Country musician and songwriter Sam Hunt wasn’t initially destined for country music – he was, in fact, pursuing a professional sports career before being signed on to MCA Nashville in 2014. Before discovering his own success, Hunt was actually credited for writing singles for the likes of Kenny Chesney, Keith Urban, Billy Currington, and Reba McEntire.
Much of his musical inspiration he owes to his now-wife, Hannah Lee Fowler. The pair were wed in 2017 but had been dating on-and-off since 2008. Fun fact: his debut album was named after the town that Fowler is from – “I had never visited Montevallo, but right before I left to go to Nashville I met a girl from there. A lot of the experiences I had with her and the relationship I had with her, that inspired a lot of the songwriting on the album.” We love it!
Craig Morgan and Karen Morgan
American country music artist Craig Morgan Greer is not just a crooner – he’s also a veteran of the United States Army. Embarking on his musical career in 2000, through Atlantic Records, he released his self-titled debut album. Some years later, he signed to Broken Bow Records, releasing a further three albums. Seventeen of Morgan’s singles have charted on Billboard country charts, with six of them reaching the top ten. Married with five kids, he is a Tennessee local.
He’s also a bit of a local hero – in 2011, Morgan rescued two kids from a burning house in Dickson, Tennessee before proceeding to man a fire hose and help put out the fire. What a man! But for all his success and good deeds, a tragic accident saw him lose his 19-year-old son, Jerry. Falling off an innertube in Kentucky Lake on the Tennessee River, his teenage son lost his life in the awful accident.
Thomas Rhett and Lauren Akins
Son of Rhett Akins, Thomas Rhett Akins Jr. is next up on our list! A singer and songwriter, he’s had success in his own right, with six singles reaching the top spot in charts including the Country Airplay and the Hot Country Songs chart. It seems that he’s got it all figured out – he met his now-wife way back in the second grade, tying the knot in October 2012.
Initially, the pair had some trouble having a child together and settled on adopting their first child – a baby girl from Uganda, Willa Gray Akins. But it seems that as they adopted and were adjusting to parenthood, Lauren got pregnant, having a baby girl in 2017, Ada James Akins. A softie at heart, Rhett sings to his wife and daughters in his song “Life Changes” – they even made an appearance in his music video!
Kelsea Ballerini and Morgan Evans
Country cutie Kelsea Ballerini is a doll of country music, and just last year, the 24-year-old was nominated for Female Vocalist of the Year for 2018’s Country Music Awards. Releasing her first album in 2015, she was even nominated for a Grammy for Best New Artist. She remembers fondly how she came across the Australian country singer, Morgan Evans: "He was like, 'Let's take a shot,'" Kelsea recalled to People.
By Christmas of 2016, Kelsea and Morgan were engaged to be married, and Morgan moved to Nashville to be with his lady love. Ballerini described her engagement to the media, and it’s oh so gorgeous: “he got down on one knee in the kitchen while I was burning pancakes and asked me to marry him. Loving him has been the greatest gift of my life. And now I get to do it for life.”
Mo Pitney and Emily Bankester
26-year-old country star Mo Pitney is an up and coming artist hailing from Cherry Valley, Illinois. Just a few years ago, he signed to Curb Records in 2016. The album did pretty well for a first, debuting at number ten on the Top Country Albums Billboard list – and that’s all within its first week of being released. He even did a few collabs on the album with Morgane Stapleton and Alison Krauss. Whoever was behind his marketing – well done!
As for the lady in his life, Mo met his future wife, Emily Bankester at a Bluegrass festival when they were just starry-eyed teens! From the moment he first saw her, he fell for her. The pair were wed in March 2016 in a small church in Emily’s hometown, in Illinois.