Barbara Mandrell met her husband when she was just 14 and they have been married for a long time

Barbara mandrell will be remembered in history as one of the greatest and most talented entertainers of all time. 

Barbara Mandrell seems to be born with music in her veins as at the age of 5 she knew how to play that accordion and could read piano notes before she learned English. She performed in a show in Los Angeles at the age of 11.

It was quite obvious what she was going to be and her father encouraged her to chase her passion. Later in life he became her manager. The family had to relocated in 1968 to Nashville and Barbara got signed under a record and she was soon topping the charts. 

Barbara Mandrell met her future husband through her father. Her father hired Ken to be the drummer of the Mandrell Family Band. Ken was 21 while Barbara was 21 years old. 

It was love at first sight, but something was hindering their love. At that point Ken was engaged to someone, but he decided to break off the engagement. The two sweethearts got married 4 years after on May 28, 1967.

Barbara told CBN, ”He was smart enough to be kind and polite but cool. When I fell, I fell hard. We went together all through high school. We were very much in love, and we very much wanted to get married. I very much had to graduate from high school first.”

Ken went on to serve in the navy as a pilot while Barbara focused on building her career. Their relationship faced a lot of challenges as they couldn’t see each other until Ken was done with his service in Vietnam. 

Amidst all odds they had three children, Kenneth Matthew Dudney born in 1970, Jaime Nicole Dudney born in 1976, and Nathaniel Mandrell Dudney born in 1985.

Barbara Mandrell was asked on how they managed to remain married for so many years, and she was quite happy to be sharing the secret to a long and lasting relationship.

Barbara told The Boot, ”There are times when Ken and I would like to put each other through a wall! It happens, but we married for forever, and keeping God at the center of our lives has made it work and made it blessed and happy. Ken and I both are outgoing people — we’re yellers and screamers! But we’re also passionate at making up.”

In 2002 she told CBN, ”By our Heavenly Father and only because of God, only because of God. We’re like other couples. We do not get along perfectly; we do not go without arguments and, as I call them, fights, and heartache and pain and hurting each other. But a marriage is three of us.”

She always credited God as the reason for her strong and happy marriage. We wish her all the best.