Chris Stapleton will make his network television solo debut tomorrow night on the “Late Show With David Letterman.” The performance celebrates his highly anticipated debut solo album, Traveller, which will be released May 5th on Mercury Records Nashville and is now available for pre-order. Stapleton is also featured this week as part of the VEVO DSCVR program. Watch Stapleton’s exclusive, stripped down performance of two new album tracks here: “Traveller” and “Fire Away.” Artists previously featured in the program include Tove Lo, Hozier, Jamestown Revival, MisterWives and more.
In addition to several tour dates with Eric Church, Stapleton will embark on a series of special headlining performances this spring including album release shows at New York’s Mercury Lounge on May 5 and Nashville’s Cannery Ballroom on May 8 and May 9. He is also confirmed to perform at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival on May 2, New York’s Farmborough Festival on June 26, Delaware’s Big Barrel Country Music Festival on June 27 and Louisville’s Forecastle Festival on July 19. See below for complete tour details.
As part of Record Store Day 2015, Mercury Records Nashville will release a limited edition 10” vinyl, IN STEREO, which features three tracks from Traveller—“When The Stars Come Out,” “Fire Away” and “Tennessee Whiskey.” Stapleton will celebrate the release with a special in-store performance at Dallas’ Good Records on Saturday, April 18 at 12:00 P.M.
In advance of the release, the album track “When The Stars Come Out” recently premiered at the Los Angeles Times and can now be heard/shared here. Of the music, the Los Angeles Times’ Randy Lewis praises, “…positions him among the ranks of a new wave of musicians who are mindful of tradition but who also are striving to inject fresh ideas and modes of expression into country and bluegrass.” Additionally, NPR Music recently premiered the first single and title track praising, “‘Traveller’ gives Stapleton’s loyal admirers what they’ve been craving: a consummately crafted song that’s also vibrant and immediate, traditionalist without being the least bit fussy about it…He’s a treasure who deserves the kind of genre-spanning audience a song like this one courts. Southern rock, Americana, country, long-haired soul—call ‘Traveller’ whatever feels right. It belongs in all of those categories. It belongs in your day, whatever kind you’re having.” Moreover, of the single, The New York Times asserts, “On this howling, earthy, spacious album, Mr. Stapleton’s voice is liquor-thick and three-drinks limber. That’s not the modern country model of manliness, which is preening and glossy, but a reminder of the genre’s haggard strain that long predates it,” while Country Weekly declares, “Every once in a while you run into a singer here in Nashville who just blows you away, an artist who can create sound in an effortless manner and transport your soul out of this world. This morning that someone proved to be Chris Stapleton.” The single can now be heard/shared here.
Recorded at Nashville’s historic RCA Studio A (with additional production at The Castle and Blackbird Studio), Traveller was produced by Dave Cobb (Sturgill Simpson, Jason Isbell) and recorded by Vance Powell (Jack White). In addition to renditions of Dean Dillon and Linda Hargrove’s “Tennessee Whiskey” and Don Sampson’s “Was It 26,” the album features twelve original songs, including fan-favorite “Sometimes I Cry.” Recently, during a special album reveal party, Stapleton returned to RCA Studio A to record a new version of “Sometimes I Cry” live-to-tape in front of an audience—allowing a unique, once-in-a-lifetime glimpse inside the making of the album.
Of the album, Stapleton comments, “This record was made standing on the shoulders of friends, family, and heroes. I hope people enjoy listening to it as much as I’ve enjoyed making it.”
Over the course of his acclaimed career, Stapleton has enjoyed five #1 singles, including “Drink A Beer” (co-written by Jim Beavers and recorded by Luke Bryan), which is nominated for “Song of the Year” at the 2015 ACM Awards. He has also penned over 170 album cuts, including songs recorded by Adele, Tim McGraw, Brad Paisley and Dierks Bentley, and has such notable co-writers as Vince Gill, Peter Frampton and Sheryl Crow among others. Additionally, Stapleton has shared the stage with such respected artists as Gill, Alison Krauss, Marty Stuart, Emmylou Harris and more. As lead vocalist for critically acclaimed bluegrass band The SteelDrivers, Stapleton earned three Grammy nominations including “Best Bluegrass Album,” as well as an International Bluegrass Music Association Award for “Emerging Artist of the Year.” He’s also won eight ASCAP Awards and has contributed to the soundtracks of several feature films including “Cars 2” and “Valentine’s Day.”
TRAVELLER ALBUM TRACKLIST:
- Traveller (Chris Stapleton)
- Fire Away (Chris Stapleton and Danny Green)
- Tennessee Whiskey (Dean Dillon and Linda Hargrove)
- Parachute (Chris Stapleton and Jim Beavers)
- Whiskey And You (Chris Stapleton and Lee Thomas Miller)
- Nobody To Blame (Chris Stapleton, Barry Bales and Ronnie Bowman)
- More Of You (Chris Stapleton and Ronnie Bowman)
- When The Stars Come Out (Chris Stapleton and Dan Wilson)
- Daddy Doesn’t Pray Anymore (Chris Stapleton)
- Might As Well Get Stoned (Chris Stapleton and Jimmy Stewart)
- Was It 26 (Don Sampson)
- The Devil Named Music (Chris Stapleton)
- Outlaw State Of Mind (Chris Stapleton, Ronnie Bowman and Jerry Salley)
- Sometimes I Cry (Chris Stapleton and Clint Ingersoll)
CHRIS STAPLETON CONFIRMED TOUR DATES
April 16—Dallas, TX—City Tavern
April 18—Dallas, TX—Good Records in-store
April 30—Boston, MA—TD Garden*
May 2—New Orleans, LA—New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
May 5—New York, NY—Mercury Lounge
May 8—Nashville, TN—Cannery Ballroom (SOLD OUT)
May 9—Nashville, TN—Cannery Ballroom (on-sale Friday, April 10)
May 15—Park City, KS—Hartman Arena†
May 19—Columbia, MO—The Blue Note
May 20—Lincoln, NE—Pinnacle Bank Arena*
May 22—Rapid City, SD—Rushmore Plaza Civic Center*
May 23—Bozeman, MT—Brick Breeden Fieldhouse*
May 24—Billings, MT—The Pub Station
May 28—Denver, CO—Bluebird Theater
May 30—St. Louis, MO—The Firebird
June 5—Athens, GA—Georgia Theatre
June 6—Macon, GA—Cox Capitol Theatre
June 7—Birmingham, AL—Iron City
June 26—New York, NY—Farmborough Festival
June 27—Dover, DE—Big Barrel Country Music Festival
June 28—Charleston, WV—Mountain Stage
July 3—Fort Worth, TX—Billy Bob’s Texas 4th of July Picnic
July 12—Chicago, IL—Windy City Smokeout BBQ & Country Music Fest
July 19—Louisville, KY—Forecastle Festival
*with Eric Church
†with Gary Allan