You know those famous blonde curls. If you’ve ever seen a Little Big Town video or caught a performance at the Opry, Kimberly Schlapman is usually the one standing center-left, hitting those high, glass-shattering harmonies that make your hair stand up. But there is a lot more to her than just being one-fourth of a Grammy-winning powerhouse.
She’s basically the heartbeat of that band. Honestly, it’s hard to imagine the Nashville scene without her.
From her upbringing in Cornelia, Georgia, to the massive 25th-anniversary celebrations the band has been rolling through recently, Kimberly has lived several lifetimes in the public eye. Most people see the awards and the bright lights, but she’s walked through some pretty deep valleys to get there.
Why Kimberly From Little Big Town Is the Band's Secret Weapon
Let’s be real: Little Big Town is a vocal democracy. Karen Fairchild, Jimi Westbrook, and Phillip Sweet all bring something massive to the table. But Kimberly? She’s the soprano glue. She’s been singing with Karen since their college days at Samford University. They actually met on a choir camp bus—which is about as "country music origin story" as it gets.
While Karen often takes the sultry, lower-register leads on hits like "Girl Crush," Kimberly provides that ethereal shimmer. It’s a specific sound. High, pure, and unmistakably Southern.
They’ve been at this since 1998. That is an eternity in the music business. To stay together that long without a lineup change is basically a miracle. You’ve got to wonder how they do it. Kimberly often says they’re more like a family than a business, and she means it. They’ve raised kids on tour buses and navigated grief as a unit.
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The Grief Nobody Talks About Anymore
Newer fans might not know that Kimberly’s life hasn’t always been "Pontoon" and sunshine. Back in 2005, just as Little Big Town was finally finding its footing with the hit "Boondocks," tragedy hit hard. Her first husband, Steven Roads, died suddenly of a heart attack.
It was devastating.
She was in shreds. The band became her lifeline during that time. They didn’t just give her space; they carried her. It’s a part of her story that gives her singing so much weight. When you hear her on a heartbreak ballad, she isn’t just acting. She knows.
Eventually, she found love again with a longtime friend, Stephen Schlapman. They married in 2006, and honestly, the way she talks about him "fixing" her is enough to make anyone emotional.
More Than a Singer: The "Oh Gussie!" Empire
If you spend any time in a Cracker Barrel, you’ve probably seen her face. Kimberly has built a secondary career that would make Martha Stewart take notice. It started with her cooking show, Kimberly’s Simply Southern, and turned into a full-blown lifestyle brand.
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She calls everything "Oh Gussie!" It’s a Georgia-ism she’s used since she was a kid.
- The Cookbook: Oh Gussie! Cooking and Visiting in Kimberly’s Southern Kitchen isn't just recipes. It’s a memoir.
- The Retail Line: She’s had everything from vintage-inspired dishes to pink Lodge cast iron skillets.
- The Inspiration: Her "Paw Paw Pottery" items were actually modeled after pieces her father made.
She’s the real deal in the kitchen. She grew up watching her mother and grandmothers in Cornelia, and she’s passed that down to her own daughters.
The Miracle of Dolly Grace
Family is clearly her north star. Her oldest daughter, Daisy Pearl, was a "honeymoon miracle" born in 2007. But the journey to her second daughter, Dolly Grace, was a long, painful road of infertility and loss.
Kimberly has been incredibly open about this lately, especially through her children's book, A Dolly for Christmas. She and Stephen went through rounds of IVF and faced multiple miscarriages. It’s the kind of struggle that stays hidden behind the glamour of red carpets.
The story goes that Daisy, at only four years old, started praying for a sibling every single night. She even asked Santa for a baby. It sounds like a movie script, but it actually happened. In 2017, they finally brought Dolly home through adoption. Kimberly says the love for an adopted child is exactly the same as for a biological one—a message she’s been shouting from the rooftops to help other families in the same boat.
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Still Making History in 2026
Fast forward to right now. Little Big Town is fresh off their 25th-anniversary tour with Sugarland, and they aren't slowing down. They recently performed at Carnegie Hall and headlined Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve to ring in 2026.
Kimberly is also using her platform for something much bigger than music these days. She’s become a major advocate for Parkinson’s disease awareness, a cause that became personal after her mother, Barbara, was diagnosed. She recently teamed up with AbbVie for the "Changing the Tune of Parkinson’s Disease" campaign. It’s a side of her that shows she isn’t just interested in being a star; she wants to be useful.
What’s next? Probably more harmonies, more biscuits, and more advocacy.
If you want to support what Kimberly is doing, the best way is to look into her advocacy work or check out her book for a real look at her family's journey. You can also catch Little Big Town's latest Greatest Hits album, which basically tracks the last quarter-century of her life in song.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Aspiring Creatives:
- Study the Harmony: If you're a singer, listen to Kimberly’s isolated vocals on "Better Man" or "Little White Church" to understand how to blend without overpowering.
- Southern Staples: Try her signature turkey injection recipe or the bacon-wrapped green beans mentioned in her cookbook—they’re legendary for a reason.
- Adoption Advocacy: If you’re considering adoption, look up Kimberly’s interviews with People or Southern Living where she breaks down the realities of the home study process and the emotional payoff.
- Support the Cause: Visit the official Parkinson's Foundation or AbbVie’s campaign sites to learn how you can support families dealing with the disease.