Parker McCollum Won Album of the Year at the ACMs—but His Greatest Prize Is Life With Pregnant Wife Hallie
From writing a song about her name to expecting baby number two, here's Parker and Hallie Ray's love story
Key Takeaways
- Parker McCollum took home the ACM Award for Album of the Year last night.
- He was joined at the award show by his wife, Hallie Ray Light, who is expecting.
- Parker McCollum got candid about finding the balance between work and family on the road.
Last night at the Academy of Country Music Awards, 33-year-old Parker McCollum had the night of his life when he took home the award for Album of the Year for his self-titled record. Additionally, he performed his song “Killin’ Me” alongside Lee Ann Womack, which was met with excitement by fans in the audience and watching at home. Despite his thrilling evening, his accolades and awards wouldn’t mean much if he didn’t have his wife, Hallie Ray Light, by his side. The sweet couple have been married since 2022 and have a new baby on the way. Here, read all about Parker McCollum, his wife and the life they’ve built.
Parker McCollum fell for his wife before even meeting her
During an appearance on The Red Dirt Aggie Show, McCollum reflected on how he first heard about the woman who would eventually become his wife, through a friend who knew her from college. Though he didn’t actually know anything about her, the name Hallie Ray Light felt like the perfect fit for a song—and so he began writing. Eventually, Hallie Ray made her way out to one of his shows, but didn’t end up hanging around long enough to really hit it off with Parker.
“She actually came the first night I ever had a tour bus. She didn’t stick around too long. She kind of took off pretty quickly. Didn’t really like the way I was behaving. I guess I thought I was hot s—t because we had a tour bus,” he explained. Luckily, Parker eventually won her over, and it’s Hallie Ray’s charm (and her name!) that gave fans the beloved song “Hallie Ray Light.”
After months of pursuing her in the hopes of earning that second chance, Hallie Ray came out to another show and the two officially linked up. While they spent some time on and off, having briefly split up for a period of time, in 2021, Parker got down on one knee. The following year, they tied the knot. Not long after making things official, Hallie Ray shared a sweet tribute to her husband on Instagram, writing, “You will have my heart forever and ever. I love you more and more each day! You have been my dream husband and I love being your wife!!!! And a lifetime of this we will have.”
Does Parker McCollum have kids?
In 2024, the duo welcomed their first child, a son named Major—and the couple has another little one on the way! Hallie Ray Light showed off her baby bump on the carpet at the ACM Awards last night, and Parker got candid about life on the road with his family and how he’s still figuring out how to balance it all.
“I think she’s running out of time that she can travel, but I feel bad when I have them on the road with me a lot of times because I feel like I’m one foot in family and one foot in work with my guys. And me and my band have been together forever. Some of these guys have been playing with me since we were 19, 20 years old, and so we’re very, very tight, and a lot of my crew guys are the same way—just came up in the bars playing for zero people for years in Texas. And a lot of those guys have been with me for all those years, and so we’re very close and we’re very in it when we’re on the road.” He continued, “I love to have them out. I love when I walk off stage and her, my wife and Major, are on my bus. It’s the greatest. But it’s hard to be—I like to be all in with whatever I’m doing. So I think I’m still trying to figure that out as time goes on, just how to be a dad and a front man on the road.”
While Parker McCollum might still be figuring it out, he’s got the love and support of his family making the journey a little bit easier.
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