When Ella Langley returned to her home state of Alabama during her Dandelion Tour, she had a very special person in the audience: her former high school history teacher, Maury Popwell.
Meet Ella Langley’s Former Teacher, Coach Pop
Maury Popwell has spent 22 years teaching history at Hooper Academy in Alabama, though his career in education stretches back even further. One of the students he taught along the way was Ella Langley, and the two quickly developed a special connection, largely because of their shared love of music.
Known affectionately by his students as “Coach Pop,” Popwell recently spoke with WSFA12 about his former student and how proud he is of everything she has accomplished in her music career.
The two bonded over music while Ella was still in high school. Eventually, she began bringing her guitar to school on Friday mornings, and the pair would play music together before classes began.
“We got to the point where she would bring her guitar on a Friday morning and we would play before school,” Popwell recalled.
Popwell would often bring along his 12-string guitar, and Ella quickly became fascinated by its sound. Over the years, she has credited her former teacher with helping inspire her passion for music.
After graduating high school, Ella spent two years at Auburn University. But with dreams of pursuing a career in country music, she ultimately made the difficult decision to leave college and move to Nashville.
When Coach Pop learned that Ella was heading to Nashville to chase her dream, he knew he wanted to give her something meaningful before she left.
He called her and asked her to return to the school one more time.
“When I found out she was going to Nashville, I called her right before school started and I told her come by the school today and she did,” he explained. “I gave her that guitar. So she took it with her.”
In 2019, Ella shared a photo of the touching moment when Popwell gave her his 12-string guitar.
She wrote at the time:
“I don’t know if he will ever realize how much this guitar means to me, or how much he means to me, or how much he has helped me, but I will think of him every time I pick this beauty up.”
Years later, Ella is now 27 and has reached major milestones in her country music career, including having the longest-running non-holiday song on the Billboard Hot 100.
Despite all of her success, she and Coach Pop have continued to stay in touch. According to WSFA12, Popwell has even joined Ella onstage during performances in their home state.
And he proudly refers to himself as “the original Ella Fella.”
It is clear that Popwell’s love and pride for Ella goes far beyond that of a former teacher. He watched her passion for music grow right in front of him, and seeing her achieve the dreams she once talked about has been incredibly emotional for him.
“It affects me like she is my grandchild,” he said of her success. “I’ve caught myself with a tear in my eye watching her go up and receive these awards. It’s like she’s part of my family. And she is.”
He added, “Still feel like I played a small, small part. And I hope she remembers that. I will. I’ll remember it.”
Coach Pop and Ella Langley Reunite
Ella recently returned to Alabama, where she performed back-to-back sold-out shows at Neville Arena at Auburn University — the very university she left behind when she decided to pursue her country music dreams in Nashville.
During her time back home, Ella and Coach Pop were able to reunite backstage, creating another special moment in their long history together.
This time, Ella had a gift of her own.
She presented Popwell with a custom Dandelion guitar, which she personally signed with the heartfelt message, “Love you, Coach Pop!”
The Hooper Academy Booster Club shared a photo of the pair together, recreating the spirit of their original photo from years earlier. The new image serves as a beautiful reminder of just how far Ella has come since those early days of playing music with her teacher before school.
Coach Pop appeared in an “Ella Fella” T-shirt and a “Choosin’ Auburn” hat as he proudly stood beside his former student.
From a high school classroom in Alabama to sold-out arenas and major country music success, Ella Langley has come a long way. And through it all, one thing has remained the same: the special bond between Ella and the teacher who encouraged her musical dreams when they were just beginning.
For Coach Pop, watching Ella succeed is personal. And for Ella, giving him that custom guitar was a heartfelt way to show that she never forgot the teacher who helped inspire her journey.