Zac Brown Band’s Clay Cook Expecting Third Child With Wife Brooke

It’s going to be a girl for Zac Brown Band member Clay Cook and his wife, Brooke! The couple, who is already proud parents to two sons, will welcome their third child into the world this fall.

“I couldn’t be happier to announce that my wife and I are expecting our third child and our very first baby girl!” Cook announced to PEOPLE, adding why the baby’s gender was so important. “Fun fact: This will be the first girl in the Cook family line since the 1930s.”

Their daughter will join 3-year-old Charlie and 19-month-old Teddie in the family when she arrives later this year.

“Our whole family, and especially her big brothers, cannot wait to meet her,” Cook said. “I can’t say how much it means, especially during this time in the world, that we can share our joy and blessing with everyone.”

The good news comes at a challenging time for the Zac Brown Band, after the group was forced to delay their The Owl Tour over the coronavirus pandemic, forcing Brown to subsequently lay off 90 percent of his touring crew.

“It was a hard day today,” Brown said in a video posted on Instagram. “For the last 15 years, my crew and who I carry with me out on the road to play my shows and do what we do, I’ve had to let go about 90 percent of my family.

“The people that I traveled with and grew my business with. The people I high-five on the way out to the stage. The people who have done their jobs and done them well. I hate having to make this call, but I can’t generate out there and can’t tour because of the coronavirus and everyone’s safety.”

Brown also criticized the way the government is handling the current pandemic, forcing people to take matters into their own hands.

“We can’t rely on our government to the tell people what they need to do,” Brown said. “We’re less protected than a lot of those countries because no one can tell us what to do. We have to decide for ourselves as Americans and we have to look out for the future — for all of our jobs and for the economy and for each other.”

Photo Credit: Getty / Alison Buck