Russell and Kailey Dickerson at the CMA Awards in Nashville on Nov. 8, 2023.Photo:Jason Davis/WireImage
Jason Davis/WireImage
This may beRussell Dickerson’s biggest career year yet, but on a recent weekday morning, he andhis wife, Kailey, are far more ecstatic over something else. The night before,their 11-week-old son, Radford, hadn’t awakened once, and newly potty-trained 3-year-old Remington made it through with a clean diaper.
“Everybody slept eight-plus hours,” Russell, 36, proclaims.
“Ninehours,” Kailey, 33, blissfully amends.
“Beautiful,” says Russell, then savoring each syllable: “Bee-yew-tah-full.”
Sitting in the bright and cheery kitchen of their suburban Nashville home, sipping from their Mr. Claus and Mrs. Claus coffee mugs, the couple are happy to talk about Russell’s new No. 1 single, his extended tour, and his recently released deluxe album. But clearly, this Christmas, the Dickersons are far more focused on simpler joys.
Such as the recent night out to seeHome Alone,screened to the accompaniment of the Nashville Symphony (“one of the most magical dates we’ve ever had,” says Kailey). Or another evening they drove through neighborhoods showing the holiday lights to Remington, who’s beginning to understand Christmas. Or the morning Remington rounded the corner to his parents’ bedroom just to say, “Good morning, Mommy.”
And clearly, this year has given them extra time and space to stop and count their blessings, a significant shift from 2022. Publicly, Russell was enjoying milestones — including coveted spots onTim McGraw’s tour and on theCMA Fest stadium stage— but the private stresses of juggling constant touring, along with album recording and team transitions, left him physically and emotionally exhausted.
“I just felt like I had no time to breathe,” says Dickerson, who already was well known in Nashville as one of the hardest working artists.
“Essentially, he was totally overextended and overworked,” adds Kailey, who has played an integral role in her husband’s career.
Then, in September 2022, what Russell calls “the tipping point” occurred:Kailey’s miscarriageof their much-wanted second pregnancy. Tour commitments kept them on the road through their trauma and grief.
“There was no one to step in and say, hey, we should cancel these shows so that you guys can mourn and recover,” says Russell. “It was just kind of keep going and don’t slow down because we’ve got shows to play … It was really rough."
Russell Dickerson on tour.Thomas Heney
Thomas Heney
January finally offered a break, and they retreated to a Florida vacation spot for respite. “We were like, we have to just shut down,” Kailey recalls. “Don’t call us, don’t text us. We need to be alone and recalibrate.”
As they have through their entire 10-year marriage, the Dickersons leaned on each other and their faith. “You talk about God is good all the time,” says Russell, “but there are moments where you’re like, it’s hard to find that as a human. We don’t understand it. We don’t understand why. But you just keep trusting. That’s what faith is.”
In their search to find peace, they received an unexpected, perhaps even miraculous, sign. A woman — a complete stranger, who had no idea who they were — walked up to them on the beach and asked if she could pray for the couple. Open to such an act of faith, they consented.
“And she prayed for me to get pregnant,” says Kailey, her eyes still widening in astonishment.
Then she asked the couple if the word “headliner” meant anything to them. “She’s like, ‘I just see you. I see you as a headliner,'" Kailey recalls. “She saw changes professionally coming. Some of the things seemed unbelievable.”
Ten days later, Kaileybecame pregnant. By May, Dickerson had made staff adjustments that finally allowed him to lessen his business responsibilities. Ever since, he says, “it’s been a great new season of beginning to have fun again.”
“I’ve imagined this for so long,” says Dickerson. “Opening forThomas RhettandLady AandDarius [Rucker]and Tim McGraw … I’m like … someday. And then it was just the most surreal feeling of walking into the arena and seeing my face on the sign. It’s a huge milestone for me that I’ll remember forever.”
Of course, the accomplishment that the Dickersons place above everything else is the birth of their second son, Radford Arthur. Hearrived early, on Oct. 1, requiring Russell to rush home after a Kansas City concert. His tour bus dropped him off in time at the hospital.
“I just started crying,” she says, “and I was like, that’s exactly what it is. He did that with us.”
Last month, the couple returned to the Florida beach to celebrate and reflect on, as Kailey says, “one of the best years of our lives.” They couldn’t help but think of the stranger’s prayer.
Russell Dickerson headlines his first show.Thomas Heney
“Now we have to divide and conquer a little more,” Kailey explains.
That means Russell gets to sleep so he can be up early to help Remington start his day. Kailey then sleeps in, Russell explains, so she can stay on “the Radford schedule.”
Remington, they say, is loving his new role as big brother.
“Obsessed,” says Kailey.
“Like, as soon as he wakes up,” says Russell, “I go get him out of bed and he’s like, ‘Is Radford awake? Can I hold him? Can I feed him?’”
“Our family knows that we travel all year,” says Russell, “so you can come hang, eat our food, drink our booze, but we will be here.”
Instead, she says, they’re intent on gathering experiences during the season. They’re already looking forward to their annual pasta night, courtesy of Russell’s Italian uncle, and “Carols with Carol” — their annual holiday sing-along around their grand piano with Russell’s mom, Carol, a longtime piano teacher, at the helm.
“It’s so magical,” says Russell.
Next year’s hubbub will be in full sway soon enough, starting with an extension of Dickerson’s successful“Big Wheels & Backroads” tour(and he hints that more arena dates are also in the works). Kailey has traveled with Russell on tour from the very beginning, but now with an infant and a preschooler, she’s having to be more strategic about when she goes on the road. (A grandmother always travels with the family to help out.) Kailey also has stepped back from her day-to-day role as her husband’s “chief creative officer,” so she can devote more time to momming. Also on her plate is her popularCoffee with Kaileylifestyle podcast, which recently hit a million downloads.
Their full schedules mean “a lot more communication, a lot more calendar placement,” says Russell. No doubt their lives are complicated. Still, when they think about what matters most, “it’s really just the simplest things,” says Kailey. “I read something once that if you have a nice, warm, safe place to sleep and healthy children to tuck in your bed, you’re the wealthiest people on the planet. And that’s how we feel, really.”
As for Russell, when he counts his blessings, he looks no farther than what’s right in front of him.
“Our babies,” he says. “And obviously, each other.”
source: people.com
