Lainey Wilson small town roots are the very reason she has a surprising connection to fellow Louisiana native Tim McGraw. She recently revealed during a sit down with Garth Brooks that one of her relatives used to care for the country veteran when he was a child.

“Tim grew up right down the road from me,” she shared. “My step-grandmother used to actually babysit him. But I’ve never met Tim.”

The “Hang Tight Honey” singer grew up in Baskin, La., which — according to Google — is just a 22-minute drive from Start, La., where McGraw grew up.

Who Are Lainey Wilson’s Heroes in Country Music?

During their conversation, Wilson and Brooks talked about the impact that ’90s country had on Wilson’s childhood. He asked her to divulge who her country heroes are.

“Of course, I love my Dolly Parton,” she gushes. “She’s one of the people that I go to that I’m like man, how has she — she’s done it all. She’s kept songwriting the main focus, but she has not been scared to step outside the box and try new things.”

Then Wilson turned the conversation to Brooks himself.

“I’m not saying it just cause you’re sitting here, but, I mean, you too,” she confesses. “The way that you have, first of all, stayed true to yourself and you treat everybody with kindness. That right there, I think, goes the furthest.”

“It’s one of those things, you know everybody goes, you don’t want to meet your heroes,” she continues. “Everybody told me, they said meeting you would be a little different.”

Jess hosts the syndicated radio show, Taste of Country Weekend, which can be heard on country stations nationwide. Tune in for all of the best new country music, spotlights on new tracks and emerging artists, plus Double-Downs on all of your favorites. The weekend is always better with a little Taste of Country in it.