Following in the footsteps of another famed country songbird, Wynonna Judd is spelling out D-I-V-O-R-C-E these days, but not on stage. This week the 34-year-old singer cited "irreconcilable differences" with husband Arch Kelley III in a suit filed in Franklin, Tenn.'s Williamson County Chancery Court.

While the split comes fast on the heels of the couple's January 21, 1996, wedding, industry observers aren't surprised. "Wynonna really tried to make it work, and even went through counseling, but it never really clicked," says Bruce Feiler, the author of "Dreaming Out Loud: Garth Brooks, Wynonna Judd, Wade Hayes, and the Changing Face of Nashville." "Wynonna said herself that Arch was more comfortable being home on the tractor. And, this is speculation, albeit highly informed speculation, but it's really Naomi's (Wynonna's mother) story. She never liked Arch, and now that Wynonna is back in the arms of her mother, Naomi's calling the shots."

Since Judd has racked up three platinum albums on her own -- and, with her mother by her side, was one-half of the '80s most successful country-music duo -- the split will undoubtedly have some lawyers salivating over fantasies of a big bucks settlement for Kelley. "They'll give him a lot of money and say, 'Go away, please,'" says Feiler. Nevertheless, Judd isn't likely to take too hard of a hit in the pocketbook with Kelley's departure. "Wynonna is the most financially responsible person I've ever met," he adds. "You can be sure there's an airtight agreement."