Christopher Alvin Stapleton (born April 15, 1978) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. Born in Kentucky, he moved to Nashville in 1996 to study for an engineering degree from Vanderbilt University, but dropped out to pursue a career in music. Shortly after, Stapleton signed a contract with Sea Gayle Music to write and publish his music. Stapleton has co-written six number-one singles for other artists on the Hot Country Songs chart including Kenny Chesney's five-week number-one "Never Wanted Nothing More", Josh Turner's "Your Man", George Strait's "Love's Gonna Make It Alright", and Luke Bryan's "Drink a Beer". He has been credited on albums for artists including Adele, Kelly Clarkson, Brad Paisley, Dierks Bentley, and Taylor Swift. Stapleton has also co-written with Vince Gill, Peter Frampton, Sheryl Crow, and Ed Sheeran, among others. As a recording artist, Stapleton served as a vocalist in two bands: the bluegrass ensemble the SteelDrivers and the rock band the Jompson Brothers, before emerging as a solo act. His debut solo album, Traveller (2015), peaked on top of the US Billboard 200 and received septuple platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Stapleton's 2015 cover of the song "Tennessee Whiskey" received diamond certification by the RIAA. His second studio album, From A Room: Volume 1 (2017) earned him a second CMA Award for Album of the Year and a Grammy Award for Best Country Album. Stapleton's third, From A Room: Volume 2 (2017) peaked at number two on the Billboard 200, and his fourth, Starting Over (2020), won his third Grammy for Best Country Album. The title track was issued as its lead single. Stapleton has been recognized with awards including 11 Grammy Awards, 11 Academy of Country Music (ACM) Awards, and 15 Country Music Association (CMA) Awards. He was named the ACM's Artist-Songwriter of the Decade in September 2019. In 2023, Rolling Stone ranked Stapleton at number 170 on its list of the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time.
