Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there!
Enjoy these stories and memories from country music stars about their own moms and the moms in their lives…
Miranda Lambert talks about how early in her career, her mom wasn’t just her mom, “She was booking me in bars. I was playing Texas. So my mom was like my booking agent. She was working with me and she was kind of like my boss in a way and I hated that. Because she was also my boss in life because she’s my mom. And so that was a tough time. But we’re also one of those families where we can just get in a huge screaming match and five minutes later, I love you, you know it. We’re not one of those like, stay mad for a long time kind of people.”
Eric Church talks about his mom, “My mom, even though my dad won’t like this, my mom is by far the toughest person that I’ve met. She’s tough. One of those people that’s been through a lot in her life, adversity wise and never complains, always really resilient with anything that’s happened to her. And it’s just that attitude, the positive attitude, regardless of what has happened that I think is the one thing that I got from her. With career, she’s always been a person that’s been really positive through times that I couldn’t find a positive streak, [laughs] and she was always really positive, and very much believes in tough it out, keep working hard, and that’s her motto with stuff like that. I’ve always been impressed with that stuff. Then musically, she’s where I get my talent from, musically. She sings great, always has, her mom sang great. I owe my musical chops to her. And she still sings some. So, career-wise, I owe her everything. And just in life-wise she’s given me a lot of the qualities that it has taken for me to get me where I am. Not only as a musician, but as a man.”
Tim McGraw talks about the support he always felt from his mom, “I knew how hard my mom wanted me to work through high school and how bad she wanted me to go to college. And you know, I’d wanted to be a lawyer since I was probably 12 years old, and I was gonna go to school to be a lawyer. I started out in pre-law and was doing all that, and then I started playing music. And I remember having to make the phone call to mom and tell her that I was gonna drop outta school and move to Nashville and play music. And when I did, she said, “I’m surprised you haven’t done it already. And if you don’t try you’ll never know.’ When you’re a musician and you think that you’re gonna go try to make a livin’ at it, it’s like jumpin’ off a cliff at midnight not knowing what’s below you. And to have some affirmation from your mom that she thinks you should try it and she thinks that you can do it, there’s no more confidence than that that you can get.”
When it comes to his wife Kelly, Chris Janson, says every day is Mother’s Day when it comes to showing appreciation for all she does for their family, “I think everyday is Mother’s Day though, because without her, and her instincts and her love, and just the way that she conducts everyday life…it’s amazing. It’s inspiring, it’s influential, and without her, I just can’t imagine doing life without her, so I love her very much, I love Mother’s Day for that particular reason.”
Taylor Kerr of Maddie & Tae talks about spending her first Mother’s Day as a mom, “This is the very first Mother’s Day that I will be spending as a mother myself, which still kind of feels crazy to say sometimes, but I just feel so honored that I get to be Leighton’s mom. We have had quite the journey, but I wouldn’t trade any second for anything in the world. She has been such a joy to grow and to now watch; her little personality is shining through, and we’re just making some really special memories over here in the Kerr household and I feel so blessed that I get to be a mom, get to be her mom. And we’ll probably just spend this Mother’s Day hanging out at the house, (and) maybe (husband) Josh’ll make me some dinner. He is a great cook, and yeah, I’ll just snuggle up on my baby. She’s very snuggly and she likes my kisses, so that’s what we’ll be doing.”
Kameron Marlowe shares a special moment in his career where his mom was there to celebrate his success, “One of my favorite memories I have with my mom is having her around when I got to sign my record deal. It was such a special moment for me and to be able to have her be a part of that was awesome.”
Carly Pearce her first concert experience that she had – thanks to her mom, “One of my earliest memories was my mom and I going to my first concert together, which was Wynonna. She bought me a brand new outfit, cowboy boots and a hat and we had the best time. My mom has always been the one who encouraged my country music dreams & continues to be my greatest cheerleader.”
Drew Green recalls the comical way that he’d be woken up a s a kid, “My mom would always wake me up in the mornings for school singing way out of tune and funny to make me laugh. She is always smiling and happy and has been there for me since day 1. She means the world to me! Happy Mother’s Day!”
Mitchell Tenpenny shares the simply truth of what kids really remember when it comes to their moms and dads, “I’ve got a million special memories of my mom and dad but I think the best thing that they’ve ever done for me personally is going to all my games, all my shows, all my concerts, everything I did growing up. If I looked right they were right there watching the entire time. And as a kid that means everything to have the support of your parents, and my mom and dad were the best in the world at that.”
Carrie Underwood, who is a mom to two boys now, shares the special bond that she had with her own mother, “I was the last of three girls, and the next sister up is 10 years older than I am. So, growing up I had my sisters, who were much older, and then when they left it was just pretty much me and my mom and my dad was there. So, we were really close, you know closer than I think a lot of moms and daughters are. We love each other very much, and she was that the person that I fell I miss the most when I left home.”
Austin Gee from SixForty1 remembers how hard her mom worked to support the family when he was little, “My mom is the hardest working person I know. Ever since I was a little kid I remember her always having at least two, sometimes three jobs to keep my brothers & I taken care of. There was a 4 year span where she was also in nursing school while working multiple jobs so she’d come home from work and go straight to our home office to study. She ended up graduating with honors at the top of her class.”
Brooks Hoffman of SixForty1 shares, “Nothing beats a phone call or a visit to momma. Talk about someone who is selfless, thoughtful and far more loving than my brothers and I deserve. She has taught me to stay strong, kind and to chase my dreams. One of my favorite memories of her was as a kid after my first guitar lesson – she told my teacher that I was going to be her little country star and move to Nashville one day.”
Darius Rucker has no shortage of great memories of his mom, “Oh goodness! A lot of great memories of her, but probably one of my favorite memories, I was a young kid, probably eight or nine, and she was in the kitchen cooking and listening to the gospel station and Shirley Caesar’s ‘No Charge’ came on and she was singing ‘No Charge.’ I just remember I ran into our living room which was adjoined to our kitchen and I just sat there and I just listened to her sing that song, and I remember thinking, ‘Wow! What an amazing voice.’ That’s just always a memory I’ve always had, and that song still to this day when I hear it just moves me because that was my mom’s song.”
When it comes to his home life, Justin Moore knows that it’s his wife and his kid’s mom who is in charge, “She’s the boss at home for sure, which is fine because I gotta do it out here on the road. So yeah I just kind of let her do whatever and I do whatever she says, pretty much. She would probably tell you otherwise, but in particular with the kids, she’s the one who cracks the whip on them for sure.”
Ryan Hurd recalls the support his mom gave him when it came to his musical ambitions, “I remember when I was first getting into music, my mom taking me to guitar stores to look at instruments and it was a really big deal for me to get like my very first good acoustic guitar. And then my first electric guitar and I still play Gibson guitars because I’m from Kalamazoo, Michigan where Gibson started and because that was the first guitar that me and my mom went and got together. So now every time I get to play music, I you know, think of my family and my mom just because that she was so supportive in those early days.”
Casi Joy remembers the extra effort her mom and dad put into helping her music career “When my big brother Cory moved out, my parents converted his old room into a ‘studio’ for me. It was basically a room with a karaoke machine, CDs all over the walls, and my mom’s ‘briefcase’ which was a tattered blue folder full of contacts, my lyrics, and setlists. One of my favorite childhood memories is spending hours with her in that little studio, and working together to hone my craft. My mom would sit in there with me while I practiced for the opry shows or whatever singing competition she had found that month. We would come up with choreography we called my ‘moves’ and listen to countless greatest hits albums to find more songs for me to learn. I will forever cherish those memories with my ‘momager,’ and owe so much of my career to those countless hours practicing with her.“
Travis Denning‘s appreciation of his mom has grown as he’s gotten older, “You know, my favorite thing about my mom, especially as I get older, is realizing how much me and her have in common. I just love that she’s passionate about music. She loves it. I mean, she’s turned me on to a lot of artists, but at the core like she’s still Mom. She reminds me to do things and does these things which that I couldn’t live without. I love that we get to be friends, we get to be best friends, but at the same time, she’s still Mom and she still loves me and my sister like crazy.”
Christian Parker talks about his mom, “My mother and I have always been close. If it weren’t for her persistence in getting me to take up the piano in 2nd grade, I would have never discovered my passion for music. She is the calming force of our household and teaches me to be a better man, son, and eventual husband and father. I remember every summer my mom always tried to make sure I had activities to do, but getting to play minigolf and get snow cones was probably my favorite. I love you Mom, and I hope you have an incredible Mother’s Day!”
Conner Smith talks about the concern his mom has for his safety, “I think my mom is feeling a ocean of emotions between proud of me and praying harder than she’s ever prayed before. It’s funny, we were scheduled to play a festival down in Cancun, Mexico, and it got canceled due to Covid and all these things. And my brother and I joked that I was gonna post on Instagram and say, ‘Cancun has been canceled due to my mom‘s prayers.’ Because she definitely worries about me, but she raised me right, her and my dad did.”
Liddy Clark recalls a memorable trip with her mom to New York, “One of my favorite memories with my mom is traveling up to NYC during 2017. I was there for music purposes, but it was so fun getting to check off my ‘bucket list items’ with my mom. We went to go see Hamilton on Broadway with some last minute tickets we found, went to the Zoo in Central Park and saw cute goats & got to try the crazy milkshakes from Black Tap that were so delicious!”
Lady A‘s Dave Haywood sings the praises of the mom in the trio, Hillary Scott, “We started out and met Hillary in 2006. So, known her for over a dozen years, and have watched her really grow up. Now, she is a mom of three, an amazing wife, an amazing mother. And she always puts her kids first. I mean, there is not a day where she doesn’t show me a photo, tell me a story, and give me some kind of cute moment, or hard moment or a real life moment with her daughters. And I love how proud she is of them. If you know her, you know that she has three girls, and that’s the first thing she’ll share with you. And so, she is so proud and such an amazing mom that always leans in with her heart, connects with her daughters on a deep level and works so hard to provide and to be there for them in all aspects.”
Jordana Bryant shares a story about her mom, “One of my favorite memories of my mom is from about two years ago. My brother and dad were going out of town for the weekend for something, so we decided to have our own girls’ weekend. We went on a hike, went out to eat, bought a bunch of junk food and binge-watched movies at home, and talked until we couldn’t keep our eyes open! I think I laughed more that weekend than basically any other one in my life hahaha! My mom is truly one of my best friends, and I hope one day I can become even a fraction of the woman and mother she is.”
Niko Moon shares a story about his mom, “So a really cool memory that I got about my mom is when I was a little kid like five or six years old, every day when she would pick me up from school, she’d have a little treat in the glove box. Every day be some different maybe some bubble gum. It wasn’t anything big, but all day long at school. You know, it would get me through the day because I’d be thinking about what kind of treat was she going to have for me.”
Anne Wilson, who has a song called “Mamas” on her latest album, My Jesus, is very appreciative of her mama, “I am so grateful for my beautiful Mama. She is my best friend and the greatest blessing in my life. My mom has always been such a strong woman and I’ve always loved that so much about her. So grateful to know her and be loved by her!”
Amy Jack‘s mom did a lot for her when she was growing up, “She was always keen to make things extra nice for us and was a very hard working mother of four, who could stretch a dime. I was so excited when she got our family cat Stripsie, I felt like I hit the jackpot. It meant so much to use kids. She would grow mint just outside the back door to put in iced tea, so much flavor with lemon, I’ll never forget that fresh smell.”
Parker McCollum talks about his mom, “I mean, she’s just a fantastic woman who went above and beyond for us as kids to always make sure, probably even when we weren’t able to have things, she still made those happen. Everybody says I look like her. She’s just an incredibly caring and very, very sincere person, so I would hope I got those from her.”
