When Gretchen Wilson and Sony Music Nashville agreed to go their separate ways, the self-proclaimed Redneck Woman knew she wasn't ready to pull the plug on her career.
So following the lead of a number of country artists, Wilson launched Redneck Records in the fall of 2009 and with the success of her first independent release, I Got Your Country Right Here, she's sure she made the right decision.
"I guess it was a little scary (at the time) but for me I had two options: Either fold it all up and say I'm finished or make the next move and do what I've wanted to do, what I've always felt like I needed to do musically and creatively," Wilson said in a recent telephone interview from Nashville. "It was exciting at the same time as being a little intimidating because creatively I would have full control of what was happening, which is something you don't have when you're with a major label.
"I'm doing real good, though. I'm really proud of everything we've accomplished so far. I mean, how many people can say that their debut project on their own record label can score a Grammy nomination?"
I'd Love To Be Your Last, the third single from I Got Your Country Right Here, received a Grammy nomination for best female country vocal performance. Although she didn't win the award - Miranda Lambert claimed the Grammy for The House That Built Me - Wilson is upbeat about the direction Redneck Records is going.
Having said that, Wilson understands her new role as an underdog in the music business.
"The biggest difference between a small label like mine and a major label is they've got an entire department dedicated to radio," said Wilson. "As an independent label, I've got one guy. My promotional department is Bob Mitchell and that's it. I actually prefer working with a small group. I know him, I know where he comes from, I know he's working for me and me alone. My record label has six employees and we all wear a lot of hats but we get the job done. I may not have 10 people out there pushing a song but I have six people working this entire record. I know it's their focus, it's their priority and that makes me feel more comfortable.
"Sometimes I didn't even feel like I knew who my radio people were at the big label. Sometimes I didn't know. Somebody would get fired and somebody else would get hired in a week's time and nobody would tell the artist. What if they don't even like you?"
Wilson has a number of hits to her credit - Redneck Woman hit No. 1 while Here For The Party, Homewrecker, All Jacked Up and When I Think About Cheatin' each found spots in the Top 10.
Finding a spot on the charts is made more difficult by the smaller budget at her label but Wilson is more concerned about the quality of her music, as opposed to the number of times it gets played on radio.
"I love country radio, I love their support, I love that the fans still have a free outlet to be able to listen to their favourite music but I'm not in this for No. 1 songs," Wilson said. "Obviously we'd all love to have that but it's not what I do this for. I like to create music. I like to write music. I love to perform music and bring it to people and hopefully the great music we provide means something to them and changes something for them ... that's why we do this. Getting a No. 1 song is obviously wonderful and means recognition but we're not in this for the gratification of getting an award.
"This is what we do, it's all we do and it's what we love."
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