You know Walker Hayes as the chart-topping artist who won our hearts with his 2017 hit "You Broke Up With Me" and his certified-gold album Boom. He's won himself a promising career and an impressive $16 million net worth. But despite it all, the singer-songwriter's family is the real source of his riches.
The tight-knit Hayes family is composed of Walker, his wife Laney Beville, and their six children — three boys and three girls: Lela, Chapel, Baylor, Beckett, Loxley and Everly. Hayes' dedication to his family shines through his music, as he's written a number of tributes to his children. And it's clear he cares very much for his brood, as is evident throughout all the snaps shared to Instagram showing how he and his family spend time together, celebrating birthdays and all of their accomplishments.
Hayes is a family man through and through, even taking his six kids on the road with him
"If you come to a show of mine [and] my family's not there, it's a different show. Because when my family is there, I find myself looking for their faces around the stage and performing for them," Hayes told Wide Open Country. "And the crowd receives that joy — that ricochets on the crowd."
Hayes explains that he frequently checks in with his wife and children to make sure they're still enjoying life on the road. Thankfully, the family unit is as comfortable on the road as the famous dad.
"I just almost feel guilty sometimes. It's just awesome. I mean, right now we're just in a season where I don't have to leave my kids. I don't have to say goodbye to my wife. I get to sing songs and people sing along, and that's my job. I mean, it's what we always hoped for," Hayes says. "It's amazing that God has allowed this to be my existence right now."
Below, get to know each of Hayes' children.
Lela Hayes
Lela, 17, was born in 2006. She's Walker and Lainey's first child and their eldest daughter. She's been described by her father as "pretty chill and really humble," especially because they spend a lot of time together making fun TikTok videos and bonding over music. They even tackled the "Fancy Like" challenge, which went viral on TikTok in 2021. She doesn't maintain her own social media presence, but she does help her father run his. She's a natural when it comes to dancing and participating in internet trends, and she and Walker are typically inseparable.
Chapel Hayes
Chapel Hayes, 15, is the couple's first son and second child. He was born in 2008, and Walker wrote the aptly named "Chapel" about him. Walker has called his son "completely opposite of him" previously when speaking to PopCulture.com. "It's about my son, who is completely opposite of me, yet I love him so much, and while sometimes, I tend to wanna try to live vicariously through my kids, I can't through him," Walker explained. "He's so different, and I love him for that."
Baylor Hayes
Baylor Hayes, 13, is the couple's third child and second son. He was born in 2010 and is the most musically inclined of the family behind father Walker. He's been caught on video singing a variety of tunes and crooning along to country classics. For the most part, he leads quite a low-key life, except for one time ahead of his dad's appearance at the Ryman Auditorium in Knoxville, Tennessee. Both he and Walker were overrun by fans when they went to grab a coffee across the street from the venue. "I thought a couple people might notice us," Hayes said of the occasion to People. "Everyone was so sweet, but it turned into madness."
Beckett Hayes
Beckett Hayes, 9, is the family's third son and fourth child. He's also the inspiration behind Hayes' hit song "Beckett," which is all about its namesake. Beckett loves sports, cereal and his carefree attitude. Walker talks about how much he wants to be like his little buddy when he grows up, saying, "I wanna be like Beckett." This little tyke is still pretty young, too, so we don't know too much about him, but he seems pretty close to Dad.
Loxley Hayes
Loxley Hayes, 9, is the couple's fifth child, born in 2014. She's super "sassy," according to Dad, and it appears she may be interested in following in her father's footsteps. Previously, Walker got emotional when singing a duet of a song called "Bigger Than Me" with then-8-year-old Loxley. Walker mentioned the tune and his daughter on Memorial Day in 2022 on Instagram: "Thought this was an appropriate Memorial Day song. 🇺🇸," Hayes wrote. "Botched the third verse cuz I got a little emotional listening to Lolly crush this. Wait for her solo at the end. Written with @daveyhackett @joshcjenkins and @petercgood #biggerthanme." We don't know a ton about Loxley in general, but we do know from that post Dad calls her "Lolly."
Everly Hayes
Everly Hayes, 6, is the couple's sixth and youngest child, born in 2017. She's undoubtedly the family's baby and a daddy's girl. Walker calls her "Goo," and she can typically be seen curling up next to her father in Instagram snaps he shares of the pair. She doesn't show up on social media that often, but she's growing to be a fun-loving little girl who enjoys spending time with her family.
Oakleigh Klover Hayes
Tragically, Walker and Laney Hayes lost their daughter Oakleigh Klover Hayes in June 2018. Laney suffered a uterine rupture at the time, and Oakleigh did not survive. Laney's life was also on the line, and she ultimately pulled through. Still, the family's heartbreaking loss ultimately took a major toll on them.
"I really just hoped that this wasn't going to be the worst day of my life, even though it kind of already was," Hayes said of the situation in an interview with People. "Surgery just seemed to never end, and someone would continue to come to me and say things that I didn't really understand, 'We may have to use this much to replace this blood.' That is when I began to worry for my wife's life, and of course, I'm freaking out."
When Laney regained consciousness, Hayes shared the devastating news, and the pair tried to work through the heart-wrenching situation. Oakleigh's memory now lives on in the song "Six On Earth, One in Heaven." Walker also has a tattoo of Oakleigh's footprint and her name on his leg.
