Wynonna Judd gave such a heartfelt tribute to her late mother Naomi Judd with a powerful rendition of “The Rose” with Brandi Carlile. Wynonna performed the duet at Naomi Judd: A River of Time Celebration just two weeks after her mother’s passing. It would have taken incredible strength to get up there and sing at that point. However, Judd gave it all and created a lasting performance that had many fans praising her strength and touching vocals.
The nostalgic lyrics of Bette Midler’s hit “The Rose” were the perfect choice to perform in memory of Naomi. Carlile opened the duet with a delicate vocal, and then Wynonna came in with a rich and soulful verse. The Music Man readers may note that it was clear that Wynonna was struggling inside, but she just channeled that to add to the power of the performance. When the duo began to harmonize, the sonorous tone of Wynonna’s voice melded perfectly with the reedier timbre of Carlile’s voice.
CMT hosted Naomi Judd: A River of Time Celebration, and the broadcaster’s upload of “The Rose” duet hit 1.5 million views on YouTube. The performance hit hard for viewers watching at home, who added comments such as, “As soon as Wynonna began to sing, my tears began to fall. To be able to continue singing… She is such a strong, beautiful and courageous woman,” and “I just LOVE Brandi’s supportive energy when she sings. So beautiful, both of them!”
Wynonna previously performed “The Rose” as a duet with none other than Bette Midler. The pair teamed up in 1997 to sing the classic together, in a performance that drew 2.2 million views on YouTube. Wynonna, who was aged 33 at the time, took the higher register vocal line in this performance, while Midler delivered a deliciously rich and honeyed low register part. It’s a song that has nowhere to hide as a vocalist, and the pair definitely stepped up to the plate to deliver a powerful duet on the hit.
American singer-songwriter Amanda McBroom penned “The Rose” after her manager gave her the curious instruction to write “some Bob Seger-type tunes” to help her score a record deal. McBroom performed the song live occasionally, but the first artist to record it was Midler. Midler recorded “The Rose” for her 1979 film of the same name, and it plays over the closing credits in the film. Midler scored a number three hit on the Billboard Hot 100 with the song, and it was eventually certified Gold in the US.