Scotty McCreery is already one of the biggest hitmakers in country music, with his career continuing to grow. While there are a few things that we already know about the singer, like he won Season 10 of American Idol, and he has been married to his wife, Gabi, for six years, there are still plenty of other things we can learn about him. Read on to find out more about one of country music’s most beloved stars.
1. He used to work in a grocery store.
Before McCreery became famous for being on American Idol, he was a bagger at the North Carolina grocery store chain, Lowes Foods. Although he, thankfully, no longer has that job, he still prides himself on being an expert when he bags his own groceries.
“I enjoy cold with the colds, toiletries with the toiletries, all that good stuff,” McCreery previously told Everything Nash.
2. Both Gabi and his son Avery travel on tour with him.
McCreery wants to be a hands-on dad, even with his busy career. He has a separate bus for his family, so both Gabi and Avery can be with him while he is on the road.
“I got a little crib in the bus, and they get to travel around,” McCreery said at a recent media event. “If the show doesn’t start too late, Avery’s side stage, watching. We’ve had beach days together, we’ve had mountain trips where he’s crossed the bridge … We do a lot of stuff as a family. Just watching him grow up and realize what we do, it’s pretty cool.”
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3. He has a dog named Moose.
At the beginning of 2019, McCreery and Gabi welcomed a new addition to their family: a yellow lab named Moose. Moose even travels with McCreery sometimes, although that doesn’t always go quite as planned.
“Moose has escaped into the crowd a few times, and we were not sure he’d make it back,” McCreery recalled to Country Stars Central. “One night was like a festival of 40,000 people and Moose took a run into the middle of them all and so we were like, ‘Well, we’ll see if he comes back.’ But he always does.”
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4. Two years before he won American Idol, he won a local talent show called Clayton Idol.
McCreery was only 15 when he performed for Clayton Idol, a talent show in Clayton, North Carolina. Although it was his first competition, he nailed his delivery of Jamey Johnson‘s “In Color,” and won the show.
5. He attended North Carolina State University, studying Communications.
McCreery could have just gone full-time into music after high school, but he wanted more education, as well as to experience college life. He attended North Carolina University, studying Communications. Although he tried to do full-time, he realized it was too grueling while working on music, so he switched to part-time instead.
“I felt like (professors) were empathetic but not sympathetic,” McCreery told the Chicago Tribune. “They understood what I was going through, but they also had the mindset of ‘If you’re going to be a student, you’re going to be a student’ … They didn’t want to give me any special gradings, which is what I wanted. If I’m going to do it, I’m going to do it.”
6. He is a member of the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame.
In 2023, McCreery was inducted into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame, along with Betty Davis, George Beverly Shea, Loudon Wainwright III, Fetchin Bones and Bill Curtis.
“I’ve always loved a lot of music that’s come out of North Carolina,” McCreery told Everything Nash, speaking of his induction. “A lot of the folks, Randy Travis, Ronnie Millsap, Charlie Daniels, [Eric] Church, obviously. So it’s just an honor to be mentioned in the same breath with those people,
“I mean, it’s class A of the musicians and the songwriting and everything,” the multi-platinum-selling singer continued. “So it’s an honor for me. I’m so grateful … Everybody knows how much I love North Carolina, so to be mentioned in that group is pretty special.”
7. He does not want to be a judge on ‘American Idol.’
One of the biggest success stories from American Idol, McCreery says he has no interest to return to the show as a judge. But if he ever did, he knows exactly which judge he would most likely emulate.
“I have not received that phone call, but if they do, I don’t know that I would,” McCreery told CMT. “Just because I know the feeling of being the artist on stage getting judged, and how terrifying that is. I don’t want to instill that terror in those kids, ’cause I can be a pretty mean guy. I’d probably take the role of Simon Cowell if I was doing that.”
8. He went back to high school to finish his senior year in person.
McCreery could have finished his senior year online, but he wanted the entire experience. He won the CMT Award for Breakthrough Video of the Year, for “The Trouble with Girls,” on June 6, 2012, and then hopped on a plane with his family to make it in time for his graduation the next day.
9. His proudest accomplishment is becoming a member of the Grand Ole Opry.
One of McCreery’s biggest dreams came true earlier this year, when he became a member of the Grand Ole Opry, inducted by his good friend and mentor, Josh Turner.
“This is something I’ve dreamed of since I was a kid,” McCreery said ahead of his induction. “Since I was a kid, my mom was telling me about coming to the Opry in the ’70s, when she was younger. Whispering Bill was playing that night. She’ll never forget it. I’ve always hoped this day would come, so it’s very special.”
Photo Credit: Grand Ole Opry / Chris Hollo
10. His wife, Gabi, used to doodle “Mrs. Gabi McCreery” on her notebooks in elementary school.
The two met in elementary school, with Country Now stating that his now-wife was apparently enamored by him even as a child enough to write “Mrs. Gabi McCreery” on her notebooks. The two officially started dating in high school. They might have been smitten as children, but their love has only grown stronger as the years go by.
“Gabi has been a rock for me,” McCreery told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution of his wife. “I wouldn’t be here without her. She’s been here for all the ups and downs and has always been my biggest cheerleader.”
Courtesy of the ACM
11. He’s a die-hard New England Patriots fan.
McCreery can blame his father for his love of the Patriots.
“He’s from the very southern tip of Maine – Elliot in the Kittery area – and then Portsmouth, N.H.,” McCreery told Patriots.com. “He grew up a Boston sports fan, so that’s all he knew and he passed that down to me here in North Carolina. I’m like the lone wolf, but it’s fun to be a Patriots fan down here because most folks, they’re Pats haters for sure. That makes it more interesting.”
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Photo Credit: Courtesy of NBC