Chris Stapleton

Born in Lexington, Kentucky on April 15, 1978, Chris Stapleton is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. After relocating from Kentucky to the heart of country music in Nashville in 2001, Stapleton took on day jobs to make ends meet while performing in local clubs and pursuing a record deal. In 2008, he founded The Steeldrivers, a bluegrass ensemble that earned several Grammy nominations. Stapleton departed from the band in 2010 and co-founded the Southern rock band, The Jompson Brothers, with guitarist Greg McKee, bassist J.T. Cure, and drummer Brad McNamee. Although the group disbanded in 2013, he focused on his solo career, ultimately securing a deal with Mercury Records. While his initial single, "What Are You Listening To?" failed to gain much attention, his popularity skyrocketed overnight with the success of the single "Nobody to Blame," leading to record-breaking success with his debut solo album, Traveller, in 2015. This album, inspired by a road trip undertaken by his late father, propelled him to stardom in the country music scene and garnered crossover acclaim. His highly anticipated second album, From a Room: Volume 1, was released in May 2017, received a similarly enthusiastic reception which he followed with From a Room: Volume 2, appearing in December 2017 to critical acclaim. In 2020, he released his fourth studio album, Starting Over for which he received his third Grammy Award for Best Country Album, seeing album single "Cold" also winning Best Country Song. Both the album and the title track took the Number 1 spot on the US Country charts, alongside chart topping single "You Should Probably Leave," which also achieved a 3x Platinum certification. Collaborating with several popular artists in 2021 including Adele on the single "Easy on Me" and with Taylor Swift on "I Bet You Think About Me," in 2023, Stapleton was honoured with the Entertainer of the Year award at the Academy of Country Music Awards, making his a return in the same year with the single "White Horse," which served as the lead from his November album, Higher. The single reached number 7 on the US Country charts and number 10 in Canada.