One of the best and most personal songs on Bell Bottom Country (out Oct. 28 on BBR), "Those Boots (Deddy's Song)" culls from Lainey Wilson's memories of growing up in Louisiana. It's about the mornings when she'd roll the blue jeans of her "deddy," Brian Wilson, down over his work boots.
"When I think of mine and my deddy's relationship, I think of that," she told Rolling Stone Country. "I think of him giving me a job and me feeling proud about it."
The song took on even more meaning as Lainey's father faced life-threatening health issues.
On July 27, the "Things a Man Oughta Know" singer announced the cancellation of concerts in Maquoketa and Arnold Park, Iowa, citing a family emergency and requesting continued prayers for the situation. Soon after, both Lainey and her sister, Janna Wilson Sadler, specified on social media that their father was dealing with a fungal infection caused by diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA).
"This diagnosis has pushed back surgery and he has been transferred to ICU [in Houston]," Sadler posted on Facebook (as quoted by Country Now). "This is not what we were hoping for but we serve a mighty God that creates miracles daily. We know Dad will be out of here in no time telling his 'famous stories' about how he ran that hospital and gave everyone hell. We love you all. Please keep those prayers coming. He needs them, mom needs them, granny needs them, his sister needs them and his girls need them."
During the lead-up in October to Bell Bottom Country, Lainey shared more updates about the loved one she calls "the toughest man I know."
"He was in the hospital for two months," she told Today's Country Radio with Kelleigh Bannen on Apple Music Country. "He was in a rehab facility for three and a half weeks, and then he just had his 60th birthday. He's still got a long way to go, but he's here."
In an interview with Taste of Country Nights, Lainey added that the fungal infection "completely took out the left side of his face" and necessitated the surgical removal of dead tissue.
"They had to remove his eye and they had to remove some bones in [his] face," she continued. "He had a stroke on top of all of that. He had nine surgeries in a month and a half. He's not supposed to be here."
Lainey's chat with Bannen brought the best news so far about Deddy: he's recovered enough to be her red carpet date on Nov. 9 at the Nashville-hosted CMA Awards.
Recent career developments for the 2022 CMT Breakout Artist of the Year include Hardy duet "Wait in the Truck" and a role on Yellowstone's upcoming fifth season.
