesney's and McGraw's 2000 arrest for stealing a Mounted Reserve officer's horse. The parody charted at #61 on Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks (now Hot Country Songs). Following this song was another chart single, "How Do You Milk a Cow" (based on Toby Keith's "How Do You Like Me Now?!"), which peaked at #67. In 2002, he released Cledus Envy, followed later that year by a Christmas album entitled Cledus Navidad. At the end of the year, Judd also made an appearance in the music video for Keith's "Who's Your Daddy?".
His last release for Monument was a six-song EP called A Six Pack of Judd, released in 2003. After Monument closed its Nashville division, he signed to Koch Records Nashville to release a second EP, the four-song The Original Dixie Hick, later in 2003. This release, which contained parodies pertaining to the Dixie Chicks, also produced his third chart single in "Martie, Natalie and Emily (The Continuing Saga Of)", a parody of Brad Paisley's "Celebrity".
Judd's final release for Koch was 2004's Bipolar and Proud. This album produced two more chart singles for him, including his highest-peaking, the #48 "I Love NASCAR", which parodied Keith's "I Love This Bar" and included guest vocals from Keith himself. Following this song was the #58 "Bake Me A Country Ham", based on Tracy Lawrence's "Paint Me a Birmingham".
2006-present
By mid-2005, Judd had announced plans to release a tribute album to Ray Stevens entitled Boogity, Boogity - A Tribute to the Comedic Genius of Ray Stevens, containing covers of Stevens's material with several guest vocalists. Due to the closure of Koch's Nashville division, however, this album was delayed until 2007, when Judd signed to Asylum-Curb Records and released it in August. Shortly before its release, he made his sixth chart appearance with the non-album song "Illegals".
Judd re-signed to Koch in 2009, after the label was renamed E1 Music. In January of that year, he released the single "Waitin' on Obama" (a parody of Brad Paisley's "Waitin' on a Woman") referencing Barack Obama's election as President of the United States.[2][3] This is the first single from Judd's latest album, Polyrically Uncorrect, released on June 30. Its second single is "Garth Must Be Busy", a parody of Brooks & Dunn's "God Must Be Busy" which features Brooks & Dunn as guest vocalists. Its third single is "(If I Had) Kellie Pickler's Boobs".
Radio and television work
Judd has toured as an emcee with such acts as Brooks and Dunn, Brad Paisley, Trace Adkins, Toby Keith, the Dixie Chicks, Shania Twain, and Montgomery Gentry. Judd's television work includes a stint as the co-host of CMT Most Wanted Live from 2002 to 2004 and as a "special correspondent" on the 2005 season of Nashville Star. Additionally, he was one of the featured contestants on Season Five of VH1's reality show Celebrity Fit Club.
He also hosted the Cledus T. Party Morning Show for WQYK in Tampa, Florida. In January 2008, he returned to Atlanta as the morning host at 94.9/The Bull, WUBL.
Musical style
Judd has been called the "Weird" Al Yankovic of country music.[4] Judd's albums typically contain a mix of parody songs and original songs. His parodies are often topical in nature, such as "My Cellmate Thinks I'm Sexy", a parody of Kenny Chesney's "She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy" which addressed Chesney's and Tim McGraw's 2000 arrest after stealing a Mounted Reserve deputy's horse,[5] or "Waitin' on Obama", which he released shortly before U.S. president Barack Obama took office.
Initially, Judd sang in an intentionally off-key, nasal voice with an affected Southern accent, described by Country Standard Time critic Ken Burke as "Junior Samples on helium."[6] Judd stopped affecting his voice on A Six Pack of Judd and all subsequent albums.
Personal Life
Marriages and Family
Judd was formerly married to country music singer Julie Reeves. They have a daughter, Caitlyn Rose, born September 11, 2004, after the couple divorced. He is currently married to massage therapist Amy Cameron,[7] and has a son named C.J.[8]
Discography
Studio albums
Title Album details Peak chart positions Certifications
(sales threshold)US Country
[9]US
[10]US
HeatUS Indie
[11]US Comedy
[12]Cledus T. Judd (No Relation) - Release date: June 20, 1995
- Label: Razor & Tie
— — — — — I Stoled This Record - Release date: May 21, 1996
- Label: Razor & Tie
23 173 8 — — Did I Shave My Back for This? - Release date: March 24, 1998
- Label: Razor & Tie
16 181 11 — — Juddmental - Release date: October 26, 1999
- Label: Razor & Tie
48 — 33 — — Just Another Day in Parodies - Release date: November 14, 2000
- Label: Monument Records
25 198 7 — — Cledus Envy - Release date: April 30, 2002
- Label: Monument Records
19 136 3 — — Cledus Navidad - Release date: October 15, 2002
- Label: Monument Records
39 — 24 — — Bipolar and Proud - Release date: August 24, 2004
- Label: Audium/Koch Records
15 98 — 8 2 Boogity, Boogity - Release date: August 28, 2007
- Label: Asylum-Curb Records
47 — — — 3 Polyrically Uncorrect - Release date: June 30, 2009
- Label: E1 Music
56 — — — 7 Hard Working Common Man - To be released
- Label: E1 Music
To be released "—" denotes the album failed to chart Compilation albums
Title Album details Peak positions US Country
[9]Cledus Country - Release date: March 30, 1999
- Label: BMG Special Products
— The Essenshul Cledus T. Judd - Release date: February 10, 2004
- Label: Razor & Tie
61 "—" denotes releases that did not chart Extended plays
Title Album details Peak chart positions US Country
[9]US
[10]US
Heat
[14]US Indie
[12]A Six Pack of Judd - Release date: April 29, 2003
- Label: Monument Records
19 130 — — The Original Dixie Hick - Release date: November 11, 2003
- Label: Audium/Koch Records
62 — 39 28 "—" denotes releases that did not chart Singles
Year Single Peak positions Album US Country
[15]1995 "Indian In-Laws" — Cledus T. Judd (No Relation) "Please Take the Girl" — "Stinkin' Problem" — "Gone Funky" — 1996 "If Shania Was Mine" — I Stoled This Record "(She's Got a Butt) Bigger Than the Beatles" — "Cledus Went Down to Florida" — "Skoal: The Grundy County Spitting Incident" — 1997 "Everybody's Free (To Get Sunburned)" — single only 1998 "Wives Do It All the Time" — Did I Shave My Back for This? "Every Light in the House Is Blown" — "First Redneck on the Internet" (with Buck Owens) — "Did I Shave My Back for This?" — 1999 "Coronary Life" — Juddmental "Christ-mas" — "Shania, I'm Broke" — 2000 "My Cellmate Thinks I'm Sexy" 61 Just Another Day in Parodies "How Do You Milk a Cow" 67 "Plowboy" — 2002 "Breath" — Cledus Envy "It's a Great Day to Be a Guy" — 2003 "270 Somethin'" — A Six Pack of Judd "Where's Your Mommy?" — "Martie, Natalie, and Emily (The Continuing Saga Of)" 55 The Original Dixie Hick "The Chicks Did It" — 2004 "I Love NASCAR" 48 Bipolar and Proud "Bake Me a Country Ham" 58 2005 "Paycheck Woman" — 2007 "Illegals" 58 single only "Gitarzan" (with Heidi Newfield) — Boogity, Boogity 2009 "Waitin' On Obama" — Polyrically Uncorrect "Garth Must Be Busy" (with Ronnie Dunn) — "(If I Had) Kellie Pickler's Boobs" — "Christmas in Rehab" — "Tiger by the Tail (The Tale of Tiger Woods)" — Hard Working Common Man 2010 "Redneck Christmas" (with Deborah Allen) — single only "—" denotes releases that did not chart Music videos
Year Title Director[16] 1995 "Gone Funky" Brent Carpenter 1996 "If Shania Was Mine" Above & Beyond "(She's Got a Butt) Bigger Than the Beatles" Scott Fund "Cledus Went Down to Florida" John Scarpati 1997 "Skoal: The Grundy County Spitting Incident" 1998 "Wives Do It All the Time" John Lloyd Miller "Every Light in the House Is Blown" "First Redneck on the Internet" (with Buck Owens) 1999 "Did I Shave My Back for This?" Steven Goldmann/Cledus T. Judd "Coronary Life" Lee Abbott/Cledus T. Judd "Christ-mas" Steven Goldmann 2000 "Shania, I'm Broke" Lee Abbott "My Cellmate Thinks I'm Sexy" Lee Abbott/Cledus T. Judd "How Do You Milk a Cow" 2001 "Plowboy" Jon Small 2002 "Breath" Cledus T. Judd/Peter Zavadil "It's a Great Day to Be a Guy" 2003 "Where's Your Mommy?" Michael Salomon 2004 "I Love NASCAR" (with Toby Keith) Shaun Silva 2005 "Paycheck Woman" 2009 "Waitin' on Obama" Cledus T. Judd/Glenn Sweitzer "Garth Must Be Busy" The Brads "Tiger by the Tail (The Tale of Tiger Woods)" References
- ^ a b Huey, Steve. "Cledus T. Judd biography". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/artist/p144284/biography. Retrieved 2009-01-09.
- ^ Bonaguro, Alison (2008-01-09). "Cledus T. Judd Counts the Days "Waitin’ on Obama"". CMT. http://blog.cmt.com/2009-01-08/cledus-t-judd-counts-the-days-waitin-on-obama/. Retrieved 2009-01-09.
- ^ Cledus T. Judd unveils a new Obama parody
- ^ CMT.com : Chad Brock : Cledus T. Judd Needles Chesney and McGraw
- ^ Rush, Diane Sams (2000-09-17). "Yoakam headlines triple country threat". Wichita Eagle. http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=WE&s_site=kansas&p_multi=WE&p_theme=realcities&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EADB22C25D915EA&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM. Retrieved 2009-01-06.
- ^ Burke, Ken. "A Six Pack of Judd". Country Standard Time. http://www.countrystandardtime.com/d/cdreview.asp?xid=573. Retrieved 2009-03-27.
- ^ Cameron, Amy (2008-07-15). "Cledus T. Judd marriage to Amy Cameron since May 2008". CMT. http://www.theboot.com/2008/07/15/cledus-t-judd-celebrates-wedding-no-4/. Retrieved 2008-07-15.
- ^ Poole, C.J. (2009). "Cledus T. Judd's son C.J. 2009". cledustjudd.net. http://www.cledustjudd.net/bio.html. Retrieved 2009.
- ^ a b c "Cledus T. Judd Album & Song Chart History - Country Albums". Billboard. http://www.billboard.com/#/artist/cledus-t-judd/chart-history/121088?f=320&g=Albums. Retrieved October 14, 2010.
- ^ a b "Cledus T. Judd Album & Song Chart History - Billboard 200". Billboard. http://www.billboard.com/#/artist/cledus-t-judd/chart-history/121088. Retrieved October 14, 2010.
- ^ "Cledus T. Judd Album & Song Chart History - Independent Albums". Billboard. http://www.billboard.com/#/artist/cledus-t-judd/chart-history/121088?f=326&g=Albums. Retrieved October 14, 2010.
- ^ a b "Cledus T. Judd Album & Song Chart History - Comedy Albums". Billboard. http://www.billboard.com/#/artist/cledus-t-judd/chart-history/121088?f=315&g=Albums. Retrieved October 14, 2010.
- ^ "RIAA - Gold & Platinum - October 14, 2010: Cledus T. Judd certified albums". Recording Industry Association of America. http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?table=SEARCH_RESULTS&artist=Cledus%20T.%20Judd&format=ALBUM&go=Search&perPage=50. Retrieved October 14, 2010.
- ^ "Cledus T. Judd Album & Song Chart History - Heatseekers Albums". Billboard. http://www.billboard.com/#/artist/cledus-t-judd/chart-history/121088?f=324&g=Albums. Retrieved October 14, 2010.
- ^ "Cledus T. Judd Album & Song Chart History - Country Songs". Billboard. http://www.billboard.com/#/artist/cledus-t-judd/chart-history/121088?f=357&g=Singles. Retrieved October 14, 2010.
- ^ "Cledus T. Judd videos". CMT. http://www.cmt.com/artists/az/judd_cledus_t_/videos.jhtml. Retrieved 2008-11-25.
Nashville Star Hosts Nancy O'Dell (2003-2004) · LeAnn Rimes (2005) · Wynonna (2006) · Jewel (2007) · Billy Ray Cyrus (2008)Co-Hosts Judges Robert K. Oermann (2003) · Tracy Gershon (2003-2004) · Charlie Robison (2003) · Billy Greenwood (2004) · The Warren Brothers (2004) · Phil Vassar (2005-2006) · Anastasia Brown (2005-2007) · Bret Michaels (2005) · Randy Owen (2007) · Blake Shelton (2007) · John Rich (2008) · Jewel (2008) · Jeffrey Steele (2008)Winners Other contestants John Arthur Martinez · Miranda Lambert · George Canyon · Jason Meadows · Whitney Duncan · Sean Patrick McGraw · Justin Gaston · Coffey AndersonNetworks Related articles Categories:- American country singers
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- People from Marietta, Georgia
- Curb Records artists
- 1964 births
- Living people
- Monument Records artists
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