Wilson, 51, says she learned to fight from her uncle
'The Redneck Woman' Gretchen Wilson opens up about nearly derailing her music career
Gretchen Wilson is not someone you'd like to meet in an alley – according to the country musician herself.
Appearing on the "Taste of Country Nights" radio show, Wilson, 51, gave listeners a glimpse of what her life before fame looked like, disclosing if she'd ever been in a "real-deal fistfight."
"Too many to count," she said, proudly, before confessing it'd been a while since she'd thrown any fists. "I would say the last time I was in a knock-down, drag-out, bar brawl type situation would have been probably 25 years ago."
'THE REDNECK WOMAN' GRETCHEN WILSON OPENS UP ABOUT NEARLY DERAILING HER MUSIC CAREER
Country singer Gretchen Wilson believes the last time she got into a serious fight was likely 25 years ago. (Jason Kempin/Getty Images)
She explained that she stopped fighting "right before things started happening for me."
Her career took off after the release of her hit single, "Redneck Woman," in 2004. At the time, Wilson was struggling to get by.
"They had repossessed my vehicle that morning," she said of the day she first heard "Redneck Woman" on the radio. "You don't get [any] money until you're out there touring, so the song comes out, and you're still sitting there penniless."
Gretchen Wilson says her car was repossessed on the same day she heard her hit single "Redneck Woman" on the radio for the first time. (Michael Loccisano/Getty Images)
"You definitely don't want to get into it with me 'cause I'm nasty that way. I'll pull your shirt up over your face and start hitting you with a pool stick."
— Gretchen Wilson
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Collecting the car in the early hours of the morning, the tow truck driver realized there was a child's car seat in the back of the vehicle and gave Wilson the opportunity to take it out.
"He let me get the car seat out. Wasn't that nice of him? And when I started the car as he was getting ready to hook it up, ‘Redneck Woman’ was playing on the radio."
Gretchen Wilson's track, "The Earring Song," gives a glimpse of what Wilson's upbringing was like. (Taylor Hill/Getty Images)
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Another one of Wilson's hits – "The Earring Song" – was named one of "Taste of Country's" best fighting songs, which led to more conversation about Wilson's upbringing.
"Don't make me take my earrings out / 'Cause I'll show you what a cat fight's all about / I'll throw you down and mop the floor / A man like mine's worth fighting for," she sings in the catchy song.
Gretchen Wilson says she grew up knowing how to fight dirty. (Tibrina Hobson/Getty Images)
"I'm from a little town where the fighting gets dirty," she shared on the show, admitting she'd been punched in the face before. "I mean, I was taught to fight by my Uncle Vernon and it's dirty fighting," she shared, giving listeners a glimpse of where those lyrics stem from.
"I mean, you definitely don't want to get into it with me 'cause I'm nasty that way. I'll pull your shirt up over your face and start hitting you with a pool stick."
Wilson was arrested in 2018 after a disturbance on a commercial flight with another passenger, where she was reportedly "belligerent," but charges were later dropped, with the singer donating to a charity.
Caroline Thayer is an entertainment writer for Fox News Digital. Follow Caroline Thayer on Twitter at @carolinejthayer. Story tips can be sent to
