Career Timeline of Chris Stapleton: Major Achievements and Milestones
How Chris Stapleton built a successful career. Explore key moments that defined the journey.
Chris Stapleton is an American country singer-songwriter and guitarist born in Kentucky. He initially moved to Nashville to study engineering but dropped out to pursue music. Soon after, Stapleton signed a publishing deal with Sea Gayle Music to focus on writing and publishing his songs, marking the beginning of his successful career in the country music industry.
1996: Moved to Nashville
In 1996, Chris Stapleton moved to Nashville to study biomedical engineering at Vanderbilt University. He later switched to business school before pursuing songwriting.
2007: Formation of The SteelDrivers
In 2007, Chris Stapleton formed the bluegrass group The SteelDrivers to perform his songs.
2008: "Either Way" Recorded by Lee Ann Womack
In 2008, Lee Ann Womack recorded the song "Either Way", which Chris Stapleton co-wrote, for her album Call Me Crazy.
November 2010: Jompson Brothers Album Release
In November 2010, the Jompson Brothers, featuring Chris Stapleton, independently released their self-titled album.
October 2013: Released First Single
In October 2013, Chris Stapleton released his first single, "What Are You Listening To?", on Mercury Nashville. While it did not perform as expected, the single was part of a recorded but unreleased album. Stapleton also co-wrote "All-Nighter Comin'" for The WSM All Nighter radio show.
2013: Performed at Grand Ole Opry
In 2013, Chris Stapleton and his wife Morgane sang "Amanda" live at the Grand Ole Opry.
2013: Road trip and Composition of Traveller
In 2013, Chris Stapleton and his wife went on a road trip to New Mexico, during which he composed the title track of his first album, Traveller.
2014: Performed with Lady Antebellum
In 2014, Chris Stapleton performed with Lady Antebellum at the CMT Artist of the Year event, where they played Stapleton's song "Drink a Beer".
May 5, 2015: Traveller Album Release
On May 5, 2015, Chris Stapleton's debut solo album, Traveller, was released. It was co-produced with Dave Cobb and recorded in Nashville's RCA Studio A.
November 2015: NPR Tiny Desk Concert
In November 2015, Chris Stapleton and his wife Morgane played an NPR Tiny Desk Concert.
December 2015: CMT Artists of the Year Breakout Award
In December 2015, Chris Stapleton received the 2015 CMT Artists of the Year Breakout award.
2015: Traveller Album Release and Success
In 2015, Chris Stapleton released his debut solo album, Traveller. It topped the US Billboard 200 chart and received septuple platinum certification. His cover of "Tennessee Whiskey" also achieved diamond certification in 2015.
January 2016: Performed "Either Way" at Country Radio Seminar
In January 2016, Chris Stapleton performed "Either Way", a song he co-wrote, at the Country Radio Hall of Fame's Country Radio Seminar in Nashville.
January 16, 2016: Saturday Night Live Appearance
On January 16, 2016, Chris Stapleton was the musical guest on Saturday Night Live, performing "Parachute" and "Nobody to Blame" from Traveller.
2016: Album Success
In 2016, Chris Stapleton's album, Traveller, was the top selling country album of the year.
May 5, 2017: From A Room: Volume 1 Release
On May 5, 2017, Chris Stapleton released his second studio album, From A Room: Volume 1.
July 2017: Traveller Sales Milestone
By July 2017, Chris Stapleton's album Traveller had sold a total of 2 million copies in the US.
December 1, 2017: From A Room: Volume 2 Release
On December 1, 2017, Chris Stapleton released his third studio album, From A Room: Volume 2.
2017: From A Room: Volume 1 success
In 2017, Chris Stapleton released "From A Room: Volume 1", earning him a second CMA Award for Album of the Year and a Grammy Award for Best Country Album.
January 27, 2018: Second Saturday Night Live Appearance
On January 27, 2018, Chris Stapleton made his second appearance as a musical guest on Saturday Night Live, performing songs from From A Room: Volume 2 with Sturgill Simpson.
2018: Previous Single Release
Chris Stapleton's previous single released before August 28, 2020 was Millionaire in 2018.
2018: Collaboration with Justin Timberlake and Elton John Tribute
In 2018, Chris Stapleton co-wrote three songs for Justin Timberlake's album Man of the Woods, including "Say Something", and recorded a cover of "I Want Love" for an Elton John tribute album.
April 28, 2019: Game of Thrones Extra
On April 28, 2019, Chris Stapleton appeared as an extra in "The Long Night", an episode of the HBO series Game of Thrones.
July 5, 2019: Release of "Blow" with Bruno Mars and Ed Sheeran
On July 5, 2019, Chris Stapleton, along with Bruno Mars and Ed Sheeran, released the song "Blow", on which Stapleton contributed songwriting and vocals.
August 6, 2019: Performed with John Mayer
On August 6, 2019, John Mayer invited Chris Stapleton on stage at his concert to perform "I Just Remembered That I Didn't Care", a song they had written the day before. Stapleton also performed Mayer's "Slow Dancing in a Burning Room".
September 2019: ACM Artist-Songwriter of the Decade
In September 2019, Chris Stapleton was named the ACM's Artist-Songwriter of the Decade.
2019: Collaboration with Mike Campbell
During 2019, Chris Stapleton began writing and recording songs with Mike Campbell, guitarist of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.
2019: ACM Artist-Songwriter of the Decade
In 2019, Chris Stapleton was recognized by the Academy of Country Music as the inaugural ACM artist-songwriter of the decade.
August 28, 2020: "Starting Over" Single Release
On August 28, 2020, Chris Stapleton released "Starting Over" as the lead single from his album of the same name.
September 25, 2020: "Cold" Single Release
On September 25, 2020, Chris Stapleton released "Cold" as a single.
2020: Album work with Mike Campbell
In 2020, Chris Stapleton continued to record and write songs with Mike Campbell, who, along with Benmont Tench, played on Stapleton's album Starting Over. Stapleton also featured on the Dirty Knobs' album Wreckless Abandon.
2020: Starting Over Album and Grammy Win
In 2020, Chris Stapleton released his fourth album, Starting Over, which won his third Grammy for Best Country Album. The title track was the lead single.
August 5, 2021: Featured on Taylor Swift's Album
On August 5, 2021, Chris Stapleton was featured on Taylor Swift's re-recorded album, Red (Taylor's Version), on the track "I Bet You Think About Me".
September 2021: Tribute Album Contribution
In September 2021, Chris Stapleton contributed a cover of Metallica's "Nothing Else Matters" to the charity tribute album The Metallica Blacklist.
2021: Collaboration with Tom Morello
In 2021, Chris Stapleton collaborated with Tom Morello on "The War Inside" from Morello's album The Atlas Underground Fire.
2021: CMA Male Vocalist of the Year Award
In 2021, Chris Stapleton won the Country Music Association Award for Male Vocalist of the Year for the fourth time.
2022: ACM Male Artist of the Year Award
In 2022, Chris Stapleton won the Academy of Country Music Award for Male Artist of the Year for the third time, where he also performed "You'll Never Leave Harlan Alive" with Patty Loveless.
February 12, 2023: Super Bowl National Anthem Performance
On February 12, 2023, Chris Stapleton sang the United States' national anthem at Super Bowl LVII in Glendale, Arizona.
2023: Monday Night Football Theme Song
In 2023, Chris Stapleton, along with Cindy Blackman Santana and Snoop Dogg, recorded a cover of Phil Collins' "In the Air Tonight" as the opening theme song for Monday Night Football.
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