Sammy Kershaw is a dad again! The country crooner welcomed his fifth child, daughter Natelia Mae, with girlfriend Mendy Gregory, PEOPLE confirms, sharing the first photos of the baby. Natelia Mae was born on Wednesday, Sept. 11 in Lafayette, Louisiana.
“Natelia was my grandmother’s name and Mae was Mendy’s grandmother’s name,” Kershaw, 61, told the outlet. “She is a gift from God.”
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Kershaw’s other four children are grown. The 61-year-old has already been married five times, including a six-year marriage to fellow singer Lorrie Morgan. His busy career kept him away from his children, which he later expressed regret.
“My third wife really raised my children and did a hell of a job,” Kershaw previously told The Boot about his wife, Kim.
“I have great kids but I was gone all the time so I can’t really take all of the credit for having great children,” he continued. “I have to give credit where credit is due and that’s my ex-wife Kim.”
Kershaw has released numerous albums, including his most recent Swamp Poppin’, released in 2017. The eclectic musician refuses to be limited by one genre, even though he made his mark in country music.
“Look, I just do what I feel. I just do what makes me happy,” Kershaw told The Boot. “I love all kinds of music … and when I’m not working on a country record, I don’t want to be not making music just because I’m not ready to make another country record … Special projects, to me, that’s exactly what they are – they’re special projects.”
Kershaw will likely never stop recording and performing, since it is all he has ever known to do.
“Music is a passion,” Kershaw admitted to That Nashville Sound. “Always has been. It wasn’t a necessity. Music was passion and still is. It’s been something I’ve always wanted to do since I can remember. I was four or five years old and singing with George Jones and Conway and those folks when my parents would play those old 45’s. I was singing right along with them.”
Kershaw might have his hands full with a new baby, but there’s still more he wants to do.
“I’d still like to put out a lot of hit albums and hit records, of course,” Kershaw admitted. “I would love to still get a Grammy for something, whether that be for songwriting or singing. I’m not much of a songwriter but every once in awhile I get lucky and write one in ten or fifteen minutes. If it goes any longer than that, I get rid of them. I never work on them again.
“I got a lot of things left in country music,” he continued. “I’ve never been on a major tour? I’ve never been on a major tour with another artist. Never. That’s another thing I’d like to do.”
Kershaw is also spending a lot of time on the road, with his next scheduled performance on Saturday, Sept. 21, in Fort Smith, Arkansas. Find dates, including venue and ticket information, by visiting Kershaw’s website.
Photo Credit: Getty Images / Frazer Harrison
