Meet Theresa Nelson: married to country star Travis Tritt since 1997
Theresa Nelson has been Travis Tritt's wife since 1997 and is the mother of his three kids. The Grammy-winning country music star met the model after being in two failed marriages and had given up on marrying again before finding what he calls true love. He told The Blade in 2001:
I'm happier than I've ever been, and that's due to my wife and kids.
Source: Getty Images
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Key takeaways
- Theresa Nelson met Tritt in early 1995 when she was a student in Nashville.
- The Tritts have three children, including sons Tarian Nathaniel and Tristan James and daughter Tyler Reese.
- Travis Tritt has been married three times, with his first two marriages to Karen Ryon (1982-1984) and Jodi Barrett (1984-1989).
Theresa Nelson's profile summary
Full name | Teresa 'Kiki' Nelson |
Date of birth | July 12, 1972 |
Age | 53 years old (as of November 2025) |
Husband | Travis Tritt (April 1997 to date) |
Children | Tyler Reese, Tristan James, Tarian Nathaniel |
Social media |
Theresa Nelson is an American national with mixed ethnicity
Travis Tritt's wife is 53 years old in 2025. While it is unclear in which state she was born, her late father served in the United States Army, and she often commemorates him with sweet Instagram tributes on Veterans' Day, Father's Day, and his birthday.
Theresa Nelson is also close to her look-alike mother, Noreen M. Nelson, whom she calls the best mom to her and her siblings. She celebrated Noreen on her 76th birthday in August 2025 with a series of Instagram pictures and the caption:
We are so grateful for everything you do, and I pray I can be even half the woman you are! We love you to the moon and back, and beyond the stars.
Source: Original
Theresa Nelson and Travis Tritt had a chance meeting
Travis Tritt met Theresa Nelson in February 1995 at The Nashville Network after he had finished videotaping a Marty Party with country music star Marty Stuart. The party was also celebrating Tritt's birthday.
Theresa was a college student and model based in Nashville. She was 22 when she crossed paths with the then 32-year-old Travis Tritt. Her parents were living on the East Coast in Florida at the time, according to The Spokesman-Review.
Source: Instagram
Theresa has inspired several of Tritt's songs
Tritt wrote and released his 1996 song More Than You'll Ever Know, several months after meeting Theresa. He shared in a September 1996 interview with The Spokesman-Review that he came up with the lyrics after spending months apart from the model while on the road.
I missed her much more than I thought I was going to... I sat down one night on the bus and wrote that song out in the middle of nowhere... Nothing fancy, nothing flashy, just comes directly out of circumstance - right out of your heart.
Travis' song Best of Intentions from his 2000 album Down the Road I Go came about after he realised he needed to do more for Theresa to show her that he cares. It has lyrics like "Said I'd give you the whole world somehow | I tried making good on that promise."
Source: Instagram
Travis Tritt married Theresa after initially giving up on marriage
Tritt proposed to Theresa Nelson in mid-1996 after originally convincing himself he was done with long-term relationships. In his 2001 interview with The Blade, he said love found him and praised Nelson for being sincere and different compared to the women he had met earlier.
I found out the first time I talked to her that she was as sweet on the inside as she was beautiful on the outside. That's a rarity. In my world, women were always after something - either the attention they would get from being with a celebrity or the money.
Theresa Nelson and Tritt exchanged vows on April 12, 1997, near Atlanta in front of over 300 guests, including artists Lari White, Tanya Tucker, and Gary Rossington. Travis serenaded the bride with More Than You'll Ever Know. The couple celebrated their 28th anniversary in April 2025, and Travis took to Instagram to write:
I met a very beautiful young woman 30 years ago and fell in love... Today marks 28 years since we were married, and I still think it was the best decision of my life. I can't think of anything better than having her by my side through every aspect of life.
Source: Instagram
Theresa and Travis Tritt have three kids
Tritt and Nelson welcomed their first child, daughter Tyler Reese, on February 18, 1998. Their son, Tristan James, was born over a year later on June 16, 1999. The couple had another son, Tarian Nathaniel, on November 20, 2003.
Tyler Reese and Tristan are following in their father's footsteps as singers. Tyler made her country music debut at 14 with the duet Sometimes Love Just Ain't Enough, alongside her dad, Travis. She has since released tracks like Perfect, Texas Hold Him, Blood Money, and Wasted Drinking.
Tristan James is forging his own path as a rock music star. His top singles include Right on Time, Oblivion, No Filter, Nervous System Overload, and Cause It's Mine.
Source: Instagram
Theresa Nelson is an animal lover
Travis Tritt's family resides at a 75-acre ranch in Hiram, Georgia, where they keep horses and other animals. The Anymore hitmaker purchased the property in 1992.
Theresa Nelson previously cared for an orphaned deer. In early 2019, Tritt filmed their touching reunion when the deer returned to the family property, calling it a sweet moment. She often shares videos on her Instagram of deer wandering into the property, and she feeds them.
Source: Instagram
Inside Tritt's first two short-lived marriages
Travis Tritt married his first wife, Karen Ryon, in September 1982 when he was 19. They started dating while attending Sprayberry High School in Marietta, Georgia. The ex-couple divorced about two years later in 1984.
The Help Me Hold On hitmaker married Jodi Barrett in 1984 when he was 21 and she was 33. They were together for about five years until their divorce in 1989, the year that he signed with Warner Bros.
Source: Instagram
Conclusion
Travis Tritt's spouse, Theresa Nelson, is his forever partner and soulmate after sharing each other's ups and downs for nearly three decades. The country music star never fails to talk highly of her in interviews and on social media, often calling her his "best friend, confidant, and closest companion."
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Source: Briefly News
