Chris Stapleton

One of Nashville's most respected writers, Chris Stapleton has co-written six No. 1 hits for some of country music’s biggest stars, including George Strait, Kenny Chesney, Brad Paisley, Darius Rucker and others. And then there’s Adele -- we can't forget Adele, who has counted herself among his fans since Stapleton fronted the progressive bluegrass outfit, The SteelDrivers. In 2010, Stapleton took his leave from the band and started writing songs for others. With an impressive string of hits behind him, the Kentucky-native was signed to Mercury Nashville in 2013. His debut single, "What Are You Listening To" was released later that year, but received a lukewarm response at country radio. It would take another year and a half before his debut album Traveller would see the light of day. And although country radio did periodically play the title track, it was Stapleton's blistering performance with Justin Timberlake at the CMA Awards that had people going back to Traveller for a second listen. In fact, the album re-entered Billboard’s all-genre chart at No. 1 and stayed there for two weeks. Traveller received four 2016 Grammy nods shortly thereafter and nabbed Best Country Album.