Chris Stapleton is a name you’re sure to hear at this year’s CMA Awards. He seems like the hero that came from nowhere, but in truth, he worked his way to the top. A man who many think of as an overnight sensation had nearly fifteen years of creating success for other stars before his turn in the spotlight.
Chris Stapleton won a plethora of awards in 2016, including Taste of Country
According to allmusic.com, Stapleton was born in Lexington, Kentucky on April 15, 1978, and raised in Staffordsville. He moved to Nashville in 2001 and began work in the music industry, writing, and recording. During this time, he helped several artists profit from his penchant for lyric genius. George Strait, Kenney Chesney, Dierks Bentley, Luke Bryan, Brad Paisley, and even Adele have put Stapleton words into hit tunes (just to name a few).
In 2008, he created the bluegrass band, the SteelDrivers. The band had some success, including three Grammy nominations. Despite this, he left the SteelDrivers in 2010. Following, he formed the Jompson Brothers, a Southern rock band that lasted until 2013. That same year, he signed with Mercury Records only to have a single that didn’t chart, and his album scrapped.
Finally a Success
It wasn’t until fourteen years after Stapleton moved to Nashville that Traveller was released. Interestingly, the 2015 record didn’t do much on the radio. (Ironically, he was overshadowed by Thomas Rhett’s release of “Crash and Burn,” a song Stapleton co-wrote.) But Stapleton scored big at the CMAs that year; he took home Best Male Vocalist, New Artist of the Year, and Best Album. Finally, he was a star.
Chris Stapleton and Luke Bryan (photo from www.wideopencountry.com)
Keeping On
Stapleton’s latest album, “From A Room” was released in two parts and continues to make Stapleton a mainstay. The album was nominated for Album of the Year 2017 by the Country Music Association. Stapleton doesn’t give any indication of slowing down, of which his fans couldn’t be more pleased. After all, it took almost 15 years to hear his voice to his words–we need at least twice that long to enjoy it.
