Prior to the release of Wynonna, Judd was part of the massively successful duo, the Judds, which consisted of her and her mother Naomi Judd. They were one of the biggest acts in country in the 1980's until the duo disbanded in 1991 following Naomi's hepatitis diagnosis. Production on Wynonna was handled by Tony Brown except "Live with Jesus", which was produced by Paul Kennerley.
Wynonna received mostly favorable reviews from music critics upon its release and became one of the best selling country albums of all time by a female artist. All of the album's four singles topped either the Billboard or Radio & Records country airplay charts, with "I Saw the Light" becoming the number one country song of 1992 according to Billboard. The album has gone on to become certified 5× platinum in the United States and is to date, Wynonna's best selling album.
The album's first three singles, "She Is His Only Need", "I Saw the Light", "No One Else on Earth", topped the US BillboardHot Country Songs, for a combined total of eight weeks, while the album's final single "My Strongest Weakness" also cracked the top five of the chart. "When I Reach the Place I'm Goin'" was later recorded by Patty Loveless for the 1994 compilation album Red Hot + Country and on her 2005 album Dreamin' My Dreams. "It's Never Easy to Say Goodbye" was later recorded by Kenny Chesney on his 1996 album Me and You.