Chris Stapleton’s high school days were more than just country music; he was also the top student at Johnson Central. What a combo! Continue reading…

Could have only been recorded by her. John Rich recently took to social media to share the story behind one of his biggest hits as a songwriter, that autobiographical “Mississippi Girl” that was personally commissioned by Faith Hill. The country star and wife of Tim McGraw released the song, which was written by one half of Big & Rich along with Adam Schoenfeld, back in May 2005 as the lead single from her album Fireflies. The song is obviously autobiographical for the Mississippi native who made it to the top of country music: “Well, it’s a long way from Star, Mississippi To the big stage I’m singing on tonight And sometimes the butterflies still get me When I’m in the spotlight And some people seem to think that I’ve changed That I’m different than I was back then But in my soul, I know that I’m the same way That I’ve really always been ‘Cause a Mississippi girl don’t change her ways Just ’cause everybody knows her name Ain’t big headed from a little bit of fame I still like wearing my old ball cap Riding my kids around piggy back They might know me all around the world But, y’all, I’m still a Mississippi girl” Well Rich recently took to social media to share how the song came about, and revealed that it was at the request of Faith herself, who had asked for a song that only she could record: “Faith Hill came up to me in a parking lot when we were out touring with Tim McGraw way back in the day, and she said, ‘I wish you’d write me a song.’ I said, ‘I’d love to write you a song. What do you want to sing about?’ And she said, ‘I don’t know. Write a song that it would only make sense if I sang it. It wouldn’t fit anybody else. Can you write one like that?’ I said, ‘Well, let me think about it.’ So I spent two or three days kind of watching Faith go from sitting backstage, sipping a Corona, just being a regular old girl, to walking out on stage with Tim and singing It’s Your Love, you know, in an evening gown, and just being a total rock star. I thought, you know what, that’s what the fans don’t know, that backstage, and pretty much all the time, I would guess, Faith Hill is just a regular old country girl from Star, Mississippi. So I wrote this song for her.” People ask me all the time about songwriting, so here’s the back story on a song I wrote for Faith Hill called “Mississippi Girl” Enjoy! pic.twitter.com/W54mqXDWj5 — John Rich (@johnrich) January 20, 2026 The song was a comeback of sorts for Faith Hill, who hadn’t released a single in two years by the time “Mississippi Girl” dropped. And it worked, because the song would go on to top the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, and become Faith’s ninth and final number one hit to date. Rich has written hits for several other artists, including “Amarillo Sky” which was originally recorded by McBride & the Ride before becoming a hit for Jason Aldean, and “Redneck Woman” and “Here for the Party” by Gretchen Wilson. He also wrote several singles for Faith Hill in addition to “Mississippi Girl” with songs like “Sunshine and Summertime” and “Like We Never Loved At All,” which was a duet with her husband Tim McGraw. Seems like Rich just has a knack for writing songs that fit a particular artist. The post John Rich Shares The Behind-The-Scenes Story Of How He Wrote “Mississippi Girl” For Faith Hill first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Proving us right about how much we love @TuckerWetmore whenever he's in the building ?

Did you know Chris Stapleton's wife was only 19 when they met? Continue reading…