Tim McGraw Honors His Mom

When Tim McGraw's Sundown Heaven Town hit stores, fans that got a physical copy and checked the liner notes were treated to a picture of his mom, Betty. The picture itself isn't big, but the story behind it is huge.

It turns out that Betty was a senior in high school when she and Tug McGraw, the baseball pitcher who played with the Mets and the Phillies, found out they were going to be parents. According to Biography.com, the outcome wasn't hearts, flowers and a trip down the aisle. In fact, Tug did not even acknowledge Tim as his son until the singer was 17 years old. Betty was sent to Louisiana, having to drop out of school, because in the 1960s, unwed mothers were hidden away to keep from embarrassing the family. Betty didn't just give up school, she also gave up a shot at her dream. She had auditioned for a show that Dick Clark hosted called Where the Action is to be a dancer before finding out she was pregnant. Two days after the news, she got a call back from the show and she had to turn it down.

Tim wanted to include her photo as a tribute to her as well as a way to say thanks for all that she gave up. He told CMT, "Maybe I helped her fulfill at least vicariously some of her dreams."