James Barry Poole(born December 18, 1964) is an Americancountry musicartist who records under the nameCledus T. Judd.Known primarily for his parodies of popular country songs, he has been called the"Weird Al" Yankovicof country music, and his albums are usually an equal mix of original comedy songs and parodies. Judd has released 11 studio albums and two EPs, and several singles have entered theBillboardHot Country Songscharts. His chart peak is the number-48 "I Love NASCAR", a parody ofToby Keith's 2003 single "I Love This Bar".
Cledus T. Judd | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | James Barry Poole |
| Born | December 18, 1964 |
| Origin | Cartersville, Georgia,United States |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
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| Instrument | Vocals |
| Years active |
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| Labels |
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| Spouse | Julie Reeves |
Musical career
editJudd moved toNashville, Tennessee,to pursue a career in country music. By 1993, he was living in a house withDaron Norwoodand preparing to move back home until he wrote a parody of "Indian Outlaw"byTim McGraw,which made him decide to pursue a career as a parodist.[2]
1995–1999
editCledus T. Judd released his debut album,Cledus T. Judd (No Relation),onRazor & Tie Recordsin 1995, the "(No Relation)" part of the title being a reference toWynonnaandNaomi Judd.[3]Two non-country parodies were also included on this album: one of theEagles' "Hotel California",and one of"We Are the World",a 1980s charity single credited toUSA for Africa.Judd's parody, entitled "We Own the World", satirized the marriage ofLisa Marie PresleyandMichael Jackson.
I Stoled This Recordfollowed in 1996. This album, despite not producing a chart single, earnedRIAAgold certification for shipping 500,000 copies. This album included parodies of twoShania Twainsongs: "(If You're Not in It for Love) I'm Outta Here!"became" (I'm Not in Here for Love) Just a Beer "and"Any Man of Mine"became" If Shania Was Mine ".John Michael Montgomery's "Sold (The Grundy County Auction Incident)"was also parodied twice on this album.
His third album,Did I Shave My Back for This?(a take-off onDeana Carter'sDid I Shave My Legs for This?), included his first duet, withBuck Owenson the original track "First Redneck on the Internet". The album also parodiedAlan Jackson,Joe Diffie,Brooks & Dunn,Mindy McCready,andTrace Adkins.[3]
1998'sJuddmentalwas his final album for Razor & Tie. It included a duet, this time withDaryle Singletaryon "Ricky Tidwell's Momma's Gonna Play Football", a non-parody song previously recorded byTim Wilson.This album once again parodied a Twain song, with her "Honey, I'm Home"becoming" Shania, I'm Broke ". TheGarth Brooks/Trisha Yearwoodduet "In Another's Eyes"was also parodied on this compilation. It was originally to have been on Judd's previous album, but Brooks had initially expressed concern over a parody compromising the song's chances at winning aGrammy Award.[1]
2000–2005
editAfter leaving Razor & Tie Records, Judd signed toMonument RecordsNashville 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 ofKenny 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 No. 61 onBillboardHot Country Singles & Tracks (nowHot Country Songs). Following this song was another chart single, "How Do You Milk a Cow" (based onToby Keith's "How Do You Like Me Now?!"), which peaked at No. 67; the music video also features Toby Keith. In 2002, he releasedCledus Envy,followed later that year by a Christmas album entitledCledus 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-songEPcalledA Six Pack of Judd,released in 2003. After Monument closed its Nashville division, he signed toKoch RecordsNashville to release a second EP, the four-songThe Original Dixie Hick,later in 2003. This release, which contained parodies pertaining to theDixie Chicks,also produced his third chart single in "Martie, Natalie and Emily (The Continuing Saga Of)", a parody ofBrad Paisley's "Celebrity".
Judd's final release for Koch was 2004'sBipolar and Proud.This album produced two more chart singles for him, including his highest-peaking, the No. 48 "I Love NASCAR", which parodied Keith's "I Love This Bar"and included guest vocals from Keith himself. Following this song was the No. 58" Bake Me A Country Ham ", based onTracy Lawrence's "Paint Me a Birmingham".
2006–2014
editBy mid-2005, Judd had announced plans to release a tribute album toRay StevensentitledBoogity, Boogity - A Tribute to the Comedic Genius of Ray Stevens,containingcoversof 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 toAsylum-Curb Recordsand 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") referencingBarack Obama's election as President of the United States.[4][5]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 ofBrooks & Dunn's "God Must Be Busy"which features Brooks & Dunn as guest vocalists. Its third single is" (If I Had)Kellie Pickler's Boobs ".
He transferred toWarner Bros. Recordsin 2012 to releaseParodyziac!!The album includes a parody ofLittle Big Town's "Pontoon"titled" Honeymoon ", the video of which was directed byLaura Bell Bundy.[6]
Judd moved again to RoseyMo, a division ofAverage Joes Entertainment,in late 2014. On November 5, he released a new single titled "Luke Bryan", a parody ofRobin Thicke's "Blurred Lines",which features guest rapping fromColt Ford.[7]
2015 retirement
editIn a January 2015 article inBillboard,Judd announced that he would be retiring from the music industry, as he felt that he had lost the desire to continue, and wanted to focus on raising his daughter instead. He also revealed past struggles with acocaineaddiction and suicide attempts, and said that he made the decision to change his lifestyle after becoming baptized.[2]In 2016, he issued a three-CD memoir titledThings I Remember Before I Forget.[8]
Judd was one of the co-writers of the song "Three Feet of Water", the final track onBrantley Gilbert's albumThe Devil Don't Sleep.
2018 comeback
editIn mid-2018, Judd announced his return to the music industry by releasing a new parody song and music video titled, "(Weight's Goin') Up Down, Up Down", a parody of "Up Down"byMorgan Wallen.[9]It was followed by a parody ofBebe Rexha's andFlorida Georgia Line's "Meant to Be"called" Gotta Pee ".[10]
Radio and television work
editJudd has toured as an emcee with such acts asBrooks and Dunn,Brad Paisley,Trace Adkins,Toby Keith,theDixie Chicks,Shania Twain,andMontgomery Gentry.Judd's television work includes a stint as the co-host ofCMT Most Wanted Livefrom 2002 to 2004 and as a "special correspondent" on the 2005 season ofNashville Star.Additionally, he was one of the featured contestants on Season Five ofVH1's reality showCelebrity Fit Club.
He also hosted theCledus T. Party Morning ShowforWQYK-FMinTampa, Florida.In January 2008, he returned to Atlanta as the morning host at 94.9/The Bull,WUBL-FM.In September 2010, he returned to WQYK-FM as co-host of theCledus and Dave Morning Show.On November 19, 2012, Judd became the co-host ofThe Cletus T. Judd Party with Clint & Judymorning show oniHeartMedia-ownedWTCR-FMinHuntington, West Virginia.At WTCR, Judd joins longtime morning hostsClint McElroy& Judy Eaton.[11]Judd stated that moving to WTCR allows him to live closer to his daughter.
Musical style
editJudd has been called the"Weird" Al Yankovicof country music.[12]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 ofKenny Chesney's "She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy"which addressed Chesney's andTim McGraw's 2000 arrest after stealing a Mounted Reserve deputy's horse;[13]or "Waitin' on Obama", which he released shortly before PresidentBarack Obamatook office in January 2009.
Initially, Judd sang in an intentionally off-key, nasal voice with an affectedSouthern accent,described byCountry Standard Timecritic Ken Burke as "Junior Samplesonhelium."[14]Judd stopped affecting his voice onA Six Pack of Juddand all subsequent albums.
Personal life
editJudd was formerly married to country music singerJulie Reeves.They have a daughter, Caitlyn. Judd married Amanda Fizer on October 5, 2017[15][16]and has two stepchildren, Isabella and Jeremiah.[17]
After announcing his retirement in 2015, Judd focused on spending time with his family and doing a morning radio show. Once he was done with his radio show in the mornings, he had a lot of downtime and became bored. He then began working on buying and remodeling dilapidated houses.[18]
After years of retirement, Judd was inspired to return to music by his idol,Ray Stevens,who asked Judd to open for him at a show in Kentucky. Stevens asked Judd why he retired and Judd responded that he did not think he was relevant anymore. Stevens told him that the 1,500 audience members giving Judd a standing ovation said otherwise. With the encouragement of his daughter, Judd decided to make a comeback.[18][17]
Discography
editStudio albums
edit| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications (sales threshold) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country [19] |
US [20] |
US Heat |
US Indie [21] |
US Comedy [22] | |||
| Cledus T. Judd (No Relation) |
|
— | — | — | — | — | |
| I Stoled This Record |
|
23 | 173 | 8 | — | — | |
| Did I Shave My Back for This? |
|
16 | 181 | 11 | — | — | |
| Juddmental |
|
48 | — | 33 | — | — | |
| Just Another Day in Parodies |
|
25 | 198 | 7 | — | — | |
| Cledus Envy |
|
19 | 136 | 3 | — | — | |
| Cledus Navidad |
|
39 | — | 24 | — | — | |
| Bipolar and Proud |
|
15 | 98 | — | 8 | 2 | |
| Boogity, Boogity |
|
47 | — | — | — | 3 | |
| Polyrically Uncorrect |
|
56 | — | — | — | 7 | |
| Parodyziac!! |
|
— | — | — | — | 14 | |
| Things I Remember Before I Forget |
|
— | — | — | — | — | |
| "—" denotes the album failed to chart | |||||||
Compilation albums
edit| Title | Album details | Peak positions |
|---|---|---|
| US Country [19] | ||
| Cledus Country |
|
— |
| The Essenshul Cledus T. Judd |
|
61 |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | ||
Extended plays
edit| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country [19] |
US [20] |
US Heat [24] |
US Indie [22] | ||
| A Six Pack of Judd |
|
19 | 130 | — | — |
| The Original Dixie Hick |
|
62 | — | 39 | 28 |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | |||||
Singles
edit| Year | Single | Peak positions | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| US Country [25] | |||
| 1995 | "Indian In-Laws"[26] | — | 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" | — | ||
| 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"(withBuck Owens) | — | ||
| "Did I Shave My Back for This?" | — | ||
| 1999 | "Everybody's Free (To Get Sunburned)" | — | — |
| "Coronary Life" | — | Juddmental | |
| "Shania, I'm Broke" | — | ||
| 2000 | "My Cellmate Thinks I'm Sexy" | 61 | Just Another Day in Parodies |
| "How Do You Milk a Cow" | 67 | ||
| 2001 | "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"(withToby Keith;uncredited) | 48 | Bipolar and Proud |
| "Bake Me a Country Ham" | 58 | ||
| 2005 | "Paycheck Woman" | — | |
| 2007 | "Illegals" | 58 | — |
| "Gitarzan"(withHeidi Newfield) | — | Boogity, Boogity | |
| 2009 | "Waitin' On Obama" | — | Polyrically Uncorrect |
| "Garth Must Be Busy"(withRonnie Dunn) | — | ||
| "(If I Had) Kellie Pickler's Boobs" | — | ||
| "Tiger by the Tail (The Tale of Tiger Woods)" | — | — | |
| 2011 | "If This Is Country Music" | — | Parodyziac!! |
| 2012 | "Double D Cups" | — | |
| "The House That Broke Me" | — | ||
| "Honeymoon" | — | ||
| 2013 | "Cledus T." | — | |
| 2014 | "Luke Bryan"(withColt Ford) | — | — |
| 2018 | "(Weight's Goin') Up Down, Up Down" | — | |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | |||
Christmas singles
edit| Year | Single | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | "Grandpa Got Runned Over by a John Deere"[27] | I Stoled This Record |
| 1999 | "Christ-mas" | Juddmental |
| 2009 | "Christmas in Rehab" | Polyrically Uncorrect |
| 2010 | "Redneck Christmas"(withDeborah Allen) | — |
Music videos
edit| Year | Title | Director[28] |
|---|---|---|
| 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)" | ||
| 2012 | "Double D Cups" | Ryan Lassan |
| "The House That Broke Me"[29] | ||
| 2013 | "Honeymoon" | Laura Bell Bundy[6] |
| 2018 | "(Weight's Goin') Up Down, Up Down" | Cledus T. Judd[9] |
| "Gotta Pee" | Josh McComas[10] |
Video albums
edit| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 2000 | I Stoled This Video
|
References
edit- ^ab"Country Mailbag – Country Music's Top Interactive Radio Show".Countrymailbag.
- ^abStark, Phyllis (January 15, 2015)."Cledus T. Judd on His Decision to Bow Out of the Music Business for a 'Higher Purpose'".Billboard.RetrievedJanuary 16,2015.
- ^abHuey, Steve."Cledus T. Judd biography".Allmusic.RetrievedJanuary 9,2009.
- ^Bonaguro, Alison (January 9, 2008)."Cledus T. Judd Counts the Days" Waitin' on Obama "".CMT.Archived fromthe originalon January 16, 2009.RetrievedJanuary 9,2009.
- ^Cledus T. Judd unveils a new Obama parodyTennessean
- ^ab"Cledus T. Judd Parodies Miranda Lambert, Little Big Town on 'Parodyziac'".Billboard.October 1, 2012.RetrievedJuly 9,2019.
- ^Stephenson, Troy (November 6, 2014)."Cledus T. Judd Releases New Parody Single" Luke Bryan "".MusicRow.RetrievedNovember 6,2014.
- ^"Cledus T. Judd Releases 'Things I Remember Before I Forget'".The Country Note.November 18, 2016.RetrievedAugust 11,2018.
- ^ab"Cledus T. Judd releases parody single".The Herald-Dispatch.July 27, 2018.RetrievedJuly 30,2018.
- ^ab"Cledus T. Judd -" Gotta Pee "- Video Clips from CMT".November 27, 2018.
- ^"Comedian Cledus T. Judd Joining WTCR Morning Show".Archived fromthe originalon February 9, 2013.
- ^"Chad Brock: Cledus T. Judd Needles Chesney and McGraw".CMT.Archived fromthe originalon September 30, 2007.
- ^Rush, Diane Sams (September 1, 2000)."Yoakam headlines triple country threat".Wichita Eagle.RetrievedJanuary 6,2009.
- ^Burke, Ken."A Six Pack of Judd".Country Standard Time.RetrievedMarch 27,2009.
- ^Cameron, Amy (July 1, 2008)."Judd Celebrates Wedding No. 4".CMT.RetrievedJuly 15,2008.
- ^Poole, C.J. (2009)."Cledus T. Judd's. 2009".Cledustjudd.net.RetrievedJuly 15,2009.
- ^abDave Lavender."Cledus T. Judd back with new parody video".The Herald-Dispatch.RetrievedAugust 19,2018.
- ^ab"Cledus T. Judd Back With New Parody – The Country Note".The Country Note.July 2, 2018.RetrievedAugust 19,2018.
- ^abc"Cledus T. Judd Album & Song Chart History – Country Albums".Billboard.RetrievedOctober 14,2010.
- ^ab"Cledus T. Judd Album & Song Chart History – Billboard 200".Billboard.RetrievedOctober 14,2010.
- ^"Cledus T. Judd Album & Song Chart History – Independent Albums".Billboard.RetrievedOctober 14,2010.
- ^ab"Cledus T. Judd Album & Song Chart History – Comedy Albums".Billboard.RetrievedOctober 14,2010.
- ^"RIAA – Gold & Platinum – October 14, 2010: Cledus T. Judd certified albums".Recording Industry Association of America.RetrievedOctober 14,2010.
- ^"Cledus T. Judd Album & Song Chart History – Heatseekers Albums".Billboard.RetrievedOctober 14,2010.
- ^"Cledus T. Judd Album & Song Chart History – Country Songs".Billboard.RetrievedOctober 14,2010.
- ^Hollabaugh, Lorie (April 22, 1994)."Bits & Pieces"(PDF).Radio & Records:38.
- ^"Stocking Stuffers"(PDF).Gavin Report:36. November 24, 1995.
- ^"Cledus T. Judd videos".CMT.Archived fromthe originalon April 17, 2004.RetrievedNovember 25,2008.
- ^"CMT: Videos: Cledus T. Judd: The House That Broke Me".Country Music Television.Archived fromthe originalon November 2, 2012.RetrievedAugust 24,2012.