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Sara Evans and Jay Barker’s Sweet Love Story

Heartbreak brought Sara and Jay together.

Lauren Jo Black

| Posted on

June 14, 2019

Sara Evans and Jay Barker; Photo via Instagram

In 2006, Sara Evans went through a very public split from Craig Schelske. The headline-making divorce began while Evans was a contestant on ABC’s Dancing with the Stars, forcing her to leave the show for personal reasons.

While coping with the heartache, Evans’ minister suggested that she reach out to Barker, a former University of Alabama football star-turned-sports radio personality, who happened to be going through a divorce around the same time.

“He told us he’d never known two people more alike,” the “Suds in the Bucket” singer recalls to AL.com. “He felt we could at least be supportive friends.”

The pair first exchanged emails and texts and soon began to chat over the phone. They eventually went on their first date and the rest is history.

Evans and Barker exchanged vows on a picturesque farm just outside of Nashville on June 14, 2008.

The singer and her three children relocated to Mountain Brooke, Alabama where she and Barker reside with their combined seven kids.

“She’s my biggest fan and I’m hers,” Barker previously shared. “As great as she is at music, she’s even better at being a mom and wife.”

Fans can continue to watch the couple’s love story unfold on Instagram where Evans often share photos of each other and their children.

Written by

Lauren Jo Black

Lauren Jo Black, a University of Central Florida graduate, has immersed herself in the world of country music for over 15 years. In 2008, she co-founded CountryMusicIsLove, eventually selling it to a major record label in 2015. Following the rebranding of the website to Sounds Like Nashville, Black served as Editor-in-Chief for two and a half years. Currently, she assumes the role of Editor-in-Chief at Country Now and oversees Country Now’s content and digital footprint. Her extensive experience also encompasses her previous role as a Country Music Expert Writer for Answers.com and her work being featured on Forbes.com. She’s been spotlighted among Country Aircheck’s Women of Influence and received the 2012 Rising Star Award from the University of Central Florida. Black also spent time in front of the camera as host of Country Now Live, which brought live music directly to fans in 2021 when the majority of concerts were halted due to the pandemic. During this time, she hosted 24 weeks of live concerts via Country Now Live on Twitch with special guests such as Lady A, Dierks Bentley, Jordan Davis, Brett Young, and Jon Pardi. Over the course of her career, she has had the privilege of conducting interviews with some of the industry’s most prominent stars, including Reba McEntire, Blake Shelton, Luke Combs, Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert, Lainey Wilson, and many others. Lauren Jo Black is a longtime member of the Country Music Association and the Academy of Country Music.