Rayna Alisia Jaymes (née Wyatt; previously Conrad Per the restraining order in the episode.) is a fictional character and one of two leads in the ABC/CMT musical drama series Nashville. Rayna has been portrayed by actress Connie Britton since the series' pilot episode, which aired on October 10, 2012.
Britton has received critical acclaim for her performance as Rayna. She was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Drama, a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, and a Satellite Award for Best Actress – Television Series Drama.
Casting and creation Connie Britton was cast as Rayna Jaymes on March 6, 2012. Rayna was characterized as the "reigning queen of country," a 40-year-old country music superstar singer whose star is beginning to fade. The character of Rayna Jaymes is inspired from Britton's role as Tami Taylor on the TV series Friday Night Lights, with Nashville creator Callie Khouri creating the role specifically for Britton. Britton has stated that her performance as Jaymes is based on several country singers, including Faith Hill, Reba McEntire, and Bonnie Raitt. The Nashville writers also consulted country star Sara Evans when creating Jaymes' character so that her experience of being a working mother in the music industry could be accurately portrayed.
Background
Rayna Jaymes is a nine-time Grammy Award–winner, fifteen-time CMA Award–nominee, who was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry in 2005. She is the daughter of the late Virginia Wyatt and her husband, the late politician Lamar Wyatt (played by Powers Boothe) whom she was estranged from before he died due to him never approving of her career leading to her being kicked out at 16. Early in her career she dated songwriter and guitar player Deacon Claybourne at 16. In 1990, she released of her debut hit album Cowgirls Love Too Hard which featured the hit "Changing Grounds". The couple worked together for a large part of Jaymes' 90s catalogue as he was her lead guitarist for two decades on tour and a frequent collaborator. Jaymes' second album Southside of Love (1991) expanded her new age country sound that merged new age with traditional country. Jaymes' third album Home (1993) is recognized as one of the best country albums of the 1990s as it featured the iconic "No One Will Ever Love You". She followed this with the critically acclaimed Thoroughbred (1995) album which features the classic "The Last Stand". Her follow up album was the multi platinum Postcards from Mexico (1996). Ultimately Rayna had personal issues and had to break up with Deacon due to his destructive patterns after multiple iconic albums and tours worked on together. While Deacon was in rehab, Jaymes began dating and married financial advisor Teddy Conrad. The couple moved to a mansion in Nashville during the height of Jaymes music career and had two daughters together, Maddie and Daphne. Teddy though is not Maddie's biological father, she is Deacon's child, though Deacon and Maddie did not know until she was 12. Rayna's next album was the best selling female country album of the year, Sweet & Sorrow (1997). Her follow up displayed a newer image for the married woman and a increasingly mature sound for the hit album Platinum Sea (1998) which features the hit "American Beauty". Maddie was born in 1999, the same year as Rayna's smash album Until You Kissed Me & multi-platinum song "This Love Ain't Big Enough". Daphne was born in 2004, a year after the release of Jaymes' multi-platinum record Double Down featuring the fan favorite song "Already Gone" which peaked at No. 1 on the country and pop charts.
She followed this up with her greatest hits album The Best Of Rayna Jaymes (2006). 2008 was another very successful era for Jaymes with her multi-platinum Little Bits of Heaven. In 2010, she released her first self-titled album Rayna Jaymes and followed it up in 2012, with the gold selling Belt Buckle Blues featuring top 20 country single "It's My Life". Though the album was her first to miss the top 10 landing in the 20s and falling on the charts in its following week. She ultimately canceled her Belt Buckle Blues Tour and co-headlined with country-pop singer Juliette Barnes on the single "Wrong Song". It was an instant hit and the two co-headlined the Red Lips White Lies Tour. Rayna then began her own record label, Highway 65 Records in 2014, which she announced at the Grand Ole Opry. The Red Lips White Lies Tour was a sell out but was stopped at a halt after the death of Juliette's mother, the near death of Rayna's father, and then the near death car crash of Rayna with Deacon that led to her being in a coma for two weeks. Once she recovered she suffered from vocal damage and decided to take time off to spend with her daughters.
Though her follow up album was almost complete, her label wanted to rush release the album to capitalize on the publics re-found love for Jaymes after her near death accident. Against Jaymes demands the label had police seize Jaymes for the masters to her album, threw out certain tracks, produced an album cover which featured her coming out of fire, and re-titled it '"Rising Out of the Ashes"'. This led to her buying herself out of Edgehill Republic Records that year for a total of $20,000,000. The first release off of her label was her highly anticipated comeback album The Parts I Remember in 2015, which debuted at number 1 on both the Billboard 200 Chart and the Billboard Country chart. This album was recorded while under Edgehill and was her first album following her deadly car crash in 2013. The record ultimately was certified gold and its lead single "This Time" was certified platinum. She then went on to win five CMA's including 'Album of the Year', 'Song of the Year', 'Female Vocalist of the Year', 'Record of the Year', and 'Entertainer of the Year'.
In 2015, Rayna made the transition from singer to producer. She produced Markus Keens' first solo album which would later be certified platinum.
Rayna has a catalogue of hit song after hit songs which include "Already Gone," "This Time," "The Last Stand," "Stompin' Grounds," "Changing Grounds," "This Love Ain't Big Enough," "Postcards from Mexico," "Buried Under," "Ball and Chain," and "American Beauty." She also has a hit of ballads which she is well known for including "Sanctuary," "No One Will Ever Love You," "Don't Leave Without Me," "The Rivers Between Us," "This Could Be Us," "Stronger Than Me," and "Together We Stand."
Discography Albums Cowgirls Love Too Hard (1990) - Sold 1 Million Copies Southside of Love (1991) Home (1993) Thoroughbred (1995) Postcards from Mexico (1996) Sweet & Sorrow (1997) Platinum Sea (1998) – Sold 3 Million Copies Until You Kissed Me (1999) – Sold 9 Million Copies Big Open Skies (2000) Double Down (2003) The Best Of Rayna Jaymes (2006) Compilation Little Bits of Heaven (2008) – Sold 6 Million Copies Rayna Jaymes (2010) Belt Buckle Blues (2012) Rising Out of the Ashes (2013) Four Platinum Albums (2014) Compilation The Parts I Remember (2015) Our Truth (2017) with Deacon Claybourne
Singles
1990: "Changing Ground"
1991: "Wayfaring Stranger"
1993: "No One Will Ever Love You"
1995: "American Beauty"
1995: "Sanctuary"
1996: "Postcards from Mexico"
1996: "The Rivers Between Us"
1997: "The Best Songs Come from Broken Hearts"
1999: "This Love Ain't Big Enough"
1999: "Surrender"
2003: "Already Gone"
2006: "I Wanna Do (Everything for You)"
2008: "The End of the Day"
2012: "It's My Life"
2012: "Stomping Ground"
2012: "Buried Under"
2012: "Wrong Song"
2013: "Stronger Than Me"
2014: "Ball & Chain"
2014: "This Time"
2014: "Lies of the Lonely"
2014: "He Ain't Gonna Change"
2014: "Gasoline and Matches"
2015: "Take Mine
2016: "Hold Onto Me"
2016: "Strong Tonight"
2016: "Together We Stand"
2017: "Can't Remember Never Loving You"
2017: "My Favorite Hurricane"
2017: "You're Mine"
Tours Cowgirls Love Too Hard Tour (1990) No One Will Ever Love You Tour (1996) Until You Kissed Me All Access Tour (1999) Big Open Skies Tour (2000) Double Down Tour (2003) Little Bits of Heaven World Tour (2008) Belt Buckle Blues Tour (2012) Red Lips White Lies Tour (2012) Ride Easy Tour (The Parts I Remember Tour) (2014) Rayna Jaymes Live Tour (2015)
Labels Edgehill Republic Entertainment Records: (1990–2013) Highway 65 Records: (2013–2017)
Storylines Season 1 After two decades of topping the charts, Rayna Jaymes' career has begun to fall. Her latest album flopped so her record label suggests she open for the young country pop star Juliette Barnes (Hayden Panettiere). Juliette hates Rayna because her mother Jolene (Sylvia Jefferies), whose relationship with Juliette is deeply troubled, was a Rayna James fan. When the president of their label, Marshall Evans, suggests that Rayna should collaborate with Juliette at a party for Edgehill — impressing upon each artist the penalties the label will impose for refusing — they write a song together. After their duet "Wrong Song" becomes a success, the two go on to co-headline a tour together. While Rayna is on tour Teddy visits her, telling her that he wants a divorce.
When Marshall threatens to release a Greatest Hits album against her will, Rayna decides to work on a new album with a non-country producer, Liam McGuinness. At first, Liam doesn't want to work with her. He changes his mind and then joins her band. When Rayna has the idea to start her own label, Liam does something behind her back. She fires him and dissolves their partnership. The two later reconcile and continue to work on her album. While they are on a break from the tour, Liam asks Rayna to spend the weekend away with him in St. Lucia. While she is packing for the trip, she realizes it feels wrong for her to go. She then goes to Deacon and tells him that she loves him and always has. The two spend the night together.
The morning after Rayna tells Tandy that she and Deacon spent the night together. Tandy says it was just one night – a fling – and Rayna replies that it will never be one night or a fling with them because how they have always had a relationship. Tandy mentions how it's always been all or nothing between them and asks her if that is what she and Deacon want. Teddy is not excited when he finds out that Rayna and Deacon may now be a couple. He is against it because there is a chance of Deacon finding out that he is Maddie's biological father. Teddy tells her they made an agreement when Maddie was born and she has to honor it. Rayna promises him that she would never want to hurt their relationship and plans on keeping it a secret. After Maddie overhears her mother telling someone "I love you" on the phone she asks who she said that to. Rayna tells her she said that to Deacon and that they are together now. Later in the day when Rayna and Teddy are not home, Maddie snoops through her mother's closet and finds a box that contains a paternity test. Maddie talks to a friend over the phone and says that Teddy might not be her father. The next day Maddie tells Deacon that he might be her father, which leaves Deacon shocked. Backstage at the CMA Awards, Deacon confronts Rayna about him possibly being Maddie's biological father.