Mother’s Day is Sunday (May 13th). and we honor our mothers with flowers, cards, homemade gifts and most importantly with kind and loving words. Many of your favorite Capitol/EMI Nashville artists have given us “words” about their own mothers or spouses. Check them out below!
AUDIO: Alan Jackson’s wife Denise wrote a book, It’s All About Him: Finding The Love Of My Life, that chronicled the couple’s relationship and marriage. It was a huge success, debuting at number-one on The New York Times Best-Sellers List when it was released several years ago. Alan believes her accomplishment set a really good example for their three daughters, showing that a mom can do things outside of the household, too.
AJ (Mday) OC: …to see that. :30
“I think it’s been great for them to see her do something out there that’s, again, not typical for a parent at all. But she’s a great role model for them anyway and always has been, whether she did anything professionally or not. I could see it in their eyes, you know, that they were surprised — very surprised, and also, I could see them with interest looking at her thinking it was special for her to do that. So, I think it was a very good thing for the kids to see that.”
AUDIO: Darius Rucker talks about his beloved mother, who passed away a few years ago.
Darius Rucker (Mother’s Day) OC: …killed me. :17
“I think that’s the main reason I am how I am…an innate fear of disappointing my mom. My mom’s not even alive, and I have a fear of her looking down from heaven and going, ‘Man I’m just disappointed in my son.’ She could have said anything in the world to me, but if she would have said, ‘Son, you just disappointed me,’ That would have killed me. It would have killed me.”
AUDIO: Darius Rucker says the best thing he can give his wife on Mother’s Day is his time…and to take the kids off her hands for a little while.
Darius Rucker (wife on Mother’s Day) OC: …try to do. :20
“I think the best Mother’s Day gift my wife would say I’ve given her is to let her not have to deal with her kids. [laughs] But, I’m not really a good gift-giver. I’m not gonna lie. And my wife and I have a deal that if you want it, just get it, so when it’s time to buy gifts, it’s hard to do. But, I think my time is the best thing I can give to my family, because I’m on the road so much. So, that’s what I try to do.”
Dierks (parents) OC: …of em, I guess. :15
“I probably draw a little bit from both. My mom’s real goal-oriented, you know, trying to always, she has a list of stuff she’s always trying to knock stuff off the list. My dad’s pretty laid-back, great sense of humor and a real hero. My dad fought in World War II, so I probably draw a little bit from each of ‘em, I guess.”
AUDIO: Dierks Bentley talks about Mother’s Day in regards to his wife, Cassie.
Dierks (Mother’s Day) OC: …something great. :23
“When it’s your actual mom, you know, there’s some slack there, but when with your wife – any touring husband, anyone who tours who has kids and a wife back home, it’s tough man. It’s a lot of work. So, I definitely need to step up to think of something great to do this Sunday, for sure. But nothing yet. As usual, I’ll probably get something last minute and hopefully, it’ll be great, though. She deserves something great.”
AUDIO: Eric Church says he’s learned quite a bit from his mom.
Eric Church (Mother’s Day) OC: …as a man. :57
“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.”
AUDIO: Eric Church, who probably was a little bit of a handful when he was a kid, says he probably has a lot to apologize to his mother for when he was younger.
Eric Church (apology to mom) OC: …I’m sorry. [laughs] :15
“Probably too much [laughs]. If I’ve gotten away with it this long I’m not about to…I’m not letting it out now I’ve made it. The guilt is even gone now, I’m good [laughs]. So probably, but I’m not going to admit any of it. I’ll say I’m sorry, just blanket I’m sorry [laughs].”
AUDIO: Eric Paslay talks about his mother, who gave him many of the qualities he possesses and cherishes every day.
Eric Paslay (Mother’s Day) OC: …it’s good. :21
“I wanna thank my mom for giving me faith, laughter and pride in the family I came from. She’d be the fun Mom, j7ust goofing off in the sprinklers outside or we’d go out and play in the rain and all that stuff growing up. She’s always good to be around; always happy, and it’s good.”
AUDIO: Keith Urban explains his wife, Nicole – who is also the mother of his two daughters – was open to love when they were dating.
Keith Urban (wife Nicole) OC: …beautiful thing. :30
“Early on, I asked my wife when we were dating, I asked her one time, I said, ‘How is your heart?’ And she said, ‘It’s open.’ I was just, oh, a beautiful, a beautiful thing, to not only to hear, but to be able to say. And I never thought it, and it made me ask myself, ‘Wow, is my heart open? Is it really? I think it is, but maybe it’s not, maybe not as much as it could be.’ And that’s a beautiful thing.”
AUDIO: With Mother’s Day on Sunday, Lady Antebellum’s Charles Kelley explains he and his brother, Josh, owe their mother a lot for all of their childhood antics.
Lady Antebellum (Charles Kelley-Mother) OC: …playing music. :23
“We were honestly, at times, pretty hard to handle, both of us. We used to play our music loud up above on the second floor [of the house], bang on the drums and the guitar. And my mom’s just one of those people, she’ll do anything for her family and she sacrificed a lot for us boys. Anytime we needed something, she made it happen. And so, we owe her a lot. She’s definitely the reason we’re playing music.”
AUDIO: Little Big Town’s Kimberly Schlapman says she always dreamed of being a mother…and her dream came true a few years ago when she gave birth to her daughter, Daisy.
LBT (Mother’s Day) OC: …for my mother. :34
“Being a mother is a life-long dream for me. When I was a kid, that’s what I wanted to be is a mama. It took a long time. I wasn’t ever sure that I would be, but I am now, and it’s the greatest gift of my life. And as I’m a mother now, I see what my mother gave up and her sacrifices and her love and how she made us the most important thing in her life, and that’s what I strive to do for my little girl. It’s the most important job I have, and it’s the most responsibility that I have, and I try to live up to a great example that I had for my mother.”