Chris Stapleton

Chris Stapleton

Chris Stapleton in 2015

Stapleton at the 2015 CMA Awards
Background information
Birth name Christopher Alvin Stapleton
Born (1978-04-15) April 15, 1978
Lexington, Kentucky US
Origin Nashville, Tennessee, US
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Musician
  • singer
  • songwriter
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • guitar
Years active Early 2000s−present
Labels Mercury Nashville
Associated acts
Website chrisstapleton.com
Notable instruments
1999 Fender Jaguar Baritone

Christopher Alvin "Chris" Stapleton[1] (born April 15, 1978) is an American country and bluegrass musician.[2][3] He is an established songwriter with six number-one songs[4] including the five-week number-one "Never Wanted Nothing More" recorded by Kenny Chesney, "Love's Gonna Make It Alright" recorded by George Strait, and "Come Back Song" recorded by Darius Rucker.[5] As a songwriter, over 150 of Stapleton's songs have appeared on albums by such artists as Adele, Luke Bryan, Tim McGraw, Brad Paisley and Dierks Bentley.[6] He has co-written with notable artists like Vince Gill, Peter Frampton and Sheryl Crow.[7]

After serving as the frontman of The SteelDrivers from 2008 to 2010, Stapleton released his debut studio album Traveller in 2015, which earned him several awards, reached number one on the US Billboard 200 and went on to sell over 1.2 million copies domestically.[8] Stapleton won the 2015 Country Music Association Award for Best Male Vocalist, New Artist of the Year, and Album of the Year.[9] He received four Grammy Award nominations for the 2016 ceremony, including Album of the Year, winning two: Best Country Album and Best Country Solo Performance.[10]

Early life

Stapleton was born in Lexington, Kentucky. His mother worked at the local health department and his father was a coal miner. He comes from a family of coal miners.[11][12] He has an older brother and younger sister.[13][14]

Stapleton grew up in the small town of Staffordsville, Kentucky, which is located just outside of Paintsville, located between the city and the Paintsville lake.[11] He graduated from Johnson Central High School and attended Vanderbilt University where he studied engineering, but stopped after a year.[15][16]

Career

In 2001, Stapleton moved to Nashville, Tennessee to pursue a music career. As a songwriter, he signed with the publishing house Sea Gayle Music, a deal he got shortly after moving to Nashville.[17]

The Steeldrivers

In 2007, he became the front man for the bluegrass group The Steeldrivers. They had two hit records that each peaked at number 2 on the bluegrass chart before Stapleton left in 2010.[18]

The Jompson Brothers

In 2010, Stapleton founded a Southern rock band called The Jompson Brothers.[19] The band was made up of Stapleton on vocals, Greg McKee on guitar, J.T. Cure on bass, Bard McNamee on drums. They toured regionally until 2013 and at one point, opened for the Zac Brown Band.[20] The band independently released a self-titled album in November 2010.[21]

Solo work

In 2013, Stapleton signed to Mercury Nashville, a division of Universal Music Group Nashville, as a solo artist.[2][3] His first single, "What Are You Listening To", was released in October 2013, but didn't perform as expected.[22] The single was part of a record that was recorded but never released.[23]

His debut solo album, Traveller, was released on May 5, 2015 to positive reviews.[24][25] Stapleton co–produced the album with producer Dave Cobb (Jason Isbell, Sturgill Simpson), and it was recorded in Nashville's famous RCA Studio A.[26] On the album he plays guitar and sings with a live band that is made up of bass player J.T. Cure (from The Jompson Brothers), pedal steel player Robby Turner, drummer Derek Mixon, Mickey Raphael on harmonica, and wife Morgane Stapleton singing harmonies.[27] Stapleton emphasized the importance and magic of the band lineup that came together during the making and promotion of the record, saying the familiarity he had with Cure and Mixon (he has known and played with Cure for over 20 years), plus Cobb's producing which included contributing acoustic guitar in the recording process, added to the richness of making the record.[28]

Stapleton said that the album was inspired by a road trip he took after his father died in 2013.[29] He said he wrote the title track "Traveller" while on a road trip with his wife, driving down Interstate 40 from Phoenix, Arizona, to Nashville via New Mexico.[30] His wife helped to sift through 15 years of songs to pick 9 songs to start recording with.[31]

In 2015, Stapleton won three awards at the 2015 CMA Awards: "Album of the Year", "Male Vocalist of the Year", and "New Artist of the Year".[32] In December 2015, Stapleton received the 2015 CMT Artists of the Year Breakout award during a live performance at the annual CMT Artists of the Year show.[33][34][35]

In January 2016, Stapleton performed "Either Way," a song he wrote with Kendall Marvel and Tim James, at the Country Radio Hall of Fame's Country Radio Seminar in Nashville. It was previously recorded by Lee Ann Womack for her 2008 album, Call Me Crazy. Stapleton said he is working on new material for his next record.[36]

In 2016, Stapleton – along with his wife Morgane – contributed the track, "You Are My Sunshine," to producer Dave Cobb's compilation record project, Southern Family.[37][38] Stapleton performed on the main stage at the 2016 Country to Country festival in Europe along with Andrew Combs, Kacey Musgraves and headliner Eric Church.

Collaborations

Stapleton has contributed to the soundtracks of several feature films, including Cars 2 and Valentine's Day.

Stapleton also cowrote the theme—"All-Nighter Comin'"—to the WSM-AM show, The WSM All Nighter with Marcia Campbell, an American radio show with a large trucker following. He co-wrote the song with Vince Gill and Al Anderson, with Gill featured on vocals on the track.[30]

Live performances

In 2013, Stapleton and his wife sang the Don Williams song, "Amanda," live at the Grand Ole Opry.[39][40] They also did an NPR Tiny Desk Concert in November 2015.[41]

At the 2014 CMT Artist of the Year event, Stapleton performed with Lady Antebellum, who played Stapleton's song, "Drink a Beer," which Luke Bryan had recorded, in honor of Bryan, who was unable to attend the ceremony due to a death in his family.[42] Stapleton had sung on the song during Bryan's 2013 CMA Awards performance of the song.[22]

At the 2015 CMA Awards, Justin Timberlake joined him on stage for the show to sing his version of the song popularized as a George Jones live show staple, "Tennessee Whiskey" and Timberlake's "Drink You Away."[43] The performance received acclaim from music publications.[44][45]

Stapleton was the musical guest on the Saturday Night Live episode which aired January 16, 2016, alongside host Adam Driver. He performed "Parachute" and "Nobody to Blame" from Traveller.[46]

Personal life

Stapleton is married to singer-songwriter Morgane Stapleton.[12][47][48] She had a recording deal with Arista Nashville.[49] The couple met when they were working at adjacent publishing houses.[28] They have two children and live in Nashville.[7]

Notable songs (as songwriter)

Awards

ACM Awards

Year Recipient/Nominated work Award Result Ref.
2016 Traveller Album of the Year Won [58]
"Nobody to Blame" Song of the Year Won
Chris Stapleton Songwriter of the Year Won
New Male Vocalist of the Year Won
Male Vocalist of the Year Won
Vocal Event of the Year "Hangover Tonight" (with Gary Allan) Nominated

American Country Countdown Awards

Year Recipient/Nominated work Award Result Ref.
2016 Traveller Top Country Album Won [59]

Billboard Music Awards

Year Recipient/Nominated work Award Result Ref.
2016 Chris Stapleton Top Country Artist Pending [60]
Traveller Top Country Album Pending

CMA Awards

Year Recipient/Nominated work Award Result Ref.
2015 Traveller Album of the Year Won [9]
Chris Stapleton New Artist of the Year Won
Male Vocalist of the Year Won

Grammy Awards

Year Recipient/Nominated work Award Result Ref.
2016 Traveller Album of the Year Nominated [61]
Best Country Album Won
"Traveller" Best Country Solo Performance Won
Best Country Song Nominated

Discography

Solo albums

Title Album details Peak chart positions Sales Certifications
US Country
[63]		 US
[64]		 AUS
[65]		 CAN
[66]		 UK
[67]
Traveller 1 1 47 4 67
  • US: 1,253,000[8]

Singles

Year Single Peak chart positions Sales Album
US Country
[70]		 US Country Airplay
[70]		 US
[71]		 US Digital CAN Country CAN
[72]
2013 "What Are You Listening To" — 46 — 19 — — N/A
2015 "Traveller" 17 — 87 10 — — Traveller
"Nobody to Blame" 13 10 68 — 11 83
2016 "Parachute"A 43 57
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

Other charted songs

Year Single Peak chart positions Sales Certifications Album
US Country
[70]		 US Country Airplay US
[71]		 CAN
[72]
2015 "Tennessee Whiskey" 1 57 20 39 Traveller
"Whiskey and You" 35 — — —
"Fire Away" 25 — 106 —
"Outlaw State of Mind" 45 — — —
"Might as Well Get Stoned" 44 — — —
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

Music videos

Year Video Director
2016 "Fire Away"[79] Tim Mattia

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Songwriter/Composer: Stapleton Christopher Alvin". BMI. Retrieved 28 April 2015.
  2. 1 2 Casey, Jim (26 November 2015). "Chris Stapleton: The Trendsetter". Country Weekly. Retrieved 30 November 2015.
  3. 1 2 Doyle, Patrick (2 December 2015). "Chris Stapleton on Meeting Bill Murray, 'Wonderfully Strange' Number One LP". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 3 December 2015.
  4. ↑ ""Love's Gonna Make It Alright" #1 Party". ASCAP. 4 May 2012. Retrieved 11 September 2015.
  5. ↑ Casey, Jim (29 April 2015). "Chris Stapleton: Nashville's Best-Kept Secret". Country Weekly. Retrieved 11 September 2015.
  6. ↑ Geller, Wendy (8 August 2014). "Chris Stapleton: Man of Few Words, Lots of Great Songs". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 11 September 2015.
  7. 1 2 Philbrook, Erik (23 July 2015). "Hit Nashville Writer Chris Stapleton Hits the Road with Solo Debut". ASCAP. Retrieved 11 September 2015.
  8. 1 2 Bjorke, Matt (May 5, 2016). "Country Album Chart Report: May 5, 2016". Roughstock.
  9. 1 2 Watts, Cindy (4 November 2015). "CMA Awards: Stapleton, Little Big Town are winners". The Tennessean. Retrieved 5 November 2015.
  10. ↑ "58th Annual GRAMMY Awards Nominees". National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Retrieved 7 December 2015.
  11. 1 2 3 Halsey, Derek (24 August 2015). "Kentucky native Chris Stapleton kicks off Kentucky Music Trail Concert Series". The Herald-Dispatch. Retrieved 11 September 2015.
  12. 1 2 3 Orr, Dacey (29 April 2015). "Chris Stapleton: Firing Away". Paste. Retrieved 11 September 2015.
  13. ↑ "Herbert Joseph Stapleton - Kentucky, Vital Record Indexes". FamilySearch. Retrieved 9 September 2015.
  14. ↑ "Melanie Brooke Stapleton - Kentucky, Vital Record Indexes". FamilySearch. Retrieved 9 September 2015.
  15. ↑ Shelburne, Craig (21 July 2014). "The Unsung Heroism Of Chris Stapleton". American Songwriter. Retrieved 11 September 2015.
  16. ↑ Clinch, Danny (3 April 2016). "Chris Stapleton: "Built Here" Longform". Ram Trucks. Retrieved 4 April 2016.
  17. ↑ Moore, Rick (3 December 2010). "Nashville Songwriter Series: Chris Stapleton". American Songwriter. Retrieved 11 September 2015.
  18. ↑ Leahey, Andrew (4 November 2015). "The Natural". American Songwriter. Retrieved 5 November 2015.
  19. ↑ AmericanSongwriter (5 November 2010). "Making It In Nashville: The Jompson Brothers' Chris Stapleton". American Songwriter. Retrieved 11 September 2015.
  20. ↑ Schlansky, Evan (11 August 2010). "Zac Brown Band Pick Jompson Brothers For Sailing Southern Ground Cruise". American Songwriter. Retrieved 28 October 2010.
  21. ↑ "The Jompson Brothers -The Jompson Brothers". Amazon.
  22. 1 2 Caramanica, Jon (20 February 2015). "Chris Stapleton's 'Traveller' to Be Released This Spring". The New York Times. Retrieved 11 September 2015.
  23. ↑ Morton Jr., Ken (15 June 2015). "In The Moment with Chris Stapleton – An Interview on "Traveller"". Saving Country Music. Retrieved 11 September 2015.
  24. ↑ Hudak, Joseph (23 January 2015). "Hit Songwriter Chris Stapleton Announces Debut Solo Album 'Traveller'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 26 January 2015.
  25. ↑ White, Caitlin (12 May 2015). "Country Songwriter Chris Stapleton Copes With Loss on Triumphant Solo Debut: Album Review (4 stars)". Billboard. Retrieved 11 September 2015.
  26. ↑ The Associated Press (5 May 2015). "Music Review: Stapleton's Solo CD Takes Road Less Travelled". The New York Times. The Associated Press. Retrieved 11 September 2015.
  27. ↑ Leight, Elias (6 May 2015). "Chris Stapleton Shows His Inner Stax Soul Man at Album Release Party In New York: Live Review". Billboard. Retrieved 11 September 2015.
  28. 1 2 "Chris and Morgane Stapleton - Interview: Louisville Waterfront Park (Louisville, KY)". Paste. 19 July 2015. Retrieved 18 November 2015.
  29. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Thanki, Juli (2 May 2015). "Heartaches, highways inspire Chris Stapleton's 'Traveller'". The Tennessean. Retrieved 11 September 2015.
  30. 1 2 Dauphin, Chuck (30 April 2015). "Chris Stapleton's Debut Album 'Traveller' Inspired by 'Soul-Searching' Road Trip". Billboard. Retrieved 11 September 2015.
  31. ↑ Dingfelder, Sadie (20 August 2015). "Chris Stapleton writes songs, wife Morgane deems them worthy". The Washington Post. Retrieved 11 September 2015.
  32. ↑ Yahr, Emily (9 September 2015). "CMA nominations: Chris Stapleton, Kacey Musgraves, Sam Hunt score nods as newcomers move in". The Washington Post. Retrieved 9 September 2015.
  33. ↑ CMT Staff (17 November 2015). "Chris Stapleton Tapped for CMT Artists of the Year Breakout Award". CMT. Retrieved 18 November 2015.
  34. ↑ Welch, Will (7 January 2016). "Meet Three Country Badasses Who Are Shaking Up the Nashville Establishment". GQ. Retrieved 10 January 2016.
  35. ↑ Welch, Will (7 January 2016). "The GQ&A: Meet Chris Stapleton, Country Music's Cinderella Story and Grammy Dark Horse". GQ. Retrieved 10 January 2016.
  36. ↑ Kruh, Nancy (10 February 2016). "Luke Bryan Nurses a Super Hangover, Keith Urban Gets Funky and Eric Church Keeps It Old School at Star-Powered Event in Nashville". People. Retrieved 10 February 2016.
  37. ↑ Powers, Ann (18 February 2016). "Songs We Love: Morgane Stapleton With Chris Stapleton, 'You Are My Sunshine'". NPR Music. Retrieved 18 February 2016.
  38. ↑ Powers, Ann (16 December 2015). "An Outsider Remakes Nashville's Traditional Sound". NPR Music. Retrieved 18 February 2016.
  39. ↑ "Chris Stapleton - "Amanda" - Live at the Grand Ole Opry". Grand Ole Opry. 9 October 2013. Retrieved 18 November 2015.
  40. ↑ Crouch, Ian (5 November 2015). "Has Chris Stapleton Cracked the Country Code?". The New Yorker. Retrieved 18 November 2015.
  41. ↑ Ganz, Jacob (5 November 2015). "Tiny Desk: Chris Stapleton". NPR. Retrieved 18 November 2015.
  42. ↑ Anderson, Danielle (3 December 2014). "Luke Bryan Thanks Lady A and Fans After Emotional Tribute Performance". People. Retrieved 11 September 2015.
  43. ↑ Vain, Madison (7 November 2015). "Chris Stapleton dishes on his Justin Timberlake collaboration". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 9 November 2015.
  44. ↑ Rogiers, Katie (November 5, 2015). "Justin Timberlake Shows Crossover Appeal at C.M.A. Awards". The New York Times. Retrieved November 5, 2015.
  45. ↑ Moss, Marissa R. (4 November 2015). "See Chris Stapleton and Justin Timberlake's Stunning CMA Awards Duet". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 5 November 2015.
  46. ↑ Strecker, Erin (5 January 2016). "Chris Stapleton, Selena Gomez Set for 'Saturday Night Live'". Billboard. Retrieved 5 January 2016.
  47. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Anderson, Danielle (9 September 2015). "5 Things You Need to Know About Chris Stapleton". People. Retrieved 11 September 2015.
  48. ↑ CMT.com Staff (2 December 2006). "BMI Toasts Morgane Hayes for Writing Carrie Underwood Hit". CMT News. Retrieved 11 September 2015.
  49. ↑ Caramanica, Jon (17 November 2015). "Chris Stapleton Rides His Own Country Music Wave". The New York Times. Retrieved 18 November 2015.
  50. 1 2 3 Leahey, Andrew (22 September 2015). "Five Essential Songs by Chris Stapleton". American Songwriter. Retrieved 5 November 2015.
  51. ↑ "2006 ASCAP Country Music Awards: Complete List of Winners". ASCAP. 23 October 2006. Retrieved 11 September 2015.
  52. ↑ "2007 ASCAP Country Music Awards: Complete List of Winners". ASCAP. 16 October 2007. Retrieved 11 September 2015.
  53. ↑ "2008 ASCAP Country Music Awards: Complete List of Winners". ASCAP. 13 October 2008. Retrieved 11 September 2015.
  54. ↑ "2009 ASCAP Country Music Awards: Complete List of Winners". ASCAP. 6 November 2009. Retrieved 11 September 2015.
  55. ↑ "2010 ASCAP Country Music Awards: Complete List of Winners". ASCAP. 14 September 2010. Retrieved 11 September 2015.
  56. ↑ "2011 ASCAP Country Music Awards: Complete List of Winners". ASCAP. 6 November 2011. Retrieved 11 September 2015.
  57. ↑ "2012 ASCAP Country Music Awards: Complete List of Winners". ASCAP. 29 October 2012. Retrieved 11 September 2015.
  58. ↑ Billboard staff (April 3, 2016). "ACM Awards 2016: See the Full List of Winners". Billboard. Retrieved April 3, 2016.
  59. ↑ Billboard Staff (May 1, 2016). "American Country Countdown Awards 2016: See the Winners List". Billboard. Retrieved May 1, 2016.
  60. ↑ Billboard Staff (April 11, 2016). "Billboard Music Awards 2016: See the Finalists". Billboard. Retrieved April 11, 2016.
  61. ↑ "Grammy Nominations 2016: See the Full List of Nominees". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. December 7, 2015. Retrieved December 7, 2015.
  62. ↑ Maxwell, Emily (15 April 2015). "Chris Stapleton To Release Limited-Edition 10" Record Store Day Vinyl". American Songwriter. Retrieved 11 September 2015.
  63. ↑ "Chris Stapleton Chart History – Top Country Albums". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media.
  64. ↑ "Chris Stapleton Chart History – Billboard 200". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media.
  65. ↑ "Discography Chris Stapleton - australian-charts.com". Hung Medien.
  66. ↑ "Chris Stapleton Chart History – Canadian Albums". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media.
  67. ↑ "Chris Stapleton", The Official Charts Company
  68. ↑ "Canadian album certifications – Chris Stapleton – Traveller". Music Canada.
  69. 1 2 "Gold & Platinum: Stapleton, Chris". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 8 December 2015.
  70. 1 2 3 "Billboard Country Update" (PDF). Billboard. November 9, 2015.
  71. 1 2 "Chris Stapleton Chart History – Hot 100". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media.
  72. 1 2 "Chris Stapleton Chart History –Canadian Country". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media.
  73. ↑ Bjorke, Matt (February 29, 2016). "Top 30 Digital Country Singles Chart: February 29, 2016". Roughstock.
  74. ↑ Bjorke, Matt (February 23, 2016). "The Top 30 Digital Singles: February 22, 2016". Roughstock.
  75. 1 2 3 Bjorke, Matt (May 1, 2016). "Country Digital Single Sales Chart: Week Of May 2, 2016". Roughstock.
  76. ↑ Bjorke, Matt (May 5, 2016). "Top 30 Digital Singles Report: May 5, 2016". Roughstock.
  77. ↑ "Canadian digital download certifications – Chris Stapleton – Tennessee Whiskey". Music Canada.
  78. 1 2 3 Bjorke, Matt (November 16, 2015). "Top 30 Digital Singles: November 17, 2015". Roughstock.
  79. ↑ "CMT : Videos : Chris Stapleton : Fire Away". Country Music Television. Retrieved February 29, 2016.

External links

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