After years of standing in the wings of one of gospel and country music’s most beloved voices, Nina Fortune, wife of Jimmy Fortune, has finally chosen to open up — and what she revealed is both deeply moving and quietly powerful.
In a rare and emotional conversation, Nina offered fans a glimpse into the private life of the man who helped shape the sound of the Statler Brothers and later carved out his own place in the hearts of millions as a solo artist. But beyond the harmonies, beyond the standing ovations, Nina spoke of a man whose greatest strength isn’t just his voice — but his heart.
“He sings about faith, family, and hope — because he’s lived every word of it,” Nina shared. “But people don’t always see what it costs to sing that honestly.”
She spoke openly about the early years, when Jimmy struggled with self-doubt, when the demands of touring tested their marriage, and when the pressure to live up to a legacy weighed heavy on him. “There were seasons when it wasn’t easy to be the woman behind the man,” she admitted. “But I never stopped believing in who he was underneath it all — kind, steady, humble.”
Fans have long connected with Jimmy’s soulful performances of songs like “Far Side Banks of Jordan” and “I Believe”, sensing there was something more than performance behind them. Nina confirms it: “He’s not acting. When he sings about Heaven, about heartbreak, about grace — he’s drawing from the deepest parts of himself.”
Nina described Jimmy as a man of routine and reverence, someone who prays before stepping onstage, who calls home after every show, who leaves notes on the fridge when he’s going to be gone too long.
“He doesn’t need the spotlight to feel important,” she said with a smile. “He just wants to be a good man, a good husband, a faithful servant.”
Now, with their children grown and their lives a little quieter, the Fortunes are embracing a season of simplicity. Mornings on the porch. Long drives through Virginia’s Blue Ridge. Quiet dinners with friends. “He used to dream of making it,” Nina said. “Now, he just wants to enjoy what truly matters.”
And as she looked back on their journey — the music, the miles, the moments that tested and refined them — Nina said this:
“I love him more now than when we first fell in love. Because now, I’ve seen what love really means. It’s not just in the songs. It’s in the staying. In the forgiving. In the showing up every day — and never walking away.”
For fans who have always felt something deeper in Jimmy Fortune’s voice, this is the confirmation. The faith, the tenderness, the soul — it’s all real. It’s lived.
And thanks to Nina’s honest, heartfelt words, we now see the full picture: Not just of a beloved artist…
But of a quiet, powerful love story worth believing in.
