Music

Married to the Music with Hanley Riggs

Married To The Music is a podcast that takes you behind the scenes into the lives of country music artists and their spouses. We explore what it’s really like to be married to someone in the spotlight about the challenges, the triumphs, and the everyday life that fans rarely see. From navigating parenthood and relationships to balancing personal dreams while supporting a partner’s career, we dive into the trials and tribulations of being a country artist’s significant other. Through intimate stories, candid conversations, and real-life experiences, this podcast humanizes the lives of your favorite country stars and offers a unique perspective on love, family, and life in the music industry.

Latest Episodes:

Paige Toney (Wales Toney): Music Video Magic, Corporate Life, And Marriage On The Road Nov 06, 2026

Show notes

Paige Toney, wife of music video director Wales Toney, joins Hanley Riggs on Married to the Music to share what life looks like behind some of country's biggest videos. Wales has directed and shot projects for Ella Langley, including You Look Like You Love Me and Choosin' Texas, and Paige explains why music videos have always been the thing that makes or breaks a song for her.

Paige tells the story of their New York proposal, complete with a fake NDA, a stop at the Brooklyn Bridge and a dinner that landed them near Scottie Pippen and Ben Stiller. She also opens up about his demanding travel schedule, showering at venues, balancing her corporate job with his life on the road, and why the stylists, marketing teams, producers and crews behind an artist all have families at home.

Plus, Paige shares the one habit she promised in her vows never to say no to, her favorite music video Wales has made, and her advice for anyone marrying into the music. It's a conversation about supporting someone's dream, building your own life, and finding fun in a schedule that does not always slow down.

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Married to the Music is where the spotlight fades and the real story begins. It is honest, heartfelt conversations with the husbands and wives behind today’s country stars, the ones living this life every single day. This is where you get to know your favorite artists on a deeper level through the people who know them best.

From building careers to raising families while tour buses roll out, it is an inside look at what life really feels like beyond the stage and who these artists are when they are home. But even more importantly, it creates space for the partners who do not always get the mic. These are the stories you do not hear on stage, and they matter just as much.

Watch clips and behind-the-scenes moments: @married.to.the.music

Follow Hanley: @hanleyriggs

More episodes and show notes: www.MarriedToTheMusicPodcast.com Know someone we should feature? Reach out on social: @married.to.the.music

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Caroline Hobby ( Micheal Hobby): The Amazing Race, A Podcast Pivot, And Walking Away From A Major-Label Deal Oct 30, 2026

Show notes

Caroline Hobby, wife of Michael, lead singer of A Thousand Horses, joins Hanley Riggs on Married to the Music to share the chapters that took her from Texas choirs to Nashville's biggest stages. Caroline formed Stealing Angels with Tayla Lynn and Jennifer Wayne, toured Iraq on a USO tour, opened for Faith Hill, Tim McGraw and Lady A, and played Madison Square Garden before realizing she was ready for a new chapter.

Caroline talks about hitting reset on The Amazing Race, trying TV hosting and music publishing, and reuniting with Jennifer Wayne in Runaway June. When a major-label deal was finally within reach, she realized her heart was no longer in music and made the surprising decision to walk away. That leap led her to start Get Real in 2015 or 2016, before podcasts were everywhere in Nashville, with Darius Rucker as her first guest.

She also shares the story of meeting Michael, the years they dated and spent apart, and why they eloped after she moved back to Nashville. Caroline explains how she keeps her own identity while supporting his career and why she says he brings her joy, but happiness is an inside job. It's a conversation about knowing when a dream changes, trusting your gut, and building a life of your own beyond the stage.

Watch clips and behind-the-scenes moments: @married.to.the.music

Follow Hanley: @hanleyriggs

More episodes and show notes: www.MarriedToTheMusicPodcast.com Know someone we should feature? Reach out on social: @married.to.the.music

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Courtney Swindell (Cole Swindell): North Carolina, a Music Video Proposal and a Giant Suitcase Oct 23, 2026

Show notes

Courtney Swindell, wife of country artist Cole Swindell, joins Hanley Riggs on Married to the Music to share a love story that started years before it turned romantic. Courtney first crossed paths with Cole through NASCAR while working with Monster Energy, and the two stayed in touch before his music video invite brought them back together in 2021. After the shoot, a simple night out turned into a search for an open restaurant, but the conversation is what won her over. They started dating a week later!!

Courtney talks about her North Carolina roots, cheering with the Hornets Honeybees, traveling with Monster Energy, and learning how to navigate airports and tour buses. She shares the giant suitcase she brought for one show, the community she found with Cole's team and band wives, and how she handled the online opinions that came with dating someone in the spotlight. She also tells the full-circle proposal story: Cole brought her back to their music video location on the way to the ACMs, then asked her to marry him before they headed to Texas. She closes with advice to block out the online noise and enjoy the season they are in.

It's a conversation about timing, trust, finding community on the road, and building a life that feels like home beyond the stage.

Watch clips and behind-the-scenes moments: @married.to.the.music

Follow Hanley: @hanleyriggs

More episodes and show notes: www.MarriedToTheMusicPodcast.com Know someone we should feature? Reach out on social: @married.to.the.music

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sydney Tyler (Michael Tyler): Free Tickets, Taco Bell, And The Southern Wives Club Oct 16, 2026

Show notes

Sydney Tyler, wife of Nashville songwriter Michael Tyler and co-owner of The Southern Wives Club, joins Hanley Riggs on Married to the Music to tell the story of a first date that did not go like a rock star night out. Free Dierks Bentley tickets, $20 double drinks, and dinner in a Taco Bell parking lot was the moment she decided he was "a little normal"!!
Sydney shares how she and her business partner turned borrowed husband hats into The Southern Wives Club, including the Golf Widow hat that just absolutely exploded. She also tells the cookie run that turned into a surprise Christmas proposal in front of family and friends.
It's a conversation about life as a songwriter's wife, building something of your own, and the funny, everyday side of being married to the music.

Watch clips and behind-the-scenes moments: @married.to.the.music

Follow Hanley: @hanleyriggs

More episodes and show notes: www.MarriedToTheMusicPodcast.com. Know someone we should feature? Reach out on social: @married.to.the.music

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Raegan Booth (Tyler Booth): An Instagram Dare, Long Distance, And Her Own Car Oct 09, 2026

Show notes

Raegan Booth, wife of country artist Tyler Booth, joins Hanley Riggs on Married to the Music to tell the story of a girls' night out that changed everything!! Her friends dared her to message Tyler on Instagram before a show, and when he replied, she was convinced she was talking to his management.

Raegan shares how four and a half years of long distance helped her build her own life, what the move from Kentucky to Nashville has been like, and why she wants to be known for who she is rather than who she's married to. She also explains why she would rather take her own car on the road than ride with the guys, and why a night in with TLC drama is hard to beat.

It's a conversation about finding your person without losing yourself, making real friends, and the everyday side of being married to the music.

Watch clips and behind-the-scenes moments: @married.to.the.music

Follow Hanley: @hanleyriggs

More episodes and show notes: www.MarriedToTheMusicPodcast.com Know someone we should feature? Reach out on social: @married.to.the.music

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Brooke Taylor (Andrew Lowe): College Radio, A Friendsgiving Wingwoman, And Angelina Jolie Oct 02, 2026

Show notes

Brooke Taylor is usually asking the questions - but this week, the iHeartCountry radio host and host of The Upload is in the hot seat with Hanley Riggs!!
Brooke shares how college volleyball led her to help build a campus radio station, why she left an office job for an $11-an-hour start in radio, and how people who believed in her helped open doors from Florida to Indiana, Hollywood, Chicago, and Nashville. She remembers interviewing Angelina Jolie during her first week at Radio Disney, right down to the jeans and cargo jacket she wished she hadn't worn.
She also tells the story of meeting her husband, Andrew, at church and trying to play wingwoman at Friendsgiving before realizing she might like him herself. Plus: the faith behind her choices, why the world's timeline doesn't have to be yours, creating room for deeper conversations on The Upload, and the patience, grace, and communication it takes to be married to the music.

Watch clips and behind-the-scenes moments: @married.to.the.music

Follow Hanley: @hanleyriggs

More episodes and show notes: www.MarriedToTheMusicPodcast.com Know someone we should feature? Reach out on social: @married.to.the.music

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lauren Watkins (Will Bundy): Land Warming Parties, No Work Before Coffee, and the 16-Year-Old With a Dream Sep 25, 2026

Show notes

Lauren Watkins is a Nashville native, a Big Loud artist, and the wife of hit songwriter Will Bundy - and this week she's on the mic with Hanley Riggs!!
Lauren gets into growing up in Nashville before the bachelorette parties took over, heading to Ole Miss thinking she had to leave music behind, and meeting Will at a songwriters hall of fame induction (he wore a blue suit - he never wears suits). She tells the full story of the bonfire "land warming party" proposal on their land, getting married in the exact same spot, and the one rule that keeps two music careers in one marriage working: no work talk before coffee.
Plus: what it's really like marrying your co-writer, her overpacking problem (she calls it self-care), the beef sticks, daydreaming about the back porch, opening for her childhood hero Luke Bryan, the song she wrote alone during the Nashville ice storm that Will made her turn in, and her new album If I'm Being Honest - out FRIDAY, the same day this episode drops!!

Watch clips and behind-the-scenes moments: @married.to.the.music

Follow Hanley: @hanleyriggs

More episodes and show notes: www.MarriedToTheMusicPodcast.com Know someone we should feature? Reach out on social: @married.to.the.music

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kat King (Zach John King): West Side Story, An Airplane Promposal and The Story Behind The Song Sep 18, 2026

Show notes

Kat King, wife of Zach John King, joins Hanley Riggs on Married to the Music.
Kat shares how growing up in the same Georgia hometown turned into a love story when she and Zach John King were cast as Maria and Tony in their high school's production of West Side Story. She remembers the chorus trip where he walked down the airplane aisle with a guitar and turned "Hey There Delilah" into a prom invitation, the long-distance years that followed when she left for college, and why she always believed his all-in approach would lead to a life in music.
Kat also talks about their decision to move to Nashville, building her own community and career in music marketing, and how working alongside the industry helped her understand the language of Zach John King's world without putting them in direct competition. She explains why listeners should not treat every breakup song like a relationship update: artists are storytellers, and the story in a song is not always the singer's current life.

Watch clips and behind-the-scenes moments: @married.to.the.music

Follow Hanley: @hanleyriggs

More episodes and show notes: www.MarriedToTheMusicPodcast.com Know someone we should feature? Reach out on social: @married.to.the.music

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ally Klein (Austin Snell): Fashion Is A Girl's BFF, Red Door and A Code-Word Proposal Sep 11, 2026

Show notes

Ally Klein, fiancee of Austin Snell, joins Hanley Riggs on Married to the Music. Ally shares growing up in a small Florida town where nobody leaves, moving to Nashville alone with no plan and no boyfriend, and the three jobs she worked to survive - bartending on Broadway, making hats at a hat bar, and working for Lucchese Bootmaker - while hosting Tuesday night worship potlucks for every songwriter she knew. She tells the story of meeting Austin at Red Door, the first night they talked on opposite ends of her couch until 5:30 in the morning, and why she says he never left. She remembers the broke-kids days: distracting the parking garage manager so Austin could tailgate out without paying, and Publix dinners at home when he told her all he had to offer was his heart. She walks through his first song going viral, the River House publishing deal and Warner label deal that followed, a first tour with Warren Zeiders, and how sewing and thrifting jewelry for Austin grew into her own career as a wardrobe stylist. And she tells the full story of the April proposal on the set of the Colors video, where "camera batteries" was the code word that cleared the room and the crew watched from a monitor next door. Her advice for anyone married to the music: grace, patience, and cancelling out the noise.

Watch clips and behind-the-scenes moments: @married.to.the.music

Follow Hanley: @hanleyriggs

More episodes and show notes: www.MarriedToTheMusicPodcast.com Know someone we should feature? Reach out on social: @married.to.the.music

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Alex White (Drake White): Genuine, Moving, And Heartfelt Sep 04, 2026

Show notes

Alex White, wife of country singer Drake White, joins Hanley Riggs on Married to the Music to share the love story, challenges, and unforgettable moments that have shaped their life together.

What started as a friendship in high school eventually turned into a love story years in the making — complete with a proposal that brought an entire restaurant to a standstill. Alex takes us back to the beginning of their relationship and opens up about building a life alongside Drake as his country music career took off.

She shares what it’s really like being married to a touring artist, from life on the road and the sacrifices that come with it to creating a sense of home wherever they are. Alex also talks about her years as a teacher, stepping into motherhood, and raising their son, Hawk, while navigating the unpredictable rhythm of the music industry.

Through every season, Alex and Drake’s story has been one of partnership, resilience, and choosing each other through the highs and the incredibly difficult moments. Alex gives listeners an honest look at the woman and family behind the artist — and the love that has carried them through it all.

Watch clips and behind-the-scenes moments: @married.to.the.music

Follow Hanley: @hanleyriggs

More episodes and show notes: www.MarriedToTheMusicPodcast.com Know someone we should feature? Reach out on social: @married.to.the.music

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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