• NOW THAT’S WHAT I CALL MUSIC OUTLAW COUNTRY, FEATURING CHRIS STAPLETON, JOHNNY CASH AND MORE, AVAILABLE NOW.

    NOW That’s What I Call Music, Universal Music Group Nashville and Sony Music Nashville have released Now That’s What I Call Music Outlaw Country. Now Outlaw Country is the first installment of special Outlaw Country brand under the popular NOW series.  Country Music fans can hear these eighteen tracks from their favorite Outlaw Country artists including Chris Stapleton, Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Miranda Lambert, and Jamey Johnson and more. Physical and digital purchase available HERE, and vinyl will be available 4/16.

     

    Now That’s What I Call Music Outlaw Country Track Listing:

    1. Chris Stapleton- Traveller
    2. Jamey Johnson- High Cost Of Living
    3. Steve Earle- Copperhead Road
    4. Miranda Lambert- Kerosene
    5. Travis Tritt- T-R-O-U-B-L-E
    6. Billy Joe Shaver- I Been To Georgia On A Fast Train
    7. Johnny Cash- Folsom Prison Blues (Live)
    8. The Charlie Daniels Band- The Devil Went Down To Georgia
    9. Johnny Paycheck- Take This Job and Shove It
    10. Waylon Jennings- Ladies Love Outlaws
    11. Kris Kristofferson- Help Me Make It Through The Night
    12. Waylon Jennings & Willie Nelson- Mammas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys
    13. Tanya Tucker- Texas (When I Die)
    14. Emmylou Harris- Bluebird Wine
    15. Jerry Jeff Walker- Up Against The Wall, Redneck (Live)
    16. David Allan Coe- The Ride
    17. Merle Haggard & Willie Nelson- Pancho & Lefty
    18. Guy Clark- Desperados Waiting For A Train

    Chris is poised to top the country charts with his single, “Starting Over.”

    NOW That’s What I Call Music is a joint venture from Universal Music Group and Sony Music Entertainment. The multi-platinum NOW That’s What I Call Music! compilation series is the world’s best-selling multi-artist recorded music brand with sales topping 104 million in the U.S.  Now That’s What I Call Music Outlaw Country is distributed by Universal Music Group. NOW and NOW That’s What I Call Music! are registered trademarks of Universal Music Group and its affiliates.

     

     

    Audio / CHRIS STAPLETON TALKS ABOUT THE TITLE OF HIS 2015 ALBUM, TRAVELLER.

    Download

    Chris Stapleton (title of Traveller) OC: …folks too. :43
    “The song ‘Traveller’ and how it ended up being the title of the record, it seemed like a natural thing to call it, because a lot of, certainly the inspiration for this record came from a series of events. It’s kind of the only song that was written inside of, well, there might’ve been one other song written inside of knowing I was going to make this record in this way. The rest of the songs came from outside of that time period. So, that’s one reason to name it that. The other reason is that it can mean a lot of different things to a lot of different people. It’s about a journey in a musical sense and in a physical sense and in a spiritual sense. In every way that you can have a journey, this record is kind of that for me, and hopefully for some other folks too.”

  • NEWS AND NOTES: Taylor, Keith, Vince, Carrie, Darius, Reba, Chris

    Taylor Swift‘s “Wildest Dreams (Taylor’s version)” is featured in the trailer for the new animated film, Spirited Untamed, from Dreamworks.  The song originally appeared on her 1989 album, and this is the first and only place to hear her re-recorded version of the song.

    The film, which features the voices of Jake Gyllenhaal, Julianne Moore, Walton Goggins, Andre Braugher, and Isabela Merced, will hit theaters nationwide on June 4th.

     

    Vince Gill, Reba McEntire, Darius Rucker, Carrie Underwood and Keith Urban are among the artists featured on a limited-edition LP for the Grand Ole Opry’s Unbroken: Empty Room, Full Circle album. The announcement came on the anniversary of the Opry’s decision to pause in-house audiences in March 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Available June 4th, 2021, exclusively on Opry.com and at the Opry’s Nashville-based retail outlets,  the LP includes memorable performances recorded live from the Opry stage in front of an empty house. For 29 weeks, Saturday night Opry shows continued uninterrupted despite public health orders that temporarily shuttered many other live productions. These performances were made possible because of the devotion of Grand Ole Opry members, featured performers, Opry staff and local health officials who safely worked together to bring comfort to millions around the world. Brad Paisley, Marty Stuart, Luke Combs and many more.

    Chris Stapleton and his wife, Morgane, join actor-singer Leslie Jordan on his song “Farther Along,” which will be featured on his forthcoming debut album of Southern gospel hymns, Company’s Comin’.  Brothers Osborne’s TJ Osborne, Dolly Parton, Ashley McBryde, Tanya Tucker, Brandi Carlile and more are featured on the album. The Tennessee native, best known for his roles in TV shows such as “Ally McBeal,” “Boston Public,” “Reba,” “Boston Legal,” and “American Horror Story,” has become a social media favorite while in quarantine for his endearing videos, including a regular “Sunday Mornin’ Hymn Singin'” series.

     

  • THE ACM AWARDS NOMINATIONS 2021 HAVE BEEN ANNOUNCED!

    With six each, Chris Stapleton and Maren Morris lead the list of nominations at this year’s ACM Awards.

    Chris earned nods in the categories for Entertainer, Male Artist, Song (for “Starting Over”) and Album of the Year (Starting Over) as artist, songwriter and producer.

     


    Brothers Osborne
    and Kelsea Ballerini, along with ET‘s Rachel Smith revealed the 56th Academy of Country Music Awards nominees today (February 26th) on CBS This Morning.

    The reigning CMA Entertainer of the Year Eric Church earned three category nominations for Entertainer, Male Artist and Music Event of the Year for Luke Combs’ “Do to Me.”

     

     

    Luke Bryan picks up a pair of nominations for Entertainer of the Year and Album of the Year for Born Here Live Here Die Here, while Dierks Bentley also is nominated for two including Male Artist of the Year and Music Video of the Year for “Gone.”

     

     

     

     

    Brothers Osborne are nominated for both Duo of the Year (an award they’ve won twice before) and Album of the Year for Skeletons. Keith Urban also picks up two nods…in the same category – Music Event of the Year for both “Be a Light” with Thomas Rhett, Reba McEntire, Hillary Scott and Chris Tomlin, as well as his latest single, “One Too Many” with P!nk.

     

     

    Carrie Underwood earned a nod in Music Event of the Year with John Legend for “Hallelujah,” while Lauren Alaina is also nominated in Music Event of the Year for Hardy’s “One Beer,” along with Devin Dawson.

     

    https://twitter.com/Lauren_Alaina/status/1365342084824203268

     

    Little Big Town picks up a nomination for Group of the Year, while Maddie & Tae scored a nomination for Duo of the Year.

     

     

    https://twitter.com/MaddieandTae/status/1365320131132407808

     

    Mickey Guyton and Caylee Hammack are both nominated for New Female Artist of the Year, while Travis Denning and Parker McCollum are up for New Male Artist of the Year.

    https://twitter.com/MickeyGuyton/status/1365330487636594694

     

     

     

    https://twitter.com/Travis_Denning/status/1365305014068129801

     

    The 56th Academy of Country Music Awards will air live from Nashville April 18th beginning at 8pm ET/7pm CT on CBS. The show will also be available to stream live and on demand on the Paramount+.

    Entertainer of the Year

    Luke Bryan
    Eric Church

    Luke Combs
    Thomas Rhett
    Chris Stapleton

    Female Artist of the Year

    Kelsea Ballerini
    Miranda Lambert
    Ashley McBryde
    Maren Morris
    Carly Pearce

    Male Artist of the Year

    Dierks Bentley
    Luke Combs
    Eric Church
    Thomas Rhett
    Chris Stapleton

    Duo of the Year

    Brooks & Dunn
    Brothers Osborne
    Dan + Shay
    Florida Georgia Line
    Maddie & Tae

    Group of the Year

    Lady A
    Little Big Town
    Old Dominion
    The Cadillac Three
    The Highwomen

    New Female Artist of the Year

    Ingrid Andress
    Tenille Arts
    Gabby Barrett
    Mickey Guyton
    Caylee Hammack

    New Male Artist of the Year

    Jimmie Allen
    Travis Denning
    Hardy
    Cody Johnson
    Parker McCollum

    Album of the Year

    Born Here Live Here Die Here, Luke Bryan
    Mixtape Vol. 1, Kane Brown
    Never Will, Ashley McBryde
    Skeletons, Brothers Osborne
    Starting Over, Chris Stapleton

    Single of the Year

    “Bluebird,” Miranda Lambert
    “I Hope,” Gabby Barrett
    “I Hope You’re Happy Now,” Carly Pearce and Lee Brice
    “More Hearts Than Mine,” Ingrid Andress
    “The Bones,” Maren Morris

    Song of the Year

    “Bluebird,” Luke Dick, Miranda Lambert, Natalie Hemby
    “One Night Standards,” Ashley McBryde, Nicolette Hayford, Shane McAnally
    “Some People Do,” Jesse Frasure, Matt Ramsey, Thomas Rhett, Shane McAnally
    “Starting Over,” Chris Stapleton, Mike Henderson
    “The Bones,” Jimmy Robbins, Maren Morris, Laura Veltz

    Video of the Year

    “Better Than We Found It,” Maren Morris
    “Bluebird,” Miranda Lambert
    “Gone,” Dierks Bentley
    “Hallelujah,” Carrie Underwood and John Legend

    “Worldwide Beautiful,” Kane Brown

    Songwriter of the Year

    Ashley Gorley
    Michael Hardy
    Hillary Lindsey
    Shane McAnally
    Josh Osborne

    Music Event of the Year

    “Be A Light,” Thomas Rhett f/Reba McEntire, Hillary Scott, Chris Tomlin, Keith Urban
    “Does To Me,” Luke Combs f/Eric Church
    “I Hope You’re Happy Now,” Carly Pearce and Lee Brice
    “Nobody But You,” Blake Shelton f/Gwen Stefani
    “One Beer,” Hardy f/Lauren Alaina and Devin Dawson
    “One Too Many,” Keith Urban f/P!nk

     

    Audio / Chris Stapleton, who is nominated for 6 ACM Awards including Entertainer of the Year, Male Vocalist and Album of the Year (among others), talks about the theme of his latest album, Starting Over.

    Download

    Chris Stapleton (theme of Starting Over album) OC: …as humans. :54
    “I’ve never really looked at records necessarily as having a theme.  I’ve never made a record in that kind of a constraint necessarily. And there are a lot of great records that have this theme and this overlying thread that kind of runs through them.  Maybe the thread for me is just I’m singing. I wrote a bulk of the songs. It’s the same guys playing all the songs. If there’s a theme – if there’s a theme it’s hopefully there’s a theme of truth somewhere in it. And what I mean by that is hopefully we’re conveying in the songs some experiences that feel real and hopefully people can find themselves in those songs and in the album. And for me if I’m looking for a theme it’s that kind of, I don’t know, that thing that binds us all together as humans.”

    Audio / Eric Church, the reigning CMA Entertainer of the Year, is nominated for Entertainer (among others) at this year’s ACM Awards. Backstage at last year’s CMA Awards, he talked about his first Entertainer of the Year win.

    Download

    Eric Church (CMA 2020) 1 OC: …next year or two. :31
    “There’s not really been winners this year. I mean, nobody’s played. Nobody’s done the things we normally do. It’s been a year, to me, about losses. It’s about loss of life. It’s about loss of education for your kids. It’s about loss of time playing. It’s been a year of managing those losses. But I really meant what I said (during my acceptance speech) that we were in a room together as country music, and that’s not happened this year. So, I think that that was a win for country music, and I think it was a win for where we’re gonna go in the next year or two.”

    Audio / Before releasing his latest album in August of last year, Luke Bryan talked about what fans can expect on BORN HERE LIVE HERE DIE HERE.

    Download

    Luke Bryan (fan expectations for BHLHDH) OC: …something for everybody. :37
    “I think fans can expect a little something of everything. They can expect a love song, a dancing song; obviously, ‘One Margarita’ being a big ole fun summer drinking song. And I think we have songs that will make you cry, touch your emotions, and I think, like I said there are songs that you can fall in love to out there. And there are songs that talk about the true meaning of life when you think about a song like ‘For a Boat,’ and you got a father teaching his son about the important things in life. So, I’m just proud of the way the album come together, and I feel like there’s something for everybody.”

    Audio / Dierks Bentley talks about his latest single, "Gone," for which the music video is nominated for an ACM Award.

    Download

    Dierks Bentley (Gone) 2 OC: …would enjoy it too. :18
    “You know, the song, ‘cause I didn’t write it I can only brag on it, is just really well-written. It’s catchy, it’s fun. It’s metaphorical about what’s happening right now. It reminds me a little bit of some stuff we’ve had out in the past, but it feels like new territory in other ways and I don’t know, I just enjoyed it. I enjoyed singing it and I enjoyed playing it, and I wanted to put it out there and I thought our fans would enjoy it too.”

    Audio / KEITH URBAN TALKS ABOUT RECORDING “ONE TOO MANY” WITH P!NK.

    Download

    Keith Urban (P!NK duet) OC: …it together. :29
    “This song was written as a duet, and I sent the song to her and luckily she loved it. I loved the song and I was really hoping she would love it, because she’s truly one of the great singers of our generation. So, to hear her voice on this song was phenomenal. We had such a great time getting to do that. I wish we could’ve done it in the same space, but you know with the situation we’re in, of course, we couldn’t do that. So, she recorded her vocal at her house and I did mine at my house, and we put it together.”

    Audio / CARRIE UNDERWOOD TALKS ABOUT THE SONG, “HALLELUJAH,” WHICH JOHN LEGEND WROTE AND IS FEATURED ON.

    Download

    Carrie Underwood (Hallelujah) OC: …cool collaboration. :37
    “’Hallelujah’ is a song that touches on many different topics and feelings. It’s a love song, it’s a Christmas song, it’s a celebrating the time of year song. It’s you know, still wanting that joyfulness – it was written by John Legend and Toby Gad. When I listened to it, it had John’s voice on it, and it’s just beautiful. I knew I wanted to sing it – we asked if John, you might want to sing it with me. The perfect song, the perfect person, John Legend sounds amazing on it and I was like wow, I can’t believe that this just all came together like this, and just kind of a really cool collaboration.”

    Audio / Parker McCollum talks about being nominated for his first ACM Award…for New Male Artist of the Year.

    Download

    Parker McCollum (1st ACM Nomination) OC: …So grateful. :36
    “What does it mean to be nominated for an ACM Award? I can’t even explain it. I’ve watched these awards shows from the time I can remember listening to country music or watching television. It’s been my whole life. And so to be nominated for an ACM, something like New Male Artist of the Year – an absolute honor and a dream come true and so cool to see how proud my family is of me getting nominated for something like this. It’s just, there are no words, man. So grateful.”

     

    Video /

  • NEWS AND NOTES: Eric Church, Chris Stapleton and more

    Eric Church and Chris Stapleton are among the artists to appear during the CBS two-hour special, A Grammy Salute to the Sounds of Change, next week. The program, which will also feature Brad Paisley, LeAnn Rimes, Patti LaBelle, Andra Day, Sheila E., Gloria Estefan, Gladys Knight and John Fogerty, among others, will air Wednesday (March 17th) beginning at 9pm ET/PT on CBS and via livestream and on-demand on Paramount+.

    Reba McEntire returns to the CBS show, Young Sheldon, again tonight. Check out the action beginning at 8pm ET/7pm CT.

     

    Eric Church released a video of the first pressing of his new trilogy of albums, Heart & Soul. Thanks to United Record Pressing in Nashville, the first edition black vinyl pressing of all three albums are now available in the official Chief Merch store for pre-order.

     

    Chris Stapleon has joined forces with Buffalo Trace Distillery’s E.H. Taylor Jr. to help raise funds for the natural disaster relief efforts in Texas and Kentucky. He is auctioning off autographed bottles of their Single Barrel bourbon through his charitable fund, Outlaw State of Kind.

     

  • CATCH CHRIS STAPLETON PERFORMING ON THE TONIGHT SHOW STARRING JIMMY FALLON.

    Chris Stapleton performed “When I’m With You” from his new album, Starting Over on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon last night (February 10th).

     

     

    Chris is sitting inside the Top 10 on the country charts with the title track of his latest album, “Starting Over.”

     

  • NEWS AND NOTES: Lauren Alaina, Priscilla Block, Dierks Bentley, Mickey Guyton, Chris Stapleton

    Lauren Alaina is featured on The Shires‘ new music video for “Lightning Strikes (feat. Lauren Alaina).” The video premiered on CMT on Monday (January 25th).

     

    Priscilla Block just signed a global publishing deal with Warner Chappell Music Nashville. The Mercury Nashville recording artist is currently climbing the country charts with her single, “Just About Over You.”

    Dierks Bentley has been announced as one of three headliners for this year’s WE Fest. The three-day event, which also features headliners Blake Shelton and Florida Georgia Line, will take place August 5th – 7th at Detroit Lakes’ Soo Pass Ranch. Dierks is making his way up the country charts with his latest, “Gone.”

    Mickey Guyton picked up three honors from the Nashville Scene’s 21st Annual Country Music Critics’ Poll. She was named the No. 1 Female Artist and also had the No. 1 single with “Black Like Me.” She was also named the No. 1 Artist of the Year. Chris Stapleton was named Male Artist of the Year and also showed up near the top of the Singles list (No. 2 with “Starting Over), Artists of the Year and Songwriters of the Year.
     

  • CHRIS STAPLETON’S STARTING OVER DEBUTS AT #1 ON BILLBOARD COUNTRY CHART.

    Chris Stapleton’s highly anticipated new album, Starting Over, debuts this week at No. 1 on the Billboard Country Albums chart and #3 on the Billboard 200 with over 102,733 units. The album also tops Billboard’s Americana/Folk Albums and Digital Albums charts and is #2 on Billboard’s Top Albums chart.

    Out now on Mercury Records Nashville (stream/purchase here), Starting Over is an album of startling prescience, featuring fourteen tracks that examine life’s simplest joys and most serious struggles. Once again produced by Grammy Award-winning producer Dave Cobb, the record is already receiving overwhelming critical acclaim:

    “Chris Stapleton may have the album of the year with Starting Over”—American Songwriter

    “a sure-footed masterpiece…one of the year’s finest albums”—Associated Press

    “Simply put, there are few recording artists in country operating at Stapleton’s level, and Starting Over keeps the bar very high.”—Billboard

    “a dynamite and dynamic new album from the mighty-voiced Kentucky native…the singer-songwriter is hitting new heights, nailing the crossroads of country, rock, gospel, and pop across 14 tracks.”—Entertainment Weekly

    “14 rich, intricately-wound odes to tiny admissions and big emotions”—Esquire

    “He has nothing left to prove, but somehow, he just gets incrementally better…This is as good as any of his albums and maybe just a tad better.”—Glide

    “mixes beautifully stark songwriting with blues, country, and rock melodies, allowing Stapleton’s sturdy, propulsive vocals to carry the show”—GQ

    vividly exemplifies the complex emotional character of Stapleton’s best music. He’s burly but soft. Tough yet vulnerable. A protector of his loved ones and a man in perpetual search of shelter.”—Los Angeles Times 

    “What makes Starting Over unique is its emotional center…Stapleton cuts through the tangled jungle of pre-COVID life like a machete, clearing a new path forward.”—Nashville Lifestyles

    “Chris is at the top of his game with this record. It sounds like a record from a great.”
    NPR Music

    Starting Over may be Stapleton’s best album yet…every song on the album comes as a perfectly wrapped gift to the listener”—No Depression

    “The chill Nashville trailblazer feels at home in songs that echo his pop songwriting and his country roots.”—Rolling Stone

    “if Starting Over offers a statement of principles, it’s that Stapleton is going to make Stapleton music, equal parts country, Southern rock, raw sentimentality, and self-reflective singer-songwriter-ism.”—Slate

    “It is easily one of the best records I’ve heard this year. It’s easily one of the best country records I’ve heard in a long time. And I have no doubt it’s going to be one of the best country records I’ve heard this decade once everything is said and done.”—The Needle Drop

    “lands precisely where country meets Southern soul: with grit, details, clarity and ache.”
    The New York Times

    “the results are stunning…his most personal work yet.”—The Ringer

    “expands a sonic identity and storytelling fervor that Stapleton established on his paramount debut, Traveller, and its two-part follow-up, From A Room Vol. 1 and Vol. 2.”—The Tennessean

    He has [Willie] Nelson’s tender touch, but his bluesy side is much louder; his is a part-acoustic, part-stinging approach in which Nelson’s Trigger meets B.B. King’s Lucille.”—Variety

    “It’s every bit the tour de force his breakthrough album was…Elegant writing and delicate musicianship combine in an album ranking among the year’s best.”—Vulture

    In celebration of the release, Stapleton was recently a guest on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” performing the album’s title track and speaking with the host (watch the performance HERE and interview HERE). Additionally, Stapleton was also featured earlier this month on NBC’s “Sunday TODAY with Willie Geist,” NPR’s “Morning Edition” and performed an acoustic version of “Starting Over” at the 54th Annual CMA Awards.

    Starting Over finds Stapleton back in his second home, Nashville’s historic RCA Studio A (with additional work done at Muscle Shoals Sound and Compass Sound Studio), surrounded by his trusted collaborators as well as some new faces. In addition to Cobb (acoustic guitar), the record features his beloved wife, Morgane Stapleton (vocals, tambourine), with J.T. Cure (bass) and Derek Mixon (drums). Special guests include legendary musicians Mike Campbell (electric guitar), Benmont Tench (Hammond B3 organ) and Paul Franklin (pedal steel) as well as the All Voices Choir who are featured on “Watch You Burn,” written by Stapleton and Campbell.

    Kentucky-born Stapleton is a 5x Grammy, 10x CMA and 7x ACM Award-winner and one of the country’s most respected and beloved musicians. Following 2015’s quadruple platinum breakthrough solo debut album Traveller, Stapleton released two #1 albums in 2017. Both From A Room: Volume 1 (certified platinum) and From A Room: Volume 2 (certified gold) take their name from legendary RCA Studio A, where they were recorded with Cobb. Released to overwhelming critical acclaim, The Tennessean praises, “Both are rich with the textures of Stapleton’s vocals that make him one of country music’s most beloved artists, classic country sounds and thoughtful articulate lyrics about love, life and pain.” He was recently announced as the first-ever “Artist-Songwriter of the Decade” recipient by the Academy of Country Music and will resume his extensive “All-American Road Show” tour next year. Highlights include headline shows at Washington State’s Gorge Amphitheatre, Chicago’s Wrigley Field, New York’s Madison Square Garden and “A Concert for Kentucky”—a special performance benefitting his newly created Outlaw State of Kind Hometown Fund to be held at University of Kentucky’s Kroger Field onApril 24. Presented by Live Nation, the performance is the first concert ever held at UK’s Kroger Field and will feature very special guests Willie Nelson & Family, Sheryl Crow and Yola. 100% of the concert’s net proceeds will go toward Chris and Morgane Stapleton’s Outlaw State of Kind Hometown Fund. Established in partnership with the Blue Grass Community Foundation, the fund will specifically support local and national organizations directly impacting Kentucky, with initial grant distributions focusing on music and arts education. See below for complete itinerary.

     

    STARTING OVER TRACK LIST:

    1. Starting Over 

    2. Devil Always Made Me Think Twice 

    3. Cold 

    4. When I’m With You 

    5. Arkansas 

    6. Joy Of My Life  

    7. Hillbilly Blood 

    8. Maggie’s Song 

    9. Whiskey Sunrise 

    10. Worry B Gone 

    11. Old Friends 

    12. Watch You Burn

    13. You Should Probably Leave 

    14. Nashville, TN

    Audio / Chris Stapleton responds to a question about a theme in his new album, Starting Over."

    Download

    Chris Stapleton (theme of Starting Over album) OC: …as humans. :54
    “I’ve never really looked at records necessarily as having a theme.  I’ve never made a record in that kind of a constraint necessarily. And there are a lot of great records that have this theme and this overlying thread that kind of runs through them.  Maybe the thread for me is just I’m singing. I wrote a bulk of the songs. It’s the same guys playing all the songs. If there’s a theme – if there’s a theme it’s hopefully there’s a theme of truth somewhere in it. And what I mean by that is hopefully we’re conveying in the songs some experiences that feel real and hopefully people can find themselves in those songs and in the album. And for me if I’m looking for a theme it’s that kind of, I don’t know, that thing that binds us all together as humans.”

  • CHRIS STAPLETON’S DOG DESERVED HER OWN SONG ON NEW ALBUM.

    One of the tracks on Chris Stapleton’s new album, Starting Over, has been getting a lot of attention because of its emotional topic and has folks wiping tears from their eyes. Chris wrote “Maggie’s Song” the day after his beloved dog, Maggie, passed away. Word for word, the song is a true story of how he and Morgane rescued the precious pup and how she became a member of the Stapleton family, especially watching over their children, until the day she passed away. Chris says she was such a good dog, that she deserved a song of her own.

    “She deserved a tribute of a song. Now, whether or not I did her justice in the song, I don’t know, but she was a dog that deserved a song so I wrote a song about her the day after she died,” says Chris. “That song happened to carry through to me being allowed to play it live, and we wound up in the studio and we recorded it. And now it lives in the world to make people, um, more sad than they deserve to be (laughs) in a year that we don’t need much of that.  But I loved that dog very much, and she was a great member of our family.”

    “Maggie’s Song” Lyrics:

    Let me tell you a story
    About an old friend of mine
    Somebody left her in a shopping cart
    In a parking lot for us to find
    Just a fuzzy black pup
    She was hungry and feeling alone
    We put her in the back seat
    And told her we were taking her home

    Run, Maggie run
    With the heart of a rebel child
    Oh, run, Maggie run
    Be just as free as you are wild

    A few kids later
    We moved out on the farm
    And she followed those kids around
    Yeah, she kept them safe from harm
    And she loved to chase squirrels
    And playing out in the snow
    She’d take off like a bullet
    Man, you should have seen her go

    Run, Maggie run
    With the heart of a rebel child
    Oh, run, Maggie run
    Be just as free as you are wild

    It was raining on a Monday
    The day that Maggie died
    She woke up and couldn’t use her legs
    So I laid down by her side
    She put her head on my hand
    Like she’d done so many times
    I told her she was a good dog
    Then I told her goodbye

    Run, Maggie run
    With the heart of a rebel child
    Oh, run, Maggie run
    Be just as free as you are wild

    I had a revelation
    As the tractor dug a hole
    I can tell you right now
    That a dog has a soul
    And I thought to myself
    As we buried her on the hill
    I never knew me a better dog
    And I guess I never will

    Starting Over was released last Friday (November 13th), and features his latest single, the title track.

    Audio / Chris Stapleton says his dog, Maggie, who he and Morgane rescued several years ago, deserved a song tribute.

    Download

    Chris Stapleton (Maggie’s Song) OC: …of our family. :33
    “She deserved a tribute of a song. Now, whether or not I did her justice in the song, I don’t know, but she was a dog that deserved a song so I wrote a song about her the day after she died. That song happened to carry through to me being allowed to play it live, and we wound up in the studio and we recorded it. And now it lives in the world to make people, um, more sad than they deserve to be (laughs) in a year that we don’t need much of that.  But I loved that dog very much, and she was a great member of our family.”

    Video /

    View
  • CHRIS STAPLETON TO PERFORM AT 54TH ANNUAL CMA AWARDS, NEW ALBUM OUT THIS FRIDAY.

    Chris Stapleton will perform “Starting Over” during the 54th Annual CMA Awards—airing this Wednesday, November 11 at 8:00pm ET/7:00pm CT on ABC. Already a 10x CMA Award winner, Stapleton is also nominated for two awards at this year’s ceremony: Male Vocalist of the Year and Music Video of the Year (“Second One To Know”).

    “Starting Over” is the title track of Stapleton’s anticipated new album, which will be released this Friday, November 13 on Mercury Records Nashville (pre-order/pre-save). In celebration of the new music, Stapleton will be a guest on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” this Thursday, November 12, performing and speaking with the host. He was also featured on yesterday’s episode of NBC’s “Sunday TODAY with Willie Geist.” Watch the full profile HERE.

    Starting Over is an album of startling prescience—completed in late February only days before the shutdown began. Across its fourteen tracks are songs that examine life’s simplest joys and most serious struggles. Alongside eleven songs written by Stapleton with both longtime friends and new collaborators are three carefully chosen covers: John Fogerty’s “Joy Of My Life” and Guy Clark’s “Worry B Gone” and “Old Friends.” The resulting album—both timely and timeless—speaks to and transcends the current moment in ways unimaginable even while it was being created.

    Already receiving widespread acclaim, Billboard calls new song “Cold,” “earth-shattering…this is the finest rip-your-heart-out song you’ll hear all day…or any day,” while Rolling Stoneselected the title track as a “Song You Need to Know” praising,“‘Starting Over’ is for a new day and, like its title implies, a fresh start…a song that, despite being written before the world went to hell in the spring, encapsulates our current moment.” Watch the song’s official music video, which was directed and filmed by Becky Fluke, HERE.

    The album finds Stapleton back in his second home, Nashville’s historic RCA Studio A (with additional work done at Muscle Shoals Sound and Compass Sound Studio), surrounded by his trusted collaborators as well as some new faces. Produced by Dave Cobb (who also plays acoustic guitar), the record features his beloved wife, Morgane Stapleton (vocals, tambourine), with J.T. Cure (bass) and Derek Mixon (drums). Special guests include legendary musicians Mike Campbell (electric guitar), Benmont Tench (Hammond B3 organ) and Paul Franklin (pedal steel) as well as the All Voices Choir who are featured on “Watch You Burn,” written by Stapleton and Campbell.

    Kentucky-born Stapleton is a 5x Grammy, 10x CMA and 7x ACM Award-winner and one of the country’s most respected and beloved musicians. Following 2015’s quadruple platinum breakthrough solo debut album Traveller, Stapleton released two No. 1 albums in 2017. Both From A Room: Volume 1 (certified platinum) and From A Room: Volume 2 (certified gold) take their name from legendary RCA Studio A, where they were recorded with Cobb. Released to overwhelming critical acclaim, The Tennessean praises, “Both are rich with the textures of Stapleton’s vocals that make him one of country music’s most beloved artists, classic country sounds and thoughtful articulate lyrics about love, life and pain.” He was recently announced as the first-ever “Artist-Songwriter of the Decade” recipient by the Academy of Country Music and, next year, will be the subject of a new exhibit at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.

    Stapleton’s “All-American Road Show” tour is planned to resume next year. Highlights include headline shows at Washington State’s Gorge Amphitheatre, Chicago’s Wrigley Field, New York’s Madison Square Garden and “A Concert for Kentucky”—a special performance benefitting his newly created Outlaw State of Kind Hometown Fund to be held at University of Kentucky’s Kroger Field on April 24. Presented by Live Nation, the performance is the first concert ever held at UK’s Kroger Field and will feature very special guests Willie Nelson & Family, Sheryl Crow and Yola. 100% of the concert’s net proceeds will go toward Chris and Morgane Stapleton’s Outlaw State of Kind Hometown Fund. Established in partnership with the Blue Grass Community Foundation, the fund will specifically support local and national organizations directly impacting Kentucky, with initial grant distributions focusing on music and arts education. See below for complete itinerary.

    STARTING OVER TRACK LIST:

    1. Starting Over
    2. Devil Always Made Me Think Twice
    3. Cold
    4. When I’m With You
    5. Arkansas
    6. Joy Of My Life
    7. Hillbilly Blood
    8. Maggie’s Song
    9. Whiskey Sunrise
    10. Worry B Gone
    11. Old Friends
    12. Watch You Burn
    13. You Should Probably Leave
    14. Nashville, TN

    CHRIS STAPLETON’S “ALL-AMERICAN ROAD SHOW”

    April 21—Toledo, OH—Huntington Center†

    April 22—Columbus, OH—Schottenstein Center†

    April 24—Lexington, KY—A Concert for Kentucky – Kroger Field‡

    June 5—San Bernardino, CA—Glen Helen Amphitheater§

    June 10—Boise, ID—Ford Idaho Center Arena#

    June 11—Portland, OR—Sunlight Supply Amphitheater#

    June 12—George, WA—The Gorge Amphitheatre#

    June 17—Bakersfield, CA—Mechanics Bank Arena#

    June 18—Sacramento, CA—Toyota Amphitheatre#

    June 19—Mountain View, CA—Shoreline Amphitheatre#

    June 24—Salt Lake City, UT—USANA Amphitheatre^

    June 25—Denver, CO—Pepsi Center^

    June 26—Denver, CO—Pepsi Center^

    July 8—Milwaukee, WI—Summerfest at American Family Insurance Amphitheater+

    July 10—Camden, NJ—BB&T Pavilion°

    July 17—Chicago, IL—Wrigley Field%

    July 23—Holmdel, NJ—PNC Bank Arts Center**

    July 24—Syracuse, NY—St. Joseph’s Health Amphitheater at Lakeview**

    July 28—Gilford, NH—Bank NH Pavilion††

    July 29—Gilford, NH—Bank NH Pavilion††

    July 31—Minneapolis, MN—U.S. Bank Stadium‡‡

    August 5—Cuyahoga Falls, OH—Blossom Music Center°

    August 7—South Bend, IN—Notre Dame Stadium§§

    August 12—Charlotte, NC—PNC Music Pavilion°

    August 13—Raleigh, NC—Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek°

    August 19—Des Moines, IA—Iowa State Fair^^

    August 20—Tulsa, OK—BOK Center##

    August 21—Arlington, TX—Globe Life Field%%

    September 18—Biloxi, MS—Mississippi Coast Coliseum++

    September 23—Knoxville, TN—Thompson-Boling Arena++

    October 1—Atlantic City, NJ—Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall++

    October 2—Mansfield, MA—Xfinity Center++

    October 8—New York, NY—Madison Square Garden++

    October 14—Columbia, MO—Mizzou Arena++

    October 15—Lincoln, NE—Pinnacle Bank Arena++

    October 16—Sioux Falls, SD—Denny Sanford PREMIER Center++

    October 22—Nashville, TN—Bridgestone Arena++

    October 23—Nashville, TN—Bridgestone Arena++

    October 28—Lubbock, TX—United Supermarket Arena°°

    October 29—Albuquerque, NM—Isleta Amphitheater°°

    October 30—Phoenix, AZ—Ak-Chin Pavilion°°

    November 4—Austin, TX—Frank Erwin Center°°

    November 11—Estero, FL—Hertz Arena**

    November 12—Orlando, FL—Amway Center**

    “ALL-AMERICAN ROAD SHOW” SPECIAL GUESTS

    †with special guests Margo Price and Yola

    ‡with special guests Willie Nelson & Family, Sheryl Crow and Yola

    • with special guests Dwight Yoakam and The Dirty Knobs with Mike Campbell

    #with special guests Margo Price and The Dirty Knobs with Mike Campbell

    ^with special guests Sheryl Crow and The Dirty Knobs with Mike Campbell

    +with special guest Sheryl Crow

    °with special guests Elle King and Kendell Marvel

    %with special guests The Highwomen, Mavis Staples and Mike Campbell

    **with special guests Sheryl Crow and Kendell Marvel

    ††with special guests Elle King and Nikki Lane

    ‡‡with George Strait and Little Big Town

    • §with George Strait and Brothers Osborne

    ^^with special guest Nikki Lane

    ##with special guests Willie Nelson & Family and Yola

    %%with special guests Willie Nelson & Family, Jamey Johnson and Yola

    ++with special guests The Marcus King Band and Yola

    °°with special guests Jamey Johnson and Yola

  • CHRIS STAPLETON ADDED TO THE LIST OF PERFORMERS AT THIS YEAR’S CMA AWARDS.

    Chris Stapleton will perform his latest smash hit, “Starting Over,” on Wednesday night’s (November 11th) CMA Awards.

    Chris is nominated for a pair of awards, including Male Vocalist and Music Video of the Year for his LEGO-themed “Second One to Know.” He’s also set to release his fourth studio album, Starting Over, on Friday (November 13th).

    Lauren Alaina has been tapped as a presenter on the show, and she’ll be joined by Lauren Akins (NYT best-selling author and wife of Thomas Rhett), as well as Charles Esten, Sara Evans, Jake Owen, supermodel Taylor Hill, actor Patrick Schwarzenegger and gospel superstar  CeCe Winans.

    Previously announced performers include hosts Reba McEntire and Darius Rucker taking the stage together for an emotional, groundbreaking tribute performance. Darius will also take the stage with Lady A. Additional performances include Eric Church, Dierks Bentley, Brothers Osborne, Little Big Town, Jon Pardi, Keith Urban, Gabby Barrett featuring Charlie Puth, Luke Combs, Florida Georgia Line, Miranda Lambert, Ashley McBryde, Maren Morris, Rascal Flatts, Jason Aldean, Jimmie Allen, Ingrid Andress, Dan + Shay with Justin Bieber, Jenee Fleenor, Old Dominion, Carly Pearce and Lady A’s Charles Kelley and Morgan Wallen and Thomas Rhett feat. McEntire, Hillary Scott and Chris Tomlin.

    “The 54th Annual CMA Awards,” hosted by Reba McEntire and Darius Rucker,  will broadcast live from Nashville’s Music City Center Wednesday, November 11th at 8pm ET on ABC.

    Video /

    View