Year In Review: 2020’s Country Music Babies

The country music family has expanded this year!

Written by Jeremy Chua
Year In Review: 2020’s Country Music Babies
Photos courtesy of Lauren Akins and Shay Mooney

The country music family has gotten bigger! Welcoming a baby in the middle of a pandemic is no easy feat with the health, safety and visitation restrictions. Some artists welcomed their little ones in January or February before the pandemic hit, while others like Maren Morris embraced both the uncertainty and joy of their newborns under strict hospital regulations. Regardless, celebrating a new bundle of joy is certainly a highlight for these singers!

Take a look back at 2020’s country babies below:

Craig Wayne Boyd — Craig Wayne Boyd and his wife Taylor welcomed their third child together just a day after the new year on Jan. 2. Bolston James Boyd is the latest addition to The Voice alum’s beautiful family of six!

High Valley — High Valley’s Curtis Rempel and wife Myranda welcomed their third child, Daisy, on Jan. 10. The youngest of three children, Daisy gave her parents a pleasant surprise with her arrival three weeks earlier than expected.

Josh GracinLuke Roman arrived to the loving embrace of Josh Gracin and wife Katie on January 13. The infant’s name has a special meaning to Gracin, as it represents his father’s Croatian and Italian background. The American Idol alum is now a father of five!

Thomas Rhett — Country superstar Thomas Rhett and wife Lauren now have a family of five! Lennon Love arrived on Feb. 10 “with lots of dark hair and blue eyes,” joining her sisters Willa Gray and Ada James. Lauren also dubbed this little bundle of joy’s arrival as the couple’s “early valentine” gift. 

Dan + Shay — The Mooney household is now a party of four! Dan + Shay’s Shay Mooney and wife Hannah ushered in their second son, Ames Alexander, on Feb. 21. The couple’s oldest (and three-year-old) son, Asher, first announced the news in a video in August 2019, saying that he was gonna become an older brother. 

Lunchbox from The Bobby Bones Show — “#BabyBox2 has arrived! I’m a Dad of 2,” The Bobby Bones Show’s Lunchbox wrote on Feb. 19. The radio personality documented the entire process in excitement on Twitter and Instagram. Lunchbox and his wife are now proud parents of two boys!

Frankie Ballard — Frankie Ballard and his wife Christina are first-time parents this year! Pepper Lynn was born on Feb. 8. “Thank you Jesus for my sweet family of 3. My cup is running over and full to the brim,” Christina said on Instagram. “Pepper Lynn you’re a precious angel and beautiful gift from Heaven and I love being your Mommy🙏🏼 Cue all the tears 😭”

Jimmie Allen — Rising country star Jimmie Allen and his fiancée Alexis Gale became proud parents to a baby girl named Naomi on Mar. 1. “The baby’s middle name is Betty, we named her after my grandma [who passed away in 2014], so her initials are NBA, go figure,” Allen shared in a phone call with Chuck Wicks and Trisha “T.J.” Jenkins. “And my grandma’s birthday was actually March 13, my mom’s birthday is March 7 and Naomi’s birthday is March 1.”

Maren Morris & Ryan Hurd — Country stars Maren Morris and Ryan Hurd are first-time parents with the birth of their son, Hayes Andrew Hurd, on Mar. 23. On top of giving birth just as COVID-19 hit the country, Morris was also in labor for 30 hours before that—which ended with an emergency c-section.“Having him in the middle of a global health crisis was also not in the baby prep books, but here we are,” she said in a now-deleted Instagram post. “Holding him and healing my body in a maternity ward that’s eerily quiet from us not being allowed visitors or family at this time, but strangely serene.”

Rhett Akins — ACM Songwriter of the Year Rhett Akins, whose son is Thomas Rhett,  became a dad again this year! Akins and his wife Sonya welcomed their baby boy, Brody James, on Mar. 31. “Friday the 13th is a pretty magical day,” Sonya shared on Instagram. “Our little angel arrived at 7:49 p.m. weighing 7.2lbs and 19 inches. He is perfect in every way!!!!

Brandon Lay — Country singer Brandon Lay and his wife Nicole are now parents of two! The couple welcome their second child, Lara June Lay, on June 8. “Lara June Lay was born less than two weeks ago. It’s been great,” the doting dad told Sounds Like Nashville. “She’s already so different than our boy Ryder. It’s so interesting to immediately see their different personalities.”

Morgan Wallen — Morgan Wallen became a first-time dad this year! The country star broke the news on Instagram on Jul. 10, surprising many fans. In a note to his newborn son Indie Wilder, the “Whiskey Glasses” singer wrote, “You are a gift and this tough year just made sense. I’ll be the Dad you deserve as well as the co-parent your mother deserves. Since you were born, I know that every decision I make will be with you in mind. I promise I’ll always protect you, and do my best to be an example of a good, godly man just like my daddy was for me.”

Mo Pitney — The Pitney household is now a happy family of four! Country singer Mo Pitney and his wife, Emily, celebrated the addition of their beautiful newborn on Jul. 14. Audra Elaine Pitney, the couple’s second girl, weighed at a healthy 7.5 lbs and measured 20 in. long at birth.

Ryan Griffin — Rising country artist Ryan Griffin and his wife, Talia, now have two boys! Their latest addition, Jude Michael Griffin, was born on Jul. 27 in Nashville, Tennessee, at 3 a.m. Little Jude weighed 6 lbs., 15 oz., and measured 19½ inches long. He joins big brother Levi Hart, who turned 5 in October. “Once again, God outdid himself. Jude is sooo chill and stepping into this world like a champ,” the “One Prayer Left” singer shared on Instagram.

Dwight Yoakam — Dwight Yoakam lauds a slew of accomplishments in his lifetime, but 2020 has blessed him with one more—being a father for the very first time! The country icon and wife Emily Joyce welcomed their son Dalton Loren Yoakam on Aug. 16 at 9:19am. 

Russell Dickerson — The Dickerson household is now a family of three! Rising country star Russell Dickerson and wife Kailey welcomed their first child, Remington Edward Dickerson, on Sept. 10, 3:23pm. The “Yours” singer announced that he and Kailey were expecting in April after spending nearly nine months trying to conceive. 

LANCO — LANCO frontman Brandon Lancaster is a father for the very first time! Lancaster and his wife Tiffany celebrated the birth of their daughter, Elora Ivelle Lancaster, on Sept. 19. Elora was born in Nashville, Tennessee, and weighed 7 lbs., 3 oz. ” I thought I knew what love was until I held my daughter. That is love.” Lancaster wrote on Instagram. “Only a few days on this new adventure and already learning some of the biggest lessons in my life.”

Florida Georgia Line — Florida Georgia Line’s Tyler Hubbard and wife Hayley welcomed their newborn son on Sept. 24. Atlas Roy came into the world at a healthy 8 lbs., 2 oz., and 21 inches long. “Atlas stands for strength. For us, this name also represents our family’s passion for travel and experiencing different cultures,” the couple told People. Tyler added, “Roy was the name of my dad, who passed away when I was 20. Getting to name our son after him is so special to us. Atlas will carry on my dad’s legacy and will always be a reminder of how well he loved everyone.”

Zac Brown Band — Clay Cook of Zac Brown Band and his wife Brook celebrated the birth of their baby girl on Sept. 25. Cecilia Ellen came into the world at seven pounds, 11 ounces, and measured 21 inches long. She joins her two brothers, Charles Robert (3-and-a-half years old) and Theron Maine (2). 

Dale Earnhardt Jr. — NASCAR icon Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his wife Amy have expanded their family to a household of four! Announcing the news on an episode of his Dale Jr. Download podcast, Earnhardt said their second daughter’s name is Nicole Lorraine Earnhardt, and she was born on Oct. 12. Nicole joins big sister Isla Rose, who was born in April of 2018, and according to Nascar.com the new baby’s name is a family callback — Nicole is Amy’s middle name, and Lorraine is Earnhardt Jr.’s mother Brenda’s middle name. 

David Nail — The Nail family is now a party of 5! Country singer David Nail and his wife Catherine welcomed their third child, Ellie Britton Nail, to the world on Oct. 19 at 7:26pm. The couple’s new daughter joins 4-year-old twins, Lawson Brent and Lillian Catherine. All their children were conceived through IVF.

Jon Langston — Rising country singer Jon Langston has added fatherhood to his resume! Langston and his girlfriend welcomed their first child, Magnolia Mae, into the world on Nov. 1. “Welcome to this crazy world but you just made it more beautiful. You are the most precious, greatest gift,” the singer wrote lovingly on Instagram. “I’m so thankful the Lord chose me to be your dad and that you and your strong, amazing momma are well and healthy.”

Chuck Wicks — Chuck Wicks is a bonus dad to his wife Kasi’s three daughters, but this year, he welcomed his very own! The Wicks household celebrated their early Christmas gift with the birth of their youngest child, Tucker Elliot Wicks, on Dec. 4. Wicks and Kasi conceived him via IVF, which the couple has been open and vulnerable about. “The feelings that are going through me having a son and holding him for the first time skin to skin yesterday… well…. I just lost it,” the singer shared joyfully on Instagram. “Thank you so much for all your messages and support. Specially through our IVF journey if you’ve followed. We won’t be stingy with pics and videos of Little Tucker!!!”

Steven Lee Olsen — Grammy-nominated country singer/songwriter Steven Lee Olsen and his wife, 2020 CCMA Winner (Country Personality of the Year) / National Radio Host Shannon Ella, welcomed their first child on Dec. 11! The bouncing baby boy, Lincoln Paul Olsen, came into the world at 5:56pm and weighed 7lbs 12oz.