Christopher Alvin Stapleton (born April 15, 1978) is an American musician and songwriter. He is an established songwriter with six number-one songs including the five-week number-one “Never Wanted Nothing More” recorded by Kenny Chesney, “Love’s Gonna Make It Alright” recorded by George Strait, and “Come Back Song” recorded by Darius Rucker.
As a songwriter, over 150 of Stapleton’s songs have appeared on albums by such artists as Adele, Luke Bryan, Tim McGraw, Brad Paisley and Dierks Bentley. Among other artists, he has co-written with Vince Gill, Peter Frampton and Sheryl Crow. After serving as the frontman of The SteelDrivers from 2008 to 2010, Stapleton released his debut studio album Traveller in 2015, which earned him several awards, reached number one on the US Billboard 200 and went on to sell over 1.8 million copies domestically.
Stapleton won the 2015 Country Music Association Award for Best Male Vocalist, New Artist of the Year, and Album of the Year. He received four Grammy Award nominations for the 2016 ceremony, including Album of the Year, winning two: Best Country Album and Best Country Solo Performance.
- Name: Chris Stapleton
- Birth Date: April 15, 1978
- Hometown: Staffordsville, Kentucky
- Pace of Birth: Lexington, KY
- Occupation: Musician | Songwriter ◦ Years Active: Early 2000s−present
Career
In 2001, Stapleton moved to Nashville, Tennessee to pursue a music career. As a songwriter, he signed with the publishing house Sea Gayle Music, a deal he got shortly after moving to Nashville. In 2007, he became the frontman for the bluegrass group The Steeldrivers. They had two hit records; each peaked at number 2 on the bluegrass chart before Stapleton left in 2010.
In 2010, Stapleton founded a Southern rock band called The Jompson Brothers. The band was made up of Stapleton on vocals, Greg McKee on guitar, J.T. Cure on bass, Bard McNamee on drums. They toured regionally until 2013 and at one point, opened for the Zac Brown Band.
The band independently released a self-titled album in November 2010. Personal Life Stapleton is married to singer-songwriter Morgane Hayes, who co-wrote Carrie Underwood’s 2006 single “Don’t Forget to Remember Me”. She had a recording deal with Arista Nashville. The couple met when they were working at adjacent publishing houses.
They have two children and live in Nashville. For more information visit chrisstapleton.com
Discography
Selected Songs (as songwriter) 2003:
- “Higher Than the Wall” recorded by Patty Loveless, written with Mike Henderson
- 2005: “Your Man” recorded by Josh Turner, written with Chris DuBois and Jace Everett
- 2006: “Nothin’ but a Love Thang” recorded by Darryl Worley, written with Steve Leslie and Worley
- 2006: “Swing” recorded by Trace Adkins, written with Frank Rogers
- 2007: “Never Wanted Nothing More” recorded by Kenny Chesney, written with Ronnie Bowman
- 2007: “Whiskey and You” recorded by Tim McGraw
- 2008: “Another Try” recorded by Josh Turner with Trisha Yearwood, written with Jeremy Spillman
- 2008: “Either Way” performed by Lee Ann Womack, written with Tim James and Kendall Marvel
- 2010: “Come Back Song” recorded by Darius Rucker, written with Casey Beathard and Rucker
- 2010: “Keep On Lovin’ You” recorded by Steel Magnolia, written with Trent Willmon
- 2011: “If It Hadn’t Been for Love” recorded by Adele (co-wrote with The SteelDrivers’ Mike Henderson)
- 2011: “Miles to Go” recorded by Alison Krauss and Union Station, written with Barry Bales
- 2011: “Love’s Gonna Make It Alright” recorded by George Strait, written with Al Anderson
- 2012; “Something to Do with My Hands” recorded by Thomas Rhett, written with Lee Thomas Miller and Rhett
- 2012: “Talk Is Cheap” performed by Alan Jackson, written with Guy Clark and Morgane Hayes
- 2013: “Drink a Beer” recorded by Luke Bryan, written with Jim Beavers
- 2014: “Too Fast” recorded by Jason Aldean, written with Lee Thomas Miller
- 2015: “Crash and Burn” recorded by Thomas Rhett, written with Jesse Frasure
- 2016: “If He Ain’t Gonna Love You” recorded by Jake Owen, written with Shane McAnally and Luke Laird
- 2016: “Lonely Girl” recorded by Charles Kelley, written with Jesse Frasure
Albums
- 2015: In Stereo – Record Store Day limited-edition 10″ vinyl
- Traveller – Release date: May 5, 2015
