Dwight Yoakam’s wife, Emily Joyce, married the country music star after the couple had been together for about a decade. Yoakam was 63 when they married in a private ceremony in Santa Monica in March 2020. Five months later, they welcomed their first child, a son named Dalton Loren Yoakam.
Joyce is a photographer who has worked on projects connected to Yoakam and his career. Despite being married to a well-known country musician, she has maintained a relatively private life. The couple has also kept much of their family life away from the public eye.
Who is Emily Joyce?
Emily Joyce is a photographer who has established her own career outside Yoakam’s music. She has photographed Yoakam on different occasions and has documented his work, including moments from his SiriusXM radio program, “Dwight Yoakam and the Bakersfield Beat.”
Joyce also exhibited her photography at The Salon in Los Angeles in 2016. Although she has occasionally appeared alongside Yoakam at public events, she has generally stayed away from the spotlight. Little information is publicly available about her life before she began dating the singer.
Her photography has also given her a connection to Yoakam’s professional life. She has photographed him and several of the guests associated with his SiriusXM show, which focuses on the Bakersfield sound and features interviews with musicians and other notable figures.
When Did Dwight Yoakam and Emily Joyce Get Married?
Yoakam and Joyce began dating in 2010 and married in March 2020. They exchanged vows at St. Monica Catholic Church in Santa Monica, California, in a small ceremony attended by fewer than 10 people. The guests were seated at least 6 feet apart as the COVID-19 pandemic was beginning to affect daily life in the United States.
The couple did not immediately make their marriage public. They announced the news in May 2020, explaining that they had chosen to delay the announcement out of consideration for people affected by the pandemic and those working on the front lines. The marriage was Yoakam’s first. Before Joyce, the singer had been involved in several high-profile relationships but had never married.
Did Dwight Yoakam and Emily Joyce Have a Child?
Yes. Yoakam and Joyce welcomed their first child, Dalton Loren Yoakam, on Aug. 16, 2020. He was born at 9:19 a.m., about five months after his parents married. The couple announced his birth several days later. Dalton’s arrival also connected to Yoakam’s music. The singer had previously written “Waterfall” for Joyce, and the song appeared on his 2012 album, “3 Pears.” His team referenced the song when announcing Dalton’s birth during the pandemic.
Dalton’s middle name, Loren, was chosen in honor of Yoakam’s late father, David Loren Yoakam. The couple has largely kept Dalton out of the public spotlight. Yoakam has occasionally shared glimpses of his son and discussed fatherhood when talking about his personal life and music.
How Long Have Dwight Yoakam and His Wife Been Together?
Yoakam and Joyce had been together for about 10 years when they married in 2020. Their relationship eventually brought major changes to Yoakam’s personal life, as he became both a husband and a first-time father in his 60s.
Fatherhood has also influenced Yoakam’s music. In 2024, he released “Brighter Days,” his first album of new music in nine years. Yoakam co-wrote with his son, who received a songwriting credit on the track. Yoakam has explained that the song grew out of a moment he shared with his young son. Dalton’s involvement in the song became one of the more personal details surrounding the album, which reflects the changes in Yoakam’s life since becoming a husband and father.
“Brighter Days” was released Nov. 15, 2024. The album marked Yoakam’s return to new full-length music after nearly a decade and incorporated more personal themes from his life as a husband and father.
Where Are Dwight Yoakam and Emily Joyce Now?
Dwight Yoakam and Emily Joyce continue to keep their family life relatively private. Joyce remains connected to photography, while Yoakam continues his career as a musician and performer. The couple has also chosen not to make their son a regular feature of Yoakam’s public life. Instead, they have shared only occasional glimpses of their family.
For Yoakam, his relationship with Joyce brought a different chapter to a life that had long centered on music and his career. After decades as a country star and bachelor, he married Joyce and became a father for the first time at 63. Joyce’s story, however, extends beyond her marriage to the country singer. She is a photographer with a career of her own who has remained largely out of the spotlight while building a family with Yoakam.
