It may be the biggest year of Russell Dickerson’s career so far, but on a recent weekday morning, he and his wife, Kailey, are far more excited about something else. The night before, their 11-week-old son, Radford, hadn’t woken up once, and 3-year-old Remington, who was just potty-trained, made it through with a clean diaper.
“Everyone got eight-plus hours of sleep,” declares Russell, 36.
“Nine hours,” Kailey, 33, blissfully mends.
“Beautiful,” Russell says, then savors each syllable: “Bee-yew-tah-full.”
Sitting in the bright and cheery kitchen of his suburban Nashville home, sipping from his Mr. coffee mugs. Claus and Mrs. Claus, the pair are happy to discuss Russell’s new single No. 1, his extended tour and his recently released deluxe album. But it’s clear that this Christmas, the Dickersons are far more focused on simpler joys.
As a recent night out is to see Home alone, performed with the accompaniment of the Nashville Symphony (“one of the most magical dates we’ve ever had,” says Kailey). Or another night they drove through the neighborhood showing off the holiday lights to Remington, who is beginning to understand Christmas. Or the morning Remington turned the corner into his parents’ bedroom just to say, “Good morning, Mom.”
“And then he says, ‘Where’s Baby Rad?’ Kailey recalls. “It was just one of those moments where I was, that’s it. These are memories. Like the sound of his feet on the floor – just about everything. I don’t want to forget this moment right here in time.”
And clearly, this year has given them extra time and space to stop and count their blessings, a significant shift from 2022. Publicly, Russell has relished the milestones — including coveted spots on Tim McGraw’s tour and on the CMA Fest stadium stage — but privately the stresses of juggling constant touring, along with album recording and team transitions, left him physically and emotionally drained.
“I just felt like I didn’t have time to breathe,” says Dickerson, who was already well known in Nashville as one of Nashville’s most valuable artists.
“Basically, he was completely overwhelmed and overworked,” adds Kailey, who played a key role in her husband’s career.
Then, in September 2022, what Russell calls a “turning point” happened: Kailey’s miscarriage of their much-desired 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 you can grieve and recover,” Russell says. “It was just keeping going and not slowing down because we have shows to play… It was really tough.”
Russell Dickerson on tour.
Thomas Heney
January finally offered a respite and they retreated to vacation in Florida. “We thought we just had to close,” Kailey recalls. “Don’t call us, don’t send us messages. We have to be alone and recalibrate.”
As throughout their ten-year marriage, the Dickersons leaned on each other and their faith. “Talking about God is good all the time,” Russell says, “but there are times when you’re like, that’s hard to find as a human. We don’t understand that. We don’t understand why. But you just keep believing. That’s what faith is.”
In their search for peace, they received an unexpected, perhaps even miraculous sign. A woman – a complete stranger, who had no idea who they were – approached them on the beach and asked if she could pray for the couple. Open to such an act of faith, they agreed.
“And she prayed for me to get pregnant,” Kailey says, her eyes still wide with astonishment.
She then 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 has seen professional changes. Some things seemed unbelievable.”
Ten days later, Kailey became pregnant. By May, Dickerson had made personnel adjustments that finally allowed him to reduce his business responsibilities. Since then, he says, “it’s been a great new season of dating again.”
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It was also another season of career success, and November ushered in a triple-double: Dickerson earned his fifth No. 1 with “God Gave Me a Girl,” another touching love song inspired by Kailey. He let go Afterparty Deluxe, an expanded version of his latest self-titled album, with 10 new tracks that showcase both his acoustic chops and the electricity of his live performances. And, perhaps most importantly, he headlined his first arena show, in the Fort Myers, Florida, area.
“I’ve been imagining this for so long,” says Dickerson. “Opening for Thomas Rhett and Lady A and Darius [Rucker] and Tim McGraw … I’m like … one day. And then it was the most surreal feeling to enter the arena and see my face on the sign. It’s a big milestone for me that I will remember forever.”
Of course, the achievement the Dickersons place above all else is the birth of their second son, Radford Arthur. He arrived early on October 1, demanding that Russell rush home after a concert in Kansas City. His tour bus left him at the hospital on time.
Kailey explains that she is the one who came up with the unique name. She wanted the child to be called “Rad,” but she felt he needed a more formal name, so she added another syllable. Later, when she discovered that the two syllables together meant “brave river crossing,” she immediately thought of the biblical desert wanderers who had to cross a river to enter the promised land.
“I just started crying,” she says, “and I thought, this is it. He did that with us.”
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Last month, the couple returned to the beach in Florida to celebrate and reflect on what Kailey says was “one of the best years of our lives.” They couldn’t help but think of the stranger’s prayer.
“I looked at Russell,” Kailey recalls, “and I thought, ‘Honey, we’re sitting in everything she prayed for.’ You just dominated your first arena. I’m holding the child she prayed for. All the personal changes and career changes happened. What seemed impossible, we sat tangibly and it was one of the most out-of-body experiences.”
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Russell Dickerson is the main host of his first show.
Thomas Heney
Today, as the couple prepares for Christmas, they adjust to new and different household rhythms as a foursome. During Remington’s childhood, Russell was awake every night helping with the baby’s duties.
“Now we have to divide and conquer a little more,” Kailey explains.
That means Russell has to sleep so he can get up early and help Remington start his day. Kailey then sleeps, Russell explains, so she can stay on “Radford’s schedule.”
Remington is said to be relishing his new role as big brother.
“Obsessed,” says Kailey.
“When, as soon as he wakes up,” Russell says, “I go to get him out of bed, and he says, ‘Is Radford awake? Can I hold it? Can I feed him?’”
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Holiday plans won’t take the Dickersons away from their home. Both sets of grandparents are nearby, and the rest of the family will be making the trip to Nashville.
“Our family knows we travel all year,” Russell says, “so you can come hang out, eat our food, drink our drinks, but we’ll be here.”
The house now boasts a 10-foot tree and other Christmas decorations, though Kailey says she didn’t use them all this year. “It’s not like we’re trying to be minimal,” she says. “We’re just trying to keep one baby happy and the other from ruining everything!”
Instead, she says, they intend to gather experience during the season. They’re already looking forward to their annual pasta dinner, courtesy of Russell’s Italian uncle, and “Carols with Carol” — their annual sing-along piano holiday with Russell’s mom, Carol, a longtime piano teacher, at the helm.
“It’s so magical,” says Russell.
Next year, the buzz will soon be in full swing, starting with an extension of Dickerson’s successful “Big Wheels & Backroads” tour (and he hints that more arena dates are in the works). Kailey has traveled with Russell on tour since the beginning, but now with an infant and a preschooler, she has to be strategic when she goes on the road. (Grandma always travels with the family to help out.) Kailey has also stepped back from her day-to-day role as her husband’s “chief creative officer” so she can devote more time to mom. Her popular is also on her plate Coffee with Kailey lifestyle podcast, which recently hit one million downloads.
Their full schedules mean “a lot more communication, a lot more scheduling on the calendar,” says Russell. There is no doubt that their lives are complicated. Yet when they think about what’s most important, “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 into your bed, you are the richest people on the planet. And that’s how we feel, really.”
As for Russell, when he’s counting his blessings, he doesn’t look beyond what’s right in front of him.
“Our babies,” he says. “And obviously, each other.”
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Source: HIS Education