Country Strong: Nashville's Longest-Married Couples

You won't hear any of these longtime loves singing the blues. Find out how they've kept in tune with one another in good times and in bad

01 of 16

HILLARY & CHRIS: 10 YEARS

CHRIS & HILLARY
Rick Diamond/Getty

"Everything is brighter. Everything has a deeper meaning," Lady A's Scott told PEOPLE of meeting Tyrrell, now a drummer for her band. "I've found a guy who truly embraces me for who I am and appreciates the things that I don't necessarily love about myself."

02 of 16

CARRIE & MIKE: 11 YEARS

cmt-awards-1333x2000
Kevin Mazur/WireImage

Though their schedules are crazy — Underwood jets around the world for concerts and awards shows while until recently, Fisher played for the Nashville Predators hockey team — the parents of two make their marriage their No. 1 priority. "I feel like Mike and I treat it like a partnership, which is a really good thing for both of us," she told PEOPLE. "I'm not the maid and I'm not the cook, you know what I mean? I do those things when I do them because I like to and I want to. You just figure out your roles and the things that each of you do better, and you give and take."

03 of 16

CHARLES & CASSIE: 12 YEARS

CHARLES & CASSIE: 6 YEARS
Christopher Polk/Getty

Married since 2009, the Lady A musician and his wife faced a tough road, struggling with fertility issues once they decided they were ready for kids. But a happy announcement in February 2016 — they had a baby boy! — made the couple realize how resilient they'd become. "I pray that you and your partner will remain strong and united in your marriage and be thankful for the road that you are traveling and the lessons learned, even when it's really hard," Cassie blogged.

04 of 16

ERIC & KATHERINE: 14 YEARS

ERIC & KATHERINE: 7 YEARS
Rick Diamond/Getty

"She was trying to hook me up to write with one of her writers that she represented, that was how we met," Church told TasteofCountry.com of his publisher wife. "It's great now, because being a publisher and being somebody in the industry, I can bounce songs off of her and she has the knowledge, you know, to be kind of that sounding board of what I should cut and what I shouldn't cut. So, she's one of those in the inner circle that I run a lot of stuff by."

05 of 16

LUKE & CAROLINE: 15 YEARS

LUKE & CAROLINE: 8 YEARS
Kevin Mazur/Fox/WireImage

"We talk a lot, and as long as we stay on the same page and change together, I don't have trouble sleeping," Bryan's wife Boyer told PEOPLE. Plus, "we're aware of the importance of being affectionate," Bryan added. "We want [our kids] to know Mom and Dad are happy, and that's what a marriage should be."

06 of 16

KEITH & NICOLE: 15 YEARS

KEITH & NICOLE: 7 YEARS
FilmMagic

In 2006, Urban shocked his bride of four months by entering rehab for alcohol addiction, but Kidman stood by her man. "To see that kind of love … that's very moving and deeply inspiring," said the now-sober singer, who has two young daughters with Kidman, Sunday and Faith.

07 of 16

JIMI & KAREN: 15 YEARS

JIMI & KAREN: 9 YEARS
Frazer Harrison/ACMA2013/Getty

"I think there was always something underlying there that we were trying to ignore," Westbrook told Great American Country of falling for Little Big Town bandmate, Fairchild. "Then when the opportunity came, when all of us ended up single at the same time, those feelings, you were able to come out with them finally. It was like, 'We're single. Let's get together.' She has a beautiful heart and she's absolutely gorgeous and I just love her dearly."

08 of 16

DIERKS & CASSIDY: 16 YEARS

DIERKS & CASSIDY: 9 YEARS
Kevin Winter/ACMA2014/Getty

"My wife, I always felt, has been very wise and has dragged me along, getting me to this spot of manhood," Bentley told Esquire in 2014. Though it was welcoming three children together that definitely woke the pair up to adulthood: "I thought I was a man until I had kids, and then I realized that my real life had just begun. It tears away the person you were before, builds you up to become the person you have to become."

09 of 16

GARTH & TRISHA: 16 YEARS

GARTH & TRISHA: 8 YEARS
Kevin Parry/Buck Owens Crystal Palace/Landov

Though Brooks proposed to Yearwood before 7,000 fans, the stars live a relatively private life in small-town Oklahoma near his three daughters from his first marriage. Of their 2005 wedding, "we married the girls," explained Yearwood, which is why the five of them celebrate the wedding anniversary as a family every year.

10 of 16

BRAD & KIMBERLY: 18 YEARS

BRAD & KIMBERLY: 11 YEARS
Alex Berliner/BEImages

Humor has kept Paisley and Williams' marriage on solid ground from the very beginning of their surprise 2003 wedding (guests thought they were attending the rehearsal). "Making each other laugh creates a bond," said Paisley, who has young sons Huck and Jasper with Williams.

11 of 16

VINCE & AMY: 21 YEARS

VINCE & AMY: 14 YEARS
Courtesy Jim McGuire

When they met, Gill and Grant were married to other people. Six years and two divorces later, they swapped vows and created a blended family (they've got five kids between them) in 2000. Their compatibility "is really pretty amazing," said Gill, "just the way we balance each other."

12 of 16

KEIFER & SHAWNA: 22 YEARS

KEIFER & SHAWNA: 16 YEARS
Rick Diamond/Getty

Baby boy made three for this long-lasting couple, who are partners in both life and music with their namesake act, Thompson Square. "We've been together for a long time and we've done a lot of things, and we just really felt there was something missing," they told PEOPLE when announcing their pregnancy in August 2015. "We love what we do, we love the music business, but we didn't want to deprive ourselves of having a family."

13 of 16

TIM & FAITH: 25 YEARS

TIM & FAITH: 17 YEARS
Evan Agostini/AP

Since saying "I do" in 1996, McGraw and Hill have not been apart for more than three consecutive days. Hill, who has three daughters with McGraw, told Redbook, "Our marriage is the most important thing to us. We respect what we have and understand how we need to feed it."

14 of 16

CLINT & LISA: 30 YEARS

CLINT & LISA: 24 YEARS
Frederick Breedon IV/Getty

Though the Blacks have been together forever by celebrity standards, there's still a serious spark between the pair, Clint told PEOPLE. "As soon as she opens her mouth and starts singing it does something to me," he shared. "I know the wonderful person behind that voice so it becomes a great big joy for me."

15 of 16

MARTINA & JOHN: 33 YEARS

MARTINA & JOHN: 25 YEARS
Ron Wolfson/WireImage

Remembering her 1988 wedding, the singer confessed, "I had bows all over my dress. I still don't know what I was thinking." Her fashion sense has changed, but not her feelings for her spouse. "He is thoughtful, kind, considerate, romantic, handsome and really funny," she blogged for Today.

16 of 16

DOLLY & CARL: 55 YEARS

Dolly Parton and Carl Dean
Dolly Parton and Carl Dean.

Parton's husband is rarely seen, but perhaps that is the secret to the couple's long marriage.

"When I met my husband, he wanted to take me out to dinner. He pulled up to the drive-in window and got our food at McDonald's," she told PEOPLE in 2018. "We know a few little places we can go without being bothered. He only likes to go places where he can be comfortable!"

And he's comfortable supporting his superstar wife, too. "Find you a partner who will support you like my Carl Dean does!" Parton captioned a throwback shot of the couple on Instagram in November 2021.

Related Articles