Here for the Party
Here for the Party is the debut studio album by American country music singer Gretchen Wilson. It reached the top of the US country charts in May 2004 and number 2 on the "Billboard" 200 album charts. Featured on the album is Wilson's breakthrough debut single, "Redneck Woman", a Number One hit on the "Billboard" Hot Country Singles & Tracks (now Hot Country Songs) charts. The tracks "Here for the Party", "When I Think About Cheatin'", and "Homewrecker" were also released as singles; these three singles all reached top 5 on the country charts as well . The album received four Grammy nominations: Best New Artist, Best Country Album, Best Country Song ("Redneck Woman") and Best Female Country Vocal Performance ("Redneck Woman"). Gretchen Wilson won Best Female Country Vocal Performance. Making of the album. Gretchen Wilson was singing in a bar when she met John Rich of Big & Rich, who invited her to work with him. After some persistence, she agreed and joined the MuzikMafia, an informal group of Nashville singers and songwriters that gathered weekly to play songs. Wilson signed with Epic Records in 2003 and went in the studio with producers Mark Wright and Joe  Scaife and Rich as co-producer. The first single, "Redneck Woman," was written as a tribute to women from small-town America. Reception. "Redneck Woman" was released as a single in early 2004 and reached the top of the "Billboard" country singles charts and number 22 on the "Billboard" Hot 100. The album was released in the U.S. on May 11, 2004. It debuted at the top of the country album charts and at number two on the "Billboard" 200 with 227,000 copies sold. "Here for the Party" was the fifth best selling album of 2004, with about 2.9 million  copies sold. Musicians. Compiled from liner notes.