Tell Me Why (Wynonna Judd album)

Tell Me Why
Tell Me Why
Studio album by Wynonna Judd
Released	May 11, 1993
Studio	Emerald Sound (Nashville, TN)
Genre	Country
Length	38:03
Label	Curb; MCA;
Producer	Tony Brown
Wynonna Judd chronology
Singles from Tell Me Why
	"Tell Me Why"; Released: April 3, 1993; "Only Love"; Released: July 17, 1993; "Is It Over Yet"; Released: October 30, 1993; "Rock Bottom"; Released: February 19, 1994; "Girls with Guitars"; Released: June 4, 1994;

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	link
Entertainment Weekly	A link
Los Angeles Times	link
Robert Christgau	link
Rolling Stone	link
Orlando Sentinel	favorable link

Tell Me Why is the second studio album by American country music artist Wynonna Judd, released via Curb and MCA Records on May 11, 1993. Receiving positive reviews from music critics, it has been certified Platinum by the RIAA for shipments of 1,000,000 units.

Five official singles were released, all of which cracked the top ten of the US Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, with "Only Love" topping the Radio & Records country airplay chart. The song "Let's Make a Baby King" also peaked at number 61 due to unsolicited airplay.

Track listing

*Tell Me Why* track listing
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Tell Me Why"	Karla Bonoff	3:50
2.	"Rock Bottom"	Buddy Buie J. R. Cobb	3:07
3.	"Only Love"	Roger Murrah Marcus Hummon	3:35
4.	"Let's Make a Baby King"	Jesse Winchester	3:33
5.	"Is It Over Yet"	Billy Kirsch	3:48
6.	"Father Sun"	Sheryl Crow Jay Oliver	4:19
7.	"Girls with Guitars"	Mary Chapin Carpenter	3:18
8.	"Just Like New"	Winchester	2:51
9.	"I Just Drove By"	Kimmie Rhodes	3:58
10.	"That Was Yesterday"	Naomi Judd	5:37
Total length:			38:03

Personnel

Adapted from AllMusic.^[1]

Wynonna Judd – lead vocals, backing vocals (3)
Steve Nathan – acoustic piano (1), Wurlitzer electric piano (4, 7–10), Hammond B3 organ (6)
Matt Rollings – Hammond B3 organ (1, 4, 8), Wurlitzer electric piano (2, 10), acoustic piano (6)
Barry Beckett – Hammond B3 organ (2)
Billy Kirsch – acoustic piano (5)
Karla Bonoff – acoustic guitar (1), backing vocals (1)
Don Potter – acoustic guitar (1, 3, 6, 7, 9), electric guitar (4, 8, 10), rhythm guitar (4, 8)
Steuart Smith – lead guitar (1, 4, 8, 10), rhythm guitar (1), electric guitar (2–4, 6–8, 10), acoustic guitar (7, 9)
Steve Cropper – electric guitar (2)
Marcus Hummon – acoustic guitar (3)
Paul Franklin – steel guitar (9)
Willie Weeks – bass (1–4, 6–10)
Eddie Bayers – drums (1–4, 6–10) percussion (6)
Terry McMillan – cowbell (1), tambourine (1), harmonica (9)
Jim Horn – saxophones (4)
Harvey Thompson – saxophones (4)
George Tidwell – trumpets (4)
Steve Dorff – string arrangements and conductor (3, 5)
Kenny Edwards – backing vocals (1)
Wendy Waldman – backing vocals (1)
Bob Bailey – backing vocals (2, 4, 6)
Kim Fleming – backing vocals (2, 4, 6)
Suzy Willis – backing vocals (2, 4, 6)
Chris Rodriguez – backing vocals (3, 6)
Naomi Judd – backing vocals (7, 8)
Lyle Lovett – backing vocals (7)
Jesse Winchester – backing vocals (8)

Production

Tony Brown – producer
Don Potter – associate producer
Chuck Ainlay – recording, overdub recording (2-10), mixing, mastering
Clark Germain – overdub recording (1)
Jim Champange – overdub recording assistant (1)
Russ Martin – overdub recording (2-10)
Warren Peterson – overdub recording (2-10)
Robert Fernandez – string recording (3, 5)
Graham Lewis – second engineer
Nick Sparks – second engineer
Robert Charles – second engineer (7)
Larry Jefferies – second engineer (7)
Craig White – second engineer (7)
Denny Purcell – mastering
Jessie Noble – project coordinator
Virginia Team – art direction
Jerry Joyner – design
Randee St. Nicholas – photography
Earl Cox/Trumps – hair
Mary Beth Felts – make-up
Vanessa Ware – stylist
Ken Stilts Company, Inc. – management

Studios

Recorded at Emerald Sound Studio (Nashville, TN).
Overdubbed at Emerald Sound Studio, Backstage Studio, Javelina Recording Studio and Ocean Way Nashville (Nashville, TN).
Strings recorded at Warner Bros. Scoring Stage 1 (Los Angeles, CA).
Mixed at Masterfonics (Nashville, TN).
Mastered at Georgetown Masters (Nashville, TN).

Charts

Weekly charts

Weekly chart performance for *Tell Me Why*
Chart (1993)	Peak position
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)^[2]	29
Canadian Country Albums (RPM)^[3]	2
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)^[4]	64
US Billboard 200^[5]	5
US Top Country Albums (Billboard)^[6]	1

Year-end charts

1993 year-end chart performance for *Tell Me Why*
Chart (1993)	Peak position
Canadian Country Albums (RPM)^[7]	8
US Billboard 200^[8]	80
US Top Country Albums (Billboard)^[9]	17

1994 year-end chart performance for *Tell Me Why*
Chart (1994)	Peak position
US Top Country Albums (Billboard)^[10]	20

Certifications


Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)^[11]	Platinum	100,000^{^}
United States (RIAA)^[12]	Platinum	1,000,000^{^}
^{^} Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

^ "Tell Me Why – Wynonna Judd | Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 29 November 2016.
^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 807". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved November 23, 2024.
^ "RPM Country Albums for June 26, 1993". RPM. Retrieved November 23, 2024.
^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Wynonna Judd – Tell Me Why" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 23, 2024.
^ "Wynonna Judd Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved November 23, 2024.
^ "Wynonna Judd Chart History (Top Country Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved November 23, 2024.
^ "The RPM Top 50 Country Albums of 1993". RPM. Vol. 58, no. 23. December 18, 1993. p. 20.
^ "The Year in Music: Top Billboard 200 Albums". Billboard. Vol. 105, no. 52. Nielsen Business Media. p. YE-16. ISSN 0006-2510.
^ "The Year in Music: Top Country Albums". Billboard. Vol. 105, no. 52. Nielsen Business Media. p. YE-34. ISSN 0006-2510.
^ "The Year in Music: Top Country Albums". Billboard. Vol. 106, no. 52. Nielsen Business Media. p. YE-44. ISSN 0006-2510.
^ "Canadian album certifications – Wynonna Judd – Tell Me Why". Music Canada. Retrieved November 23, 2024.
^ "American album certifications – Wynonna Judd – Wynonna". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved November 23, 2024.

[1] "Tell Me Why – Wynonna Judd | Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 29 November 2016.

[group=-2] "Top RPM Albums: Issue 807". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved November 23, 2024.

[3] "RPM Country Albums for June 26, 1993". RPM. Retrieved November 23, 2024.

[ac_Netherlands_Wynonna_Judd-4] "Dutchcharts.nl – Wynonna Judd – Tell Me Why" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 23, 2024.

[ac_Billboard200_Wynonna_Judd-5] "Wynonna Judd Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved November 23, 2024.

[ac_BillboardCountry_Wynonna_Judd-6] "Wynonna Judd Chart History (Top Country Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved November 23, 2024.

[7] "The RPM Top 50 Country Albums of 1993". RPM. Vol. 58, no. 23. December 18, 1993. p. 20.

[8] "The Year in Music: Top Billboard 200 Albums". Billboard. Vol. 105, no. 52. Nielsen Business Media. p. YE-16. ISSN 0006-2510.

[9] "The Year in Music: Top Country Albums". Billboard. Vol. 105, no. 52. Nielsen Business Media. p. YE-34. ISSN 0006-2510.

[10] "The Year in Music: Top Country Albums". Billboard. Vol. 106, no. 52. Nielsen Business Media. p. YE-44. ISSN 0006-2510.

[CanadaWynonna_JuddTell_Me_WhyalbumCertRef-11] "Canadian album certifications – Wynonna Judd – Tell Me Why". Music Canada. Retrieved November 23, 2024.

[United_StatesWynonna_JuddWynonnaalbumCertRef-12] "American album certifications – Wynonna Judd – Wynonna". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved November 23, 2024.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

v t e Wynonna Judd
Discography The Judds discography
Studio albums	Wynonna Tell Me Why Revelations The Other Side New Day Dawning What the World Needs Now Is Love A Classic Christmas Sing: Chapter 1 Wynonna & the Big Noise
Compilation albums	Collection Love Heals
Live albums	Her Story: Scenes from a Lifetime
Songs	"She Is His Only Need" "I Saw the Light" "No One Else on Earth" "My Strongest Weakness" "Tell Me Why" "Only Love" "Is It Over Yet" "A Bad Goodbye" (with Clint Black) "Rock Bottom" "Girls with Guitars" "To Be Loved by You" "Heaven Help My Heart" "When Love Starts Talkin'" "Come Some Rainy Day" "Can't Nobody Love You (Like I Do)" "What the World Needs" "Flies on the Butter (You Can't Go Home Again)" "I Want to Know What Love Is" "Sing"
Television	Dancing with the Stars The Judds (TV series) Naomi & Wynonna: Love Can Build a Bridge
Related people and acts	The Judds Ashley Judd Naomi Judd Don Potter