Parker McCollum gives fans a heartfelt look at his wife while sharing a major family announcement in an exclusive interview. ML

Parker McCollum sat down with me on Taste of Country Nights and gave an update on his son, Major, and his wife, Hallie Ray, as well as an insight into his family life at home.

I asked the “What Kinda Man” singer how his son was doing, and he said, “Never been better — he’s an animal. Just crazy. He’s 15 months and he’s just out of his freakin’ mind, but he’s great.”

As for his wife, Hallie Ray, McCollum took a step back, rolled up his sleeves and prepared to knock a compliment out of the park.

McCollum said, “Hallie Ray’s great, man, she is built to be a mom. She is just as good as God makes ’em, so I count my blessings for her every day.”

This not the first time I have spoken to the Texas hitmaker, and each time he is extremely intentional about the compliments that he gives his wife.

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There are no smoke and mirrors here, folks, this guy loves the heck out of his wife and son.

I asked if he took them out on his What Kinda Man Tour, which wrapped up recently, and he said, “They came out a little bit. They came out to Red Rocks, came to the rodeo, so a couple shows they got to come see this year. It’s always fun having them out.”

As McCollum chases down his 5th No.1 song at country radio with “What Kinda Man,” he is poised to continue making waves in the country music genre, with no signs of slowing down in sight.

How Many Albums Has Parker McCollum Released?

To date, Parker McCollum has released five studio albums.

Did Parker McCollum Go to College?

He sure did. McCollum enrolled at Austin Community College, but quit after a few semesters to focus on his music career in Austin, Texas.

19 Country Artists Who Just Disappeared

“Who I Am” and “Ode to Billie Joe” are songs we all know the words to — we’ve sung along to them on more than one occasion — they were huge hits! But what ever happened to Jessica Andrews and Bobbie Gentry?
You’ll often find us reminiscing over some of our favorite artists who took a break from music, whether to start a family, solely write songs … or just plain vanish(?!). Gallery Credit: Billy Dukes

Cyndi Thomson

Cyndi Thomson launched a strong career with Capitol Records in 2000, thanks to her debut single “What I Really Meant to Say,” which climbed the charts to No. 1. Her debut album included two other hits: “I Always Liked That Best” and “I’m Gone.” Quite suddenly she stepped away from her music career in 2002, later revealing she was protecting her mental health.
Several years later (after co-writing Gary Allan‘s “Life Ain’t Always Beautiful” as Cyndi Goodman) she returned but didn’t release new music on Capitol. However in 2009 she did release a digital EP and another three-song effort in 2015.
She released new music in 2025 and hopes to return to touring..

Ricochet

Ricochet released their self-titled debut album on Feb. 6, 1996. The album was a winner for the six-piece band, producing four hits, including “Daddy’s Money,” the group’s first No. 1. Ricochet’s most recent album came out in 2012, but unfortunately, none of the songs reached the charts. They have continued to play shows sporadically.

The Wreckers

The Wreckers were formed when friends Michelle Branch and Jessica Harp set their solo aspirations aside for one solid album and a few touring years. The Grammy nominated “Leave the Pieces” and “My, Oh My” were hit songs but within three years they split up to focus once again on being solo artists.
Harp was a successful pop artist prior to the duo, and her fame helped propel the Wreckers to quick success in country music but neither would return to where they once were as a group. In August 2017 they reunited for one show only to sing “Leave the Pieces” in Nashville. It came during Branch’s headlining tour stop and appears to have been a one-off as she’s now focused on her family and her own new music once again.

Cledus T. Judd

Cledus T. Judd was called the Weird Al of country music during a career that stretched from the mid’90s to mid’00s and put him in A-list circles across the country. Parodies of songs by Toby Keith (“I Love NASCAR”), Kenny Chesney (“My Cellmate Thinks I’m Sexy”) and many more usually came with hilarious country music videos. While not a radio mainstay he was popular on tours and during his own headlining music/comedy sets.
Eventually he gave up that live to focus on family and begin a radio career (he teamed with Chad Brock, who is also on this list, for many years). In 2012 he stepped away and officially retired from the road in 2015. Then, in 2018, he made a light comeback with some new songs and tour dates but really just made the media rounds to tell his story of overcoming homelessness and addition. During an Unfiltered interview with Taste of Country he broke down in tears talking about his life and daughter.

Deana Carter

Who could forget the smash hit “Strawberry Wine”? The song was Deana Carter‘s debut single and her very first No. 1 hit, and while it’s also a karaoke go-to in downtown Nashville, it’s arguably one of the most well-known country songs of all time. Carter found two other No. 1 hits in the height of her fame — “And We Danced Anyway” and “How Do I Get There” — and she’s very much still around, having released her Southern Way of Life album in 2013 and having done a media tour in support of the 20th anniversary of her Did I Shave My Legs for This album in 2017.
More recently she’s been very active on social media with two separate video podcasts, Wing it Wednesday and TGIF-isodes, the latter being an exploration of her faith on her YouTube channel.
She’s also still touring and performing.

Bobbie Gentry

Bobbie Gentry became a household name in 1967. That’s when “Ode to Billie Joe” became a smash hit that was virtually unavoidable, no matter what type of music you liked. Gentry won three Grammy Awards that year and sold more than 3 million copies of the song. Although she had a few other hits, none could touch what she had with “Ode to Billy Joe,” and she hasn’t been involved in music since the ’70s and seen in public since 1981.
In recent years outlets like the Washington Post, Medium and the Guardian tried to find Gentry and concluded she likely lived near Memphis, Tenn. but few could make contact. Taste of Country’s Secret History of Country Music did a deep-dive into her life and disappearance in 2019.

Blackhawk

Blackhawk signed their first record deal with Arista 1993, the same year they released their debut single, “Goodbye Says It All.” The song climbed the charts to No. 11 and is still their most well-known today, although they were no strangers to the charts in the ’90s. Blackhawk have since endured changes in members, but released an album (a Christmas album) as recently as 2019.
The group’s website shows new dates for 2025 and indicates that just Henry Paul and Dave Robbins remain as permanent members of the group. Original member Van Stephenson died in 2001.

Chris Cagle

Chris Cagle scored five Top 10 hits in the early 2000s (“Chicks Dig It,” “I Breathe In, I Breathe Out”) and remained active as a touring artist through 2014 before announcing he was retiring in October 2015. His aim was to start a new career and spend time with his kids in Oklahoma but in 2019 he indicated he was coming back for one show — and bringing new music — in Iowa.
Cagle mounted some new shows in 2025.

Jessica Andrews

Jessica Andrews jumped into the music scene at the young age of 15, but it wasn’t until two years later that she’d score her biggest hit. In 2001, she released “Who I Am,” a No. 1 single … her only No. 1 single, although she did find the Top 20 with another release. Andrews’ most recent offering came in 2008.
Personal news dominates her social media feeds in 2020. In 2011 she married longtime boyfriend Marcel Chagon, a songwriter and music video director. In 2018 the couple welcomed their first child, a baby boy named Rockwell. You’ll find plenty of adorable pictures of the tot on her Instagram page.

John Michael Montgomery

Quietly, John Michael Montgomery has gone more than a decade without delivering a new country music album. Vocal issues have certainly slowed him. In January 2019 the “I Swear” singer announced he was on vocal rest after surgery, and rumors around Nashville are that these issues have plagued him for years. He did have shows slated for 2025 however and — according to his official website — still does.
The “Sold” hitmaker lives in Kentucky with his family, including son Walker, who is a country singer as well.
He has announced his intention to retire from performing.

Charly McClain

Charly McClain was an important country music singer in the 1980s thanks to songs like “Who’s Cheatin’ Who,” “Sleeping With the Radio On” and “Radio Heart.” She made her way into the Top 10 for the first time in 1978 with “That’s What You Do to Me.” “Who’s Cheatin’ Who” was her very first No. 1 hit and her most famous, but she scored a lot of other hits from the early-to-mid 80s. Unfortunately, this singer is no longer involved in music — she hasn’t recorded a new studio album since 1989! She officially retired in the early ’90s. At last check she lived in rural west Tennessee.

Chad Brock

Chad Brock is known for his No. 1 hit “Yes!”, although he’d been around for a few years before releasing the smash single. Brock’s second single was “Ordinary Love,” a song that ’90s country fans will remember. It wasn’t until he released his second album that he scored a No. 1. Brock’s career took an unexpected turn in 2005 when he became a morning radio DJ in Tampa, Fla. From there he moved to Atlanta and eventually worked for a cable channel called the Country Network. It’s not clear what he does professionally today (at one point he said he would run for Senate) but his social media pages show politics are heavy on his mind. The conservative is a loyal supporter of the NRA and the Second Amendment.