Moms have always held a special place in country music. From Dolly Parton's "Coat of Many Colors" and Merle Haggard's "Mama Tried" to Carrie Underwood's "Mama's Song" and Kacey Musgraves' "Mother," stories of a mother's love and sacrifices are one of the genre's richest subjects.
For Mother's Day, we asked some of our favorite country artists to share the best advice they've learned from their moms. The answers range from funny to heartwarming to thought-provoking—but all serve as a reminder that mom knows best.
Miranda Lambert
Courtesy of Miranda Lambert
"One of the greatest life lessons my mom taught me was how to make something out of nothing. The idea of 'use what you've got' no matter what it is has sustained me through fear, uncertainty, and everything that happens in life."
Sheryl Crow
Courtesy of Sheryl Crow
Marty Stuart
Courtesy of Marty Stuart
"My mama's the queen of one liners. I am a train-ridin', card carryin' mama's boy...If you were Hilda Stuart's kid you would be too. My mom's gonna be 90 years old this year. When I was falling back in love with Connie Smith — I saw her the first time when I was 11 and I told mama I'm gonna marry her. About 25 years later, Connie and I started writing songs....I wrote it out on paper, the age difference, all the kids. I couldn't get it to make sense. I thought 'I need to go see mama.' So I went to my mom's house and I said 'what do I do?' She knew the whole story. She stood up and it took her maybe five minutes, but she sat down and she said 'well, five minutes of the right thing is better than 50 years of the wrong thing.' I went 'that's why you're mom.'"
Lainey Wilson
Courtesy of Lainey Wilson
"From an early age, my mama has been one of my biggest supporters. She would sit and listen to me for hours and always helped me stay the course. I'm so grateful for the support she has continued to show me."
Tyler Rich
Courtesy of Tyler Rich
"I remember going through my first true, gut-wrenching heartbreak. I was breaking down to my mom and she told me I needed to spend some time with "Unanswered Prayers" by Garth Brooks, and really dive into the lyrics and story. I had heard that song a hundred times, but I never truly HEARD it until then. It really helped me get through it and gave me excitement for what could be next in life."
Shane Profitt
Courtesy of Shane Profitt
"Mom has told me a lot of things over the years, but the funniest one that sticks with me is, 'If you were the first born, you'd be an only child,' because I was a hellion growing up."
Danielle Bradbery
"1. Have faith in God and be grateful for your blessings. Stay humble. 2. Do not compare yourself to others. Everyone is on their own journey. Timing is everything. 3. Be forgiving."
Lindsay Ell
Courtesy of Lindsay Ell
Breland
"[My mom] leads by example. She's given me a lot of great advice, but she's an entrepreneur. She's someone that has left very comfortable jobs to pursue dreams [and] go back to school. She's living her best life right now in her 50s and a lot of people feel like if they don't get the thing that they want at 30 then it's over. The best advice that I've gotten from her through watching her is it's never too late to pursue whatever it is that you think you're supposed to do."
Isaac Hopkins (49 Winchester)
"The way my mother speaks is the way that she writes. She's a very intelligent woman and she's eloquent. I've always loved the way that she speaks. I always have since I was a kid and I've always kind of spoken like her....My dad is part of the crew. He's never missed a 49 Winchester show...I'm way more like my mom though. She's the poet, she's the writer...I always had a love for words because of her."
Tigerlily Gold
Courtesy of Tigirlily Gold
Anne Wilson
Courtesy of Anne Wilson
"My mom has always given the best advice. The one thing she's always told me that tops it all is, 'Do everything for Jesus.' Putting Him first in my life has changed everything for me."
Jackson Dean
Courtesy of Jackson Dean
"Love your mother. That's the best advice my mother has ever given me. I watched her mother go when I was about 11 and she still misses her every day. So love your mother. You came out of her. She carried you around for nine months. You better love her. I have the best, most badass mother in the world. She'll cut your heart out with a spoon."
Amanda Shires
Kameron Marlowe
"I just got engaged not too long ago and I kind of had a talk with her about it and she was like, 'Son, just always put her first.'"
Kaitlin Butts
"[My mom] lived her life in a way that she asked for permission for a really long time and then I got to watch her not do that and it's really emboldened me and made me into this person who does what I want to do, as long as it's not hurting anyone, obviously. [Somebody] who does what I want to do...and doesn't ask for permission and just goes for it."
Restless Road
Courtesy of Garrett Nichols
Tiera Kennedy
Courtesy of Tiera Kennedy
James Barker Band
Conner Smith
Courtesy of Conner Smith
Drew Holcomb
Courtesy of Drew Holcomb
"When I told my mom I wanted to be a singer/songwriter, she said 'Well, that is fine with me if you promise me I can always understand the lyrics.'"
