10 Country Stars Who Married Their High School/College Sweethearts

Marriage can be hard, but it’s even harder when fame is involved. Some of the perks of being a musician can also be detriments to a relationship as we’ve seen many fall apart. The country music industry is home to some of the cutest love stories, as many of them date back to their teenage years and even childhood! We’ve compiled a list of country couples who married their high school or college sweethearts and while some are no longer together, there are plenty who are! Check it out:

10. Garth Brooks

Garth Brooks met his former wife, Sandy Mahl while they were both attending Oklahoma State University. She was a songwriter who helped Brooks in the early years of his career. The former college sweethearts tied the knot on May 24, 1986 and now share three children together, Taylor, August and Allie. Sadly, Brooks career success took a toll on their marriage as he was constantly on tour and away from home. The two split up in 1999 and finalized the divorce in 2001. He’s now married to fellow country singer, Trisha Yearwood.

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9. Jason Aldean

Sadly, many fans watched Jason Aldean’s long time marriage to high school sweetheart Jessica Ussery fall apart when he was caught cheating on her with former American Idol contestant, Brittany Kerr, whom he’s now married to. Jason and Jessica met when they were 17-years-old and had been married for over a decade when they got divorced. They met while attending high school in Macon, Georgia, and got married on August 4, 2001. The former couple have two daughters together, Keely and Kendyl.

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8. Thomas Rhett

Thomas Rhett and his wife, Lauren Akins, are undeniably one of the cutest country couples in the industry. These two have one of the most amazing love stories that dates all the way back to their kindergarten days! They’ve known each other since they were kids and became good friends in grade six. They dated in high school, but broke up and remained close friends. It’s hard to believe, but they were both close to marrying other people! Thankfully, fate brought them back together in 2011 and they finally tied the knot in 2012. The happy couple just recently adopted a little girl named Willa from Africa and have another baby on the way due in August 2017!

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7. George Strait

George Strait grew up in the same small town as his wife, Norma. They went on their first date a long, long time ago, and he almost let her go after they didn’t go out again after that. Luckily he realized what he’d be missing and tracked her down again! The high school sweethearts eloped in Mexico on December 4, 1971. George and Alan welcomed a daughter in 1972 and a son in 1981; sadly their daughter passed away at the age of 13 in a tragic car accident. The couple managed to pull through their tragedy and have now been married for over four decades!

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6. Alan Jackson

Veteran country singer Alan Jackson married his high school sweetheart, Denise Jackson, on December 15, 1979 at Newnan Baptist Church in Newnan, Georgia. They moved to Nashville together and it was Denise who helped Alan snag his first recording contract! She was working as a flight attendant at the time when she met Glen Campbell and told him about her husband. Campbell took Alan under his wing and helped him get a record deal at Arista Records. Alan and Denise have three daughters together, Mattie, Alexandra and Dani. They briefly separated for about four months due to Alan’s infidelity and the pressures of his career, but eventually found their way back to one another and have been together steadily ever since!

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5. Luke Bryan

The “Country Girl (Shake It For Me)” singer met his wife, Caroline Boyer, while attending Georgia Southern University — she was a freshman and he was a senior. The story goes that they were both at bar called Dingus Magee’s back in 1998 and when he saw her there “it was love at first sight.” In an interview with The Boot, Bryan said he had to have a few drinks before he worked up the courage to talk to her, but once he did, he knew he would marry her! Today the couple have two children and adopted their nephew, Tilden, together.

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4. Blake Shelton

Before his romance with fellow Voice coach Gwen Stefani, and long-term relationship with fellow country singer Miranda Lambert, Blake Shelton was married to his high school sweetheart, Kaynette Williams. Shelton was only 15 when he met Williams and she served as his road manager during the beginning of his career.  The two got hitched in a small ceremony in 2003 in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, but their marriage was short lived. They got divorced in 2006 after Shelton met and developed feelings for Lambert.

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3. Dylan Scott

Another teenage love story, Dylan Scott met his wife, Blair, when they were teenagers. They were in seventh grade when they first met, but they didn’t really start to get to know each other until high school when they began to date. Dylan and Blair dated for about a decade, doing the whole long distance thing while he traveled for his career to play music before they recently tied the knot. His latest single “My Girl” was written about her back when he was in his early 20s.

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2. Brantley Gilbert

Brantley Gilbert and his wife, Amber Cochran, are hometown sweethearts. They met right after high school about 13 years ago, but broke up for a period of time due to Gilbert’s drinking problems. They eventually reconnected when he was sober and immediately picked up right where they left off. These two are absolutely adorable! Gilbert has written many songs about his relationship with Amber, and after getting hitched in 2015, the two are now expecting their first child together!

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1. Dierks Bentley

The “Black” singer isn’t married to his high school sweetheart, but he is married to his childhood sweetheart, so it’s close enough! Cassidy Black and Dierks Bentley both grew up in Phoenix, Arizona. According to Dierks, he had a crush on her in grade 8 while he was dating her best friend. They had an on-again-off-again relationship for a long time and didn’t actually get married until Dierks was almost 30! Their careers took them in opposite directions, but eventually their long-time love led them back to each other and now they have 3 children together!