Country Music Couples’ Secrets to Long-Lasting Marriages

Country music power couples like Carrie Underwood and husband Mike Fisher are beating the odds and making their marriages stand the test of time.

The American Idol alum met her future husband after being set up by one of her bandmates in 2008. “Hot, hot, hot,” the “Before He Cheats” singer recalled of her reaction to meeting Mike backstage at one of her shows. Their relationship progressed quickly and, despite enduring long distance, they went on to tie the knot in 2010.

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While it seems Carrie and Mike got it right on their first try, “The Dance” singer Garth Brooks was married once before getting it right with his second wife, Trisha Yearwood.

“I think how she inspires me is she thinks differently than me. And so it forces you out of just what you think you know, into what don’t you know, and to look over in there,” he told Us Weekly in 2019. “We’re kind of in that stage where we have discussions that are intense, a little more than usual.”

Keep scrolling to see more country music power couples and how they make their relationships last.

Tim McGraw and Faith Hill

Despite their equally successful singing careers, country superstars Faith and Tim made a conscious decision to put family first during their 26-year marriage. Of course having three girls at home — they share Gracie, 26, Maggie, 25, and Audrey, 21 — did make for plenty of fireworks over the years. “Faith and I were going to raise our girls to be strong, independent and fierce and have their own minds and have their own opinions,” Tim, 56, has said. “And sometimes I go, ‘Dang, do we want them to be that independent and strong?’” Says a source: “Tim and Faith were careful not to let their careers overshadow their parenting, and they’ve managed to raise three wonderful young women who make them proud every day.”

With the kids grown and branching out on their own, the couple has become even closer — they costarred in Taylor Sheridan’s series 1883, and the source says Faith, 55, has been “tagging along” with Tim as he promotes his new album, Standing Room Only. “It was hard at first when the girls started not to need them as much, but the nice thing is that they have more time for each other now,” says the source. “They’re pretty much inseparable these days.”

Keith Urband and Nicole Kidman

Nicole and Keith had been married just four months when he checked himself into rehab for drug and alcohol addiction. “Keith went through hell during that time,” says a source. “He looks back now and says it’s a miracle he survived.” The 55-year-old credited Nicole for saving his life (the Aussie natives share daughters Sunday, 15, and Faith, 12). “Nicole restored Keith’s faith,” says the source, adding, “Even when Keith was at his lowest, she never lost hope that he’d turn things around. She prayed every day.” The Big Little Lies actress, 56, has no regrets about standing by her man. “Nicole adores Keith, she says he’s the kindest, most complex and sensitive man she’s ever met and her true soulmate.”

Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood

Garth has been open about the mistakes he made during his first marriage to Sandy Mahl, with whom he shares Taylor, 31, August, 29, and Allie, 27. “I sucked at being a husband,” he’s said. “I was horrible at it [and] I was horrible at being a dad. I had to get my s–t together.” The “Friends in Low Places” singer did just that when he wed fellow country singer Trisha in 2005. “After Garth and Sandy divorced, Garth was a single dad and it was a real learning experience. Fortunately, Trisha was there to help steer him in the right direction,” says the source. Seventeen years later, they’re more in love than ever — and still having a blast. (In 2021, their cohosting gig on The Ellen DeGeneres Show went viral thanks to their tongue-in-cheek duet, “Wife Is Always Right.”) “They can be very silly with each other,” says an insider of the pair, who are working on a new duets album. “They both know how lucky they are.”

Carrie Underwood and Mike Fisher

In 2018, rumors that Carrie and Mike were heading for a split began to pick up speed over reports the eight-time Grammy Award winner was focusing too much on her career and not enough on the 43-year-old former NHL player. “Mike felt a little taken for granted,” an insider tells Life & Style, noting that Carrie, 40, worked hard to get their marriage back on track. “She really listened to Mike and changed up her schedule.”

Now the couple of 13 years (who share sons Isaiah, 8, and Jacob, 4) are better at navigating rough patches. For one, they’ve identified trouble spots. One is making sure Oklahoma-born Carrie isn’t away from home for too long, flying back and forth from gigs like her Las Vegas residency. “I lead a double life,” she reflects. “I’m a mom at home, and then I fly away to Vegas or on tour.”

Like any couple, Carrie and Mike have their ups and downs, but take a step back and see the bigger picture. “Instead of bickering and letting tension build,” says the insider, “they deal with things head-on and figure out how to compromise.”

Luke Bryan and Caroline Boyer

The college sweethearts have weathered many storms since tying the knot in late 2006: In 2007, Luke’s sister, Kelly, died and seven years later, her widowed husband, Ben, passed away. Luke and Caroline — already parents to Thomas, 15, and Tatum, 13 — took in Kelly and Ben’s son, Tilden, and helped raise their two daughters, Jordan and Kris. Through it all, the couple has relied on their unwavering faith. “You just have to wake up every day and go, ‘I’ve had unfortunate things in my life, but I just have to trust that that’s how God would have it,’” Luke, 47, has said. “You have to trust in God’s plan.”

The “All My Friends Say” singer feels blessed to have Caroline, 43, by his side. “Luke may be a huge country star, but he can be himself with Caroline. She’s supported him from the beginning — and she still loves to watch him do his thing on stage.