History of Chris Stapleton in Timeline

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Chris Stapleton

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.

1946: Father's Birth Year

Herbert Joseph Stapleton Jr., Chris Stapleton's father, was born in 1946. He worked as an engineer in coal mines.

April 15, 1978: Chris Stapleton Born

On April 15, 1978, Christopher Alvin Stapleton was born in Kentucky. He is an American country singer-songwriter and guitarist.

1979: Jeep Acquired

In 1979, Chris Stapleton's wife bought him a Jeep, which became the inspiration for his song "Traveller".

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.

2007: Marriage to Morgane Hayes

In 2007, Chris Stapleton married singer-songwriter Morgane Hayes after they met while working at adjacent publishing houses.

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.

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2009: Birth of First Son

In 2009, Chris Stapleton and his wife Morgane Hayes welcomed their first son.

November 2010: Jompson Brothers Album Release

In November 2010, the Jompson Brothers, featuring Chris Stapleton, independently released their self-titled album.

2010: Birth of Daughter

In 2010, Chris Stapleton and Morgane Hayes had a daughter.

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.

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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.

2013: Father's Death

In 2013, Herbert Joseph Stapleton Jr., Chris Stapleton's father, passed away.

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".

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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.

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2015: Vocal Style Described

In 2015, Randy Lewis of the Los Angeles Times described Chris Stapleton's singing as reminiscent of Merle Haggard, Lefty Frizzell, Ray Charles, and his guitar performances as evoking Stevie Ray Vaughan.

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.

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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.

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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.

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2018: Birth of Twin Sons

In 2018, Chris Stapleton and Morgane Hayes welcomed twin sons.

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.

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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.

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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.

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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".

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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: Birth of Another Son

In 2019, Chris Stapleton and Morgane Hayes had another son.

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.

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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".

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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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2023: Ranked on Rolling Stone's List

In 2023, Rolling Stone ranked Chris Stapleton at number 170 on its list of the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time.