NAOMI JUDD GRACES LIFETIME
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Naomi Judd: Credit: Russ Harrington.
n a remote part of Tennessee, Naomi Judd enjoys the beauty and privacy that the lush country hills offer. Living on a farm with her husband of 30plus years (Larry Strickland, a gospel artist and former backup singer to Elvis), she has surrounded herself with the people she loves most. Behind her house and just over the hill is the second half of the Grammy Award-winning duo the Judds, daughter Wynonna. “She could get to me in about five minutes if she comes on her ATV,” Naomi tells. “And then Ashley [Naomi’s movie star and humanitarian youngest daughter] lives next door and it’s one minute from her house to my house. … That’s the way I’ve always wanted it.” Adding to that girl power is another music great, Reba McEntire, who lives just around the bend. In their parts there are no streets; there are just simple roads. It’s a serene place for a music icon whose younger days were filled with harsh family secrets and unthinkable hardships, yet Naomi is a survivor, a woman who has overcome countless obstacles and today continues to inspire others through her music, books and speaking. On this particular day in January, we connect with Naomi to talk about her role in V.C. Andrews’ Ruby; it’s the first of four films that are part of Lifetime’s V.C. Andrews Landry Movie Series Event. The films follow Ruby Landry (Raechelle Banno), who, after being raised by her loving grandmother in the Louisiana bayou, is ensnared in a world of dark family secrets and betrayal when she discovers she has another family living in New Orleans. “I find something in every character that they ask me to play,” Naomi says. “There’s got to be something.” Naomi opens the four-film series starring as
Ruby, Pearl in the Mist, All That Glitters, Hidden Jewel: © 2021 Lifetime.
A Conversation With The Music Icon Who Reminds Us That Family Is Everything. By Barb Oates
