Tim Mcgraw and Faith Hill are just as natural and real sitting in their Tennessee living room as they are on stage. The only difference is those quiet moments at home are “stolen” keepsakes, considering the couple’s busy schedules, and it's much more fun for them to tease their more than two-decade romance on stage. Behind the songs filled with gazes, look-away glances, and tender touches, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill have lived out the trials and joys of a very real love and life. Both in their vigor and their flawless physiques, the life partners belie the fact that both turned 50 this year, and their three daughters, Gracie, Audrey, and Maggie have grown up.
Passing years and calendar pages have in no way put the brakes on the professional careers of this couple with musical superpowers. Whether for their upcoming Showtime special or on their latest Soul 2 Soul Tour, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill give a rapturous experience to fans as they remind each other of devotion to the many facets of life and love. They welcomed Tracy Smith of “CBS Sunday Morning” for a sit-down talk about the divine gift of music.
Love and loading the dishwasher
Tim McGraw admits that “sometimes I see 60” when the singer looks in the mirror, and no matter how timeless the passion between him and Faith Hill seems ever since he wrote his proposal on her mirror in red lipstick in 1996, tiny issues can still spark dispute.
Even the subject of the latest tiff between the couple is in contention. Tim relates that “I didn't load the dishwasher,” while Faith says, “I don’t care about that stuff.” In any case, the real issue, like with most couple’s arguments is not the kitchen appliance. “I can get him riled up,” confesses Faith, admitting, “I know how to press his buttons, and he doesn't like them to be pressed.” She giggles and says her husband prefers “dial tone.”
Home life in the McGraw-Hill homestead reflects the Mississippi and Louisiana roots of the parents, who like down-home barbecues, home cooked meals, and sitting on the porch memories like those reflected in their duet, “Meanwhile Back at Mama’s.” Life is so normal that their daughters really don't see the trappings of musical success, or even any trophies.
Mom Faith recalls one year watching the Grammys on TV with their eldest daughter, Gracie, and being asked if she ever won one of the coveted shiny statuettes. The reply came that “I've won a few, and your dad’s won a few.” The actual total is three Grammys for Tim, and five for Faith, with 37 nominations between them. That kind of blissful unawareness only exemplifies Tim’s conviction that the couple tries to keep what they do “at the door” instead of letting it engulf their lives.
Speaking powerfully
McGraw and Faith Hill swept away another very admiring audience at the 2017 CMA Awards on Wednesday (Nov. 8) with their emotional rendition of “The Rest of Our Life,” the title song from their long-awaited album of duets. Several months ago, their song “Speak to a Girl,” had the same riveting Impact at the Academy of Country Music awards.
As parents of three daughters, the powerful theme of the song instantly spoke to Tim McGraw and Faith Hill. In the current climate of near-constant revelations of sexual misconduct by many people of position and power across industries, the song’s theme could not be more timely. Faith echoes that “basic common decency, common sense, and the truth” have to find their place again in societal conduct.
In 2013, Tim McGraw felt a personal conviction to change his conduct, realizing that his daughters “were too old to see me drinking.” He exchanged the bottle for what some would call a brutal workout routine, but the trade-off has certainly yielded positive results.
Tim McGraw gave up his plans to be a lawyer from the time he picked up a guitar, playfully asserting how “girls liked it,” but for him and his lovely “Shotgun Rider” for life, the dearest gifts of life have come through music. Faith exclaims “Dad gum, baby” as Tim still tears up looking at her in reflection. No matter how hard the road, no matter the hardships and losses that have come, they face them together. “Everything good in my life has been because of music,” he reiterates, naming it as “a treasure” and “salvation.”
Neither Tim Mcgraw nor Faith Hill has to look far to count the blessing reaped from decided devotion and darn good songs.
