How did Marcus King’s early romance with Briley Hussey start? Country star recounts first date with wife and a health check requirement

Marcus King started dating his wife, Briley Hussey, after they both danced and sang along to Linda Ronstadt and Aretha Franklin on a bus ride. The country music star, who tied the knot with Hussey in 2023, told People magazine that he bonded with Hussey over their shared love of music.
 

"I fell in love, hard!" She waltzed up on my bus like she owned it, and I was taken with her sweet southern drawl. She asked to connect to the Bluetooth, blared Linda Ronstadt and Aretha Franklinand, and we sang and danced till it was time for the bus to leave. I told her the next morning to quit her job and marry me instead."

King gave details of their first date during his November 19, 2025, appearance on the Zach Sang Show podcast. 

 

“She gave me a nice smooch the first night we met. She couldn’t resist my charms all the way."

However, Hussey laid some ground rules before they were to go further:

"She was like, ‘Hell no, I don’t know where the hell that thing’s been.’ She’s like, ‘You need to go get checked out,'" he recalled her saying.

King added that he followed Hussey’s instructions and sent her a voicemail of his results, which revealed that he was “clean.”

 
“I get really depressed when I’m not around her" - Marcus King reveals in a recent podcast appearance 
 

Marcus King said that Hussey’s tough love motivated him, and he had become emotionally dependent on her:
 

“I get really depressed when I’m not around her," King said. "It’s different than any relationship I’ve ever had… I like somebody that’s like, ‘No, you need to get up and do some s--- for yourself.’ Cause I need that kind of tough love."

 

King, who has opened up about his struggles with alcohol and drugs, shared that everyone else who tried to help him was always too soft on him, and it did nothing to improve his situation. 
 

"It always allowed me to get back off the rails," King said. "This is the first woman that I’ve ever been with that was like, ‘Hell no.'”

King and Hussey got married in a lavish ceremony at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center in Nashville in February 2023. Grand Ole Opry member Jamey Johnson officiated the ceremony. The wedding featured sentimental touches that reminded the couple of key moments in their relationship.

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