#2 Chris Stapleton stepping out of the shadows with "Traveller"
I don’t remember how exactly I discovered Chris Stapleton. What I do remember is that immediately when I heard his voice I thought WHO THE HELL IS THIS GUY AND WHERE WAS HE HIDING?
Turns out Chris Stapleton has been on the country scene for a while, as one of Nashville’s most prolific songwriters and the lead singer of a bluegrass band The Steeldrivers.
Despite his impressive voice, somehow he stayed behind the scenes for years, writing for George Strait, Alan Jackson, Luke Bryan, Blake Shelton, among others, hits like:
Josh Turner - Your Man
Luke Bryan - Drink a Beer
Kenny Chesney - Never Wanted Nothing More
George Strait - Love’s Gonna Make It Alright
Thomas Rhett - Crash and Burn
Blake Shelton - Ready to Roll
…and around 150 more.
His breakthrough solo album Traveller came out in 2015. The 10th anniversary was commemorated by a recent color vinyl release.
Chris wrote it after a personal tragedy, the death of his father, which is reflected in the music and lyrics. Most notably in the song “Daddy Doesn’t Pray Anymore”.
“After my dad died, I just got in the car with my wife and we drove across the country. That’s when I wrote a lot of what would become Traveller.”
The universally acclaimed debut went 7× Platinum and won major awards, including the 2016 Grammys for Best Country Album and Best Country Solo Performance. It’s often credited with reviving traditional and outlaw country, paving the way for a new wave of singer-songwriters, including Sturgill Simpson, Tyler Childers, Brent Cobb, Colter Wall, while broadening the audience for Americana legend Jason Isbell.
I was lucky enough to hear most of the songs from the album live in Dublin at the 2019 Country to Country festival. My personal recordings are stained by an embarrassing voiceover, but my favorite moment of the concert is available on YouTube. Irish country music fans went wild when Chris sang “Tonight I’m gonna drink some good Irish whiskey” (around 7 min mark in the video below).
This album is full of bangers and it doesn’t have a single song I don’t enjoy, but there are two that just hit differently.
First one is the title track - Traveller. It speaks to me a lot on a personal level, as I’ve been through my share of travels, having lived in four different countries. While in Atlanta, I picked up the Dec ’15 issue of Rolling Stone magazine. Star Wars: The Force Awakens was about to come out, and I was super hyped. Apart from a cover promoting what turned out to initiate the demise of a beloved franchise, that issue also had an interview with Chris about his recent rise to fame.
He talks there about the song and mentions that he wrote it, driving through New Mexico with his wife in a 1979 Jeep Cherokee he got from her as a gift. He wrote it before his father’s death, but after he passed Chris said “it became the time to sing the song”
I’m just a traveller on this earth
Sure as my heart’s behind the pocket of my shirt
I’ll just keep rolling till I’m in the dirt-Chris Stapleton “Traveller”
Another track from the album, and my all-time favorite pound for pound, was written by Dean Dillon and Linda Hargrove in 1981, and first recorded by David Allan Coe (with moderate success). George Jones picked it up again in 1983, and his version reached #2 on the Hot Country Singles chart. Apparently, it was also pitched to George Strait, but he turned it down.
Chris and his band first tested Tennessee Whiskey during a Charlottesville, VA soundcheck. They liked it enough to add it to their concerts, and later to the album, arranged with music inspired by Etta James’ “I’d Rather Go Blind.”
What started as a casual addition to the setlist ended up becoming Stapleton’s biggest hit - ironic, considering one of Nashville’s top songwriters broke through as a singer with a cover.
The song was being played on the radio and got some positive reactions, but it skyrocketed after performance at the 2015 CMA awards with Justin Timberlake. As Chris himself said on a Howard Stern interview - it was a life-changing moment for him.
Following that night, every ticket on the tour sold out, launching Stapleton’s fame to new levels. He later collaborated with Timberlake on a song called Say Something.
Tennessee Whiskey went on to be named the most listened-to country song of 2020 by the National Music Publishers Association. Stapleton followed with his next studio albums, From A Room: Volumes 1 & 2, which I’m happy to have on vinyl, and maybe will get their own post here at some point.
A breakthrough for sure. And his version of Tennessee Whiskey is amazing. My all time favorite though - Cold.