10 Outrageously Talented Children of Country and Americana Stars
Country music has a long history of second-generation stars, dating back to June Carter, Justin Tubb, Hank Williams Jr. and other children of the genre's earliest tastemakers.
The current musical landscape includes mainstays raised by country music royalty (Rosanne Cash, Shooter Jennings), second-generation songwriters (Dean Dillon's daughter, Jessie Jo Dillon) and popular country acts who've transcended a parent's fame (Rhett Akins' son, Thomas Rhett). Here are 10 less obvious offspring of country stars and singer-songwriters with the talent to help run the family business.
- 1
Avery and Olivia Barker
They may have taken the last name of their stepdad, former University of Alabama quarterback Jay Barker, but these siblings' skill sets are more in line with that of their famous mom and fellow Barker Family Band member Sara Evans.
- 2
Ashley Campbell
You might’ve discovered Campbell’s talents in I’ll Be Me, the 2014 documentary about her famous dad Glen Campbell’s struggle with Alzheimer’s disease. She came into her own as a songwriter and banjo picker on her 2018 album The Lonely One.
- 3
Jenny Gill
The daughter of Vince Gill and his first wife, Janis Oliver of the duo Sweethearts of the Rodeo, Jenny Gill has belted out great performances since age 11, when she debuted on her dad’s 1993 Christmas album, Let There Be Peace on Earth.
- 4
Ben Haggard
Ben Haggard’s not the only talented son of Merle Haggard -- his half-brothers Marty, Noel and Scott all perform their dad’s songs, too -- but he seems destined to play the largest role in keeping the legacy of "the Hag" alive.
- 5
Lilly Hiatt
Hiatt’s brand of rootsy rock ‘n’ roll, as heard on 2017’s Trinity Lane, differs from most of her dad John Hiatt’s music, but she unquestionably inherited his talent as a world-building lyricist.
- 6
Jaime Hanna
If you’ve seen the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band lately, you might’ve noticed a youngster who looks, plays and sings the part as effectively as the group’s longtime members. That’s Jaime Hanna, the son of NGDB co-founder Jeff Hanna. The younger Hanna first made a name for himself with the duo Hanna-McEuen, performing alongside John McEuen's son Jonathan.
- 7
Krystal Keith
Toby Keith's daughter inherited heaping helpings of his singing chops and must-see showmanship, as heard on their duet “Mockingbird” -- featured on dad’s Greatest Hits 2 CD in 2004 -- and on her solo releases.
- 8
Walker Montgomery
Few encounter more country stars at family gatherings than this up-and-coming teenage star. Back home in in Kentucky, he’s liable to run into his famous dad, John Michael Montgomery, uncle Eddie Montgomery of Montgomery Gentry fame and his cool older cousin, fellow rising artist Dillon Carmichael.
- 9
Aubrie Sellers
The daughter of country star Lee Ann Womack and skilled singer-songwriter Jason Sellers does her own thing musically. She blends her family's storytelling talent with garage-punk grit on 2016’s New City Blues. (At risk of making y’all feel old, she's one of the little girls in her mom’s “I Hope You Dance” music video.)
- 10
Holly Williams
Although she’s less of an obvious pick than her half-brother Hank 3, Hank Williams Jr.’s daughter has done her own part in keeping the family tradition alive well into the 21st century.