LOVE SOMEONE with DelilahA raw and beautiful conversation with my friend and American music icon, Wynonna Judd. Wynonna is as real as real gets. When I lost my Zachariah, it was she who would hold space for me in the middle of the night, night AFTER night, as I wrestled with my loss, my grief, and my despair.
We talked, texted, and cried together. I'm eternally grateful for this strong, loving, funny, huge-hearted woman. Listen in as we chat ~ Delilah
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You know, one of the things I love most about my job. I could just call my friends at any time. Some are celebrities, most are not. However, when someone is a true friend, you can call them anytime. In fact, I am going to call a true friend one of the three or four people who has been the biggest support to me since I lost my son Zach in October of twenty seventeen, when Noah Judd has gone above and beyond to love me, to bless me, to support me. And I'm going to call her right now. Helped me through the darkest moments of my life for sure, And right now I'm in a caller just to say thank you. Let's see if she answers, well, how much trouble are we going to get ourselves in?
Are so professional?
I sweetie? Hi, hi, ne fun before we get into anything.
I bought you all the time, like all the time. Thank you.
I got the sweetest card today. One of my listeners sent me this card. And I don't know if I got lost in the mail, but the post date was some time ago, and it was just, you know, one of those cornies were done thinking of you cards, And then she wrote inside she said I've never met you, but I I listened to you talk about your kids on the air, and ten years ago I had a son. I named him Zach because your son sounded like so much fun.
I just, man, isn't it amazing how God will reach through to us through stuff like that? And we just go, Oh, for God's sake, yep, just out of the blue, why don't you just throw me on the ground and stomp on me? And yay, I love this kind of I'm like, probably you, I love that stuff, but it just completely annihilates me.
Yeah, it's slaysia.
I call it devastatingly beautiful.
Yes, it was devastatingly beautiful, and just what an honor that. You know, you never know, you never know who's listening or how it touches them. But she said all your Zach attacks stories over the years, she said, I purpose in my heart when I got pregnant, if I ever got pregnant and I ever had a son, I wanted a Zach attack.
Hey, you never know. God uses us as a messengers.
You know. I wrote in my book that being born with the show off gene can be tremendous, But when you're not born with the talent gene, or you don't wreck recognize what your talent is. It can be quite troublesome, you know, because typically kids get attention either from sports or from some gift like being in band or being inquired, you know, And I couldn't do any of those things. I had discovered my gift, but nobody else quite appreciated it. I mean, I had discovered I could talk, you know, before before I was two years old. I was I was walking up to complete strangers in stores and carrying on long conversations with them, much to my mother's dismay. So I had kind of discovered my gift, but nobody else really valued it or appreciated it for a while.
Do you know that the only real job I ever had, Delilah, I got fired for talking too much about insurance and I would call people. First of all, I would apologize because I knew I was interrupting their dinner, because that's when they wanted me to call, because they knew they'd be home. And then I started to talk to them about Jesus and love, and I got fired for talking too much.
But how old were you?
Why?
No, no, when you knew that you knew that you knew that God had given you not just this gift of music, but the desire to use your gift to change the world.
Wow. Well, there are movies, you know, back when we did these things called home movies, and we had this camera that was not on our phone, and.
Your dad or your mom would hold it and it would get shakier.
They're the best. They're the best movies. And they're that beautiful, crazy color. You know what I'm talking about.
Yeah, somewhere my sister has a few.
Yeah, And I am seen coming behind. We had this curtain, I'll never forget it, this cream colored curtain, and I had to come behind the curtain every time my mother said, you would not just stand there and perform, You had to come behind this curtain. And I go, really, and so of course I'm loving every minute of this story. And she says I was three, so I must have known. And she has a picture of me holding a guitar at age three. And I hear from an aunt who's no longer with us, saying, you used to sing when you were three, like you were on Broadway. And I would just tackle and love the three year old thing because I'm like I could could not even dress myself, but I could sing.
But you could sing.
It must have been three. I knew at nine or eight when I knew Delilah, that I knew that I knew that I knew, and I was in the wilderness, and I knew that that was what I was going to do. At three is when I think I started to play and become that person. And so I think there's a two time thing where physically I realized eight or nine I was going to do it, but by three I was in.
And you you were a young teenager when you actually saw that dream start to come true.
I had no idea. Listen, I graduated from high school and I was thrown out of the house. I think I was around I put this in my book, and people are like, your mother threw you out of the house, and they go, yep. And I was living with a woman cleaning houses. And I came back to Nashville and my mom said, you know, nope, you're not moving back in. And I went and stayed with this friend of mine and his wife. And next thing I know, I've got a record deal and I'm eighteen, and I have no idea what's going on. The reason I say, all this is because for throwing me out, is because we were not connected at that time, and yet we got this record deal, which is kind of ironic because we weren't talking. And I think if it wasn't for music, I would not have a relationship with my mom today. Like you hear a lot of people talk about, you know, I'm not close to my parents. We only see each other once a year. I honestly don't remember even talking to mom except for, hey, we're going to do this audition at RCA. I was eighteen years old, mining my own business, going to you know, get a normal job, and I was working for this temporary service at the time called Jane Jones. And I've seen people who worked there. They come to shows and they go, we just loved you and we just remember you being such a bright light and so talkative and so friendly, and I go, yeah, and I got fired for it, but now I get paid for it, and they just love me and laugh and it's on. You know, it's just wonderful. Listen. I was eighteen, Delilah, and I had no clue, no rehearsals, no lead up to, no time to prepare. No we didn't even have outfits. We had to wear our own personal clothes on our first album cover because we didn't even have outfits.
You had a gift that could not be denied. Like you said at three years old, you're hiding behind the curtain. And in my book One Heart at the time, I say, and I believe that everybody has a gift, but a lot of times we don't recognize it, or in my case, nobody else saw the value in it.
Right. Well, you know I have a saying because I have a lot of these, being on the road for thirty five years. Fruit ripens early, fruit ripens late. Whenever it is ripe.
You pluck it with me on the phone line. Is a very surprised why Noah Jada called her out of the blue, just because she's blessed me so much. We're talking life, We're talking love. We're talking about getting through the darkness, the storms of life. Just a reminder, I want to tell you that this podcast is made possible by my friends at the Home Depot. Whinonah was a friend who helped me through the darkest hours. The Home Depot is a friend who helps me through everything else. They have everything else I need in life. To keep my farm and my household moving. So thank you to the Home Deal PEP and all the support they've given me over the years. So what would you say to a young person who doesn't know what their gift is or how they can use it to change the world.
See, you're talking to a fifty four year old woman who has plenty of experience and wisdom like you do. Because of our situation and how much we've traveled and learned. I think we are born. I believe in nature and nurture. For instance. I believe that we're born with that gift. I didn't go to college to learn to sing. You said, you came out of the womb talking and ready to You know, you never knew a stranger. I think people have a gift and they have to go and nurture it. For instance, me, I spent a lot of time alone, and so I played the harmonica just because I was doing hard time, and playing harmonica was the way I passed the TI. I'm no TV, no telephone. Like I don't know if you were talking into a mic that was your hairbrush when you were ten, I don't know. I will tell you this, and this is what I tell people everywhere. And by the way, I'm starting a mentorship program. I have one here in Nashville at Belmont University. I've actually started a mentorship program because a lot of people, the millennials, want to be famous, but they don't really want to work at it. Like for me, I rode in a car for a year meeting radio station people before we ever got played on the radio. Do you see what I'm saying. I mean, we worked it campaign. You know, you're on the campaign trail getting these radio people to know who you are to get played and put on the playlist. This is back in the days when we still did that, before it was automated, and you know, there were real people at the radio stations. And so I think what I'm saying is that when when you asked that question, the first thing I think of is and I told a girl this the other day, because look, I've done things at the boys. I'm getting ready to be on a mentor show with Shanaiah and we're talking to these new talented people that are the next generation of greatness, and I tell them, go and sing at every single thing you can because you never know where your miracle is going to happen. For instance, I would not guess in a million years that my job came from my mother being a nurse and that her patience father was a producer. Do you see my point there? I think that I would think that playing a club or you know whatever. But I think people think that you're supposed to be a contention on a show, or be the top of your you know, class in the choir department of the art. You know, blah blah, no, no, no, no, no. God is in the big and the little stuff. Don't underestimate showing up for your miracle in a parking lot. I'm serious. I've had more conversations. I just had the most beautiful conversation with this guy in a grocery store on Aisle twenty. I think I remember saying twenty It must stand for something, because this was a really, really heavenly conversation. You never know where you're gonna meet up with God and he's gonna go bam here. It is. So when I tell people here's what you do. You save your money, get a good lawyer, do not work with your family. You know that might laugh at me, Deliah.
You know, my social media director is my sister.
I know that, But what I mean by that is, for instance, Taylor Swift. Taylor Swift worked with her parents. I know too many stories about girls in my world in the eighties that like Lianne, she works with her dad and stuff, and it doesn't always pan out. Well, it does for some people. But I just would suggest getting someone who's objective, because as parents, we have a blind spot for our kids. You know that, we just do. And when I say that, I don't mean because I'm bashing mom or anything we were meant to sing together. I'm talking about working with managerial stuff. Money, Money changes everything. You know this they took you. Never give money to your family, never be co dependent and help an addict, and blah blah blah. We know the rules. But what I'm saying is I would tell a kid right now, and I do when I talk to these kids, I say, hone your craft, do not fart around and be famous and get hair extensions and look beautiful and Instagram. Who cares. Let's not do Facebook, baby, Let's do face to face. In other words, go and sing at the next open mic night. Because let me tell you something. I just did one and you know who was there some big guy with a big name, who has a million dollar everything, who is now signing us up for fifty shows because he saw us at this sort of po dunk. I guess we'll call it that. I see it as God shows up everywhere. But my point is a person of my caliber, they would say, listen, I'm singing at an open mic night, and this guy happened to be there. You see my point. So it doesn't have to be a world renowned anything. God will meet you in the field, in the wilderness if you will. So I would say, hone your craft because in my generation, my darling, we had to sing it twenty five times. We did not have the box to put it through to make it sound beautiful. We had to sing it from our tone.
Now, so if somebody is listening to this podcast and they're saying, don't I don't even know what my talent is. I can't. I don't have a voice like Delilahs to talk. I don't have a singing voice like Whynona's to sing.
Right right, Okay, this is what I'm going through right now with my daughter. She is like me times a million. She's got all the resources. What I mean is technology. I didn't have anything Delilah. I had a guitar, I had a record player. I don't remember having anything like the web or the tools that these. You know, you see these things advertised, and I think it might be an age thing for me now, because I go, what the heck is this? Oh? This is how to play the guitar in five easy lessons. Really really, but you know, I don't know anything about that. But here's what I tell people. If you will slow down long enough to see the flutter of the wings, you will see your angel. And I tell people this and I cry and I get emotional, and I think, you know what, We move too fast and we miss it. So what I tell kids is slow down, turn off the electronics, go take a walk in the wilderness. I had a girl come to the farm and she had five dozen eggs and she said, I just need to scream and throw these eggs at the tree and find out what God has for me. And I said, go for it. And she found her answer in the wilderness. And that's what I tell people. Slow down, get right with yourself, get quiet, listen to your inner voice. What is your joy? Follow your bliss? If you love to paint and I'm doing this with my daughter. I said, I want you to start writing things down, Grace. I want you to literally, because she's like, Mom, you know Elijah's this because Elijah's been doing his career since he was seventeen. He's got it. He knows what he's wanting to do for the next fifty years. Not everybody's in that place. But she's like, I'm not really sure because I love so many things. I said, Grace, you might end up doing four things in your lifetime. You don't know. But get by yourself, get quiet and listen to your inner voice. What is it telling you? And she said, be creative? And I said, what does that look like? She said, that's the next step. So I think my point is it's not going to happen like a big, bright bolt, a lightning bolt. It might start off really quiet. It might say, you know what, why don't you show up tomorrow at Starbucks. You're going to meet somebody there, and you might end up meeting somebody who needs help being an intern at a record label. You never know. So I think getting quiet, I think we moved too fast. We have too much noise in the world. I just wrote a song called the world yells God whispers, ooh ooh. I really I'm walking that right now. And I talked to Jane. I think Jamie knows too when she came to see me. I just love that woman. She's amazing.
She is amazing.
I say, tell your daughter to get really quiet because we move so fast. I was going to do a video recently and they said, well, we have to change angles every three seconds. I said, excuse me, Like that's how like distracted we are because we have to have something move every three seconds or we get bored. The thing for me right now is that these kids move at such a fast pace that I wonder sometimes they if they don't just walk by the person that they were supposed to meet that could have changed their life.
I'm speaking with Whyona jud who embodies the idea of changing the world one heart at a time. She was called to be in the public eye at a very young age, and yet she has somehow remained in her heart, a simple country girl who loves and laughs and extends her love. Why Nonah, thank you for being here, Thank you for being present, for being grounded and being present.
The thing for me right now is that these kids move at such a fast pace that I wonder sometimes they if they don't just walk by the person that they were supposed to meet, that could have changed their life because they were not paying attention to meat. Like at Christmas time, I won't shop anymore because I had a really interesting experience where this fifteen year old kid didn't even see me, ran right into me and busted all my packages. And I looked at him like he wasn't looking at life because he was looking down at his phone, and he didn't even care and kept walking, didn't even help me pick up my packages, And I went, you know what, where's the humanity in this? I just got really sad, and I thought, gosh, that wouldn't have happened in my generation, just because you know, and I can't fault him because we've helped him. You know. We blame society, but we are society.
We are society.
Yeah, So I think what I tell kids is how to find your gift. I'll tell you what do some workshops he might want to try that. I told my daughter. I said, let's get you into I don't know, spend a week in a baking class. Why don't we try this? Why don't we try that, try a few things and see if it sticks. She goes, I love kids. I said, well, then maybe just follow your bliss. What do I tell kids? I say, follow your bliss? What make What is it that Vince Gill told me? And I think this is brilliant And I'll end it with this. He said, it best pick something that you love doing so much that you would do it for free. Keep doing it so much that you get so good at it that people will pay you for it.
Awesome, And Vince Gill told you that.
I think that's one of the most brilliant things I've ever heard.
Well, why no not, go be brilliant, Go mentor go bless, go sing, go do everything that you do so well, girlfriend, you've got You've got the voice of an angel. You know they have auto tune and auto this and aut of that now, But when you open your mouth and let God's love flow through you, heal hearts, you change lives, you inspire. You got me through more dark nights than you will ever ever, ever ever know, just listening to your music, and so thank you, thank you.
Thank you. I adore you like I adore you in a way that's family. Beyond just two alpha chicks hanging out at an event. I have always felt connected to you, and I think what you're doing matters, and I think people who are lonesome, don't we have a pandemic in this country of loneliness. I think your voice coming through the darkness. Literally, someone in their car hearing your voice sometimes is the only Bible they will ever read. No pressure, I have no pressure you. I think you're literally what keeps people from losing their minds. So together you and I are really something, and I'll help you in any way I can anytime, because I want to help this next generation understand that what's real is more powerful to me now, more so than ever.
On that note, I have to say, between you and me and God, if I didn't have your music last year, I wouldn't be alive today.
Music's a healer, my dear, and what we're doing matters, and I thank God for you, and our friendship is so sacred, more so than ever before, because I'm getting to the point where I like my animals a lot more than most people.
Anona, I love you to the ends of the earth. I love you to eternity and back. Thank you for being so vulnerable. Thank you for putting yourself out there in so many ways. You give me strength, You give others strength. Your journey has inspired so many more than you will ever know.
Bye for now. I don't like buye, but I'll say bye for now.
Love you, Bie, sweetie.
I'm here. I'm here anytime you need me, I'm here.
Okay. This podcast has been made possible by the wonderful folks at the Home Depot. Now, when you need help because your bathroom faucet is leaking, because your bathroom is ugly, and you want a new sink, you want a new vanity, you want new dial go to the Home Depot. Go to the Home Depot. Tell them Delilah sent you, and they will help you with all these things and so much more. Thank you for spending time with this podcast Conversations with Delilah. We're going to change this world. You and I are one heart at a time. We're going to change the dynamics in our family and our workplace, in our communities, and in our world by reaching out and loving others, one heart at a time. Thank you for joining me. Find me on Conversations with Delilah.
