When you think of country music royalty, you basically think of Faith Hill and Tim McGraw. They’ve been together forever. They’re the "it" couple that actually stayed together. Honestly, it’s easy to forget there was a time when Faith Hill wasn't a McGraw. But before she became a household name and before that legendary 1996 tour changed everything, her life looked a lot different.
If you’re wondering who was Faith Hill married to, the answer isn't just a single name. It’s a story about a young woman from Mississippi trying to find herself in Nashville. It involves a first husband, a high-profile engagement that ended abruptly, and a lot of personal growth that happened right as she was becoming a star.
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The husband you probably didn't know about: Daniel Hill
Back in 1987, a 19-year-old Faith Hill moved to Nashville. She was Audrey Faith Perry then. She was working as a receptionist at a music publishing company and just trying to get her foot in the door. That’s where she met Daniel Hill. He was an executive at the company. Kinda the classic Nashville meet-cute, right?
They hit it off fast. After dating for about 15 months, they got married in 1988. Faith was only 21. For a few years, they were just another young couple in the music city. But as Faith’s career started to actually take off, things got complicated.
Why the first marriage ended
Daniel Hill has been pretty open about their split in the years since. He’s mentioned that Faith was going through a lot of personal stuff at the time. She was searching for her birth mother, which is a huge, life-altering journey for anyone. He once told Good Housekeeping that meeting her birth mother had a "profound impact" on her. Basically, she was becoming a new person, and the marriage was part of her "old world."
They split in 1993 and officially divorced in 1994. There wasn't some big, dramatic scandal. It was more about two people growing in completely different directions. Faith has compared herself during that time to a "flower trying to bud." She just wasn't ready to be a wife in the way she needed to be back then.
The "almost" husband: Scott Hendricks
Right after her divorce, Faith started dating Scott Hendricks. He’s a big-deal record producer—he actually produced her first two albums. By 1995, they were engaged. This is the part of the story that gets a little messy and very "Nashville."
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In early 1996, Faith landed an opening slot on Tim McGraw’s "Spontaneous Combustion" tour. At the time, she was still engaged to Scott. Tim was also engaged to someone else (a woman named Kristine Donahue).
You can probably guess what happened next.
The chemistry between Faith and Tim was basically nuclear. It wasn't just a rumor; it was obvious to everyone on that tour. Faith eventually broke off her engagement to Scott to be with Tim. She’s been very blunt about this choice in the past. She once told People magazine that she wasn't about to let Tim "slip through her hands" just because people might judge her for breaking an engagement.
The surprise wedding to Tim McGraw
Everything moved fast after that. Like, really fast. By October 6, 1996, they were ready to pull the trigger on a wedding. But they didn't want a massive, media-circus event.
They actually tricked their friends and family. They invited everyone to Tim’s hometown of Rayville, Louisiana, for what they said was a charity softball game and a concert. When the guests showed up, they found Faith in a simple white dress (she was three months pregnant with their first daughter, Gracie, at the time) and Tim in a tuxedo. They got married under an oak tree in his aunt's backyard.
Lessons from Faith’s relationship history
Looking back at who Faith Hill was married to or engaged to, you see a pretty clear pattern of a woman finding her voice. Her first marriage was a product of being young and seeking stability while she was still figuring out who she was. Her engagement to Scott Hendricks was tied closely to her early career success.
But with Tim, it was different. It’s been nearly 30 years since that "softball game," and they’re still going strong.
What you can take away from this:
- Timing is everything. You might meet the right person at the "wrong" time, but if it's real, you make it work.
- Personal growth affects relationships. Faith’s journey to find her birth parents changed her entire perspective on life and her marriage.
- Don't fear the pivot. Faith took a lot of heat for leaving her fiancé for Tim, but she trusted her gut.
If you're interested in how they've kept things fresh after all these years, you might want to look into their "Soul2Soul" tours. They’ve basically turned their marriage into a masterclass on professional and personal partnership.
Next Steps:
If you want to see the chemistry that started it all, go watch the music video for "It’s Your Love." It was filmed while Faith was pregnant with Gracie, and you can see exactly why she decided to risk her reputation for the relationship.