Chris Stapleton

Chris Stapleton is nothing like that new phony pop country. He's straight old school soulful country - the kind of voice that sounds like it was aged in a barrel of Kentucky bourbon for about forty years and came out absolutely perfect. When he opened his mouth at the 2015 CMA Awards and performed "Tennessee Whiskey" with Justin Timberlake, the entire music industry collectively went "wait, who IS this guy?" Turns out he'd been writing hits for everyone else for over a decade. He just finally decided to take the spotlight for himself.

Here's the thing about a Stapleton live show: it's stripped down, raw, and absolutely devastating in the best way possible. No pyrotechnics, no dancers, no gimmicks, no nonsense. Just Chris, his wife Morgane (whose harmonies are otherworldly and genuinely make you emotional), a tight band, and that voice. That voice could stop traffic. It could end wars. It's one of those rare instruments where you hear it once live and you never, ever forget what it felt like.

"Traveller," "Broken Halos," "Starting Over," "Millionaire" - the catalog is deep and every song is built for a live setting where it can breathe and stretch out. When the whole crowd is singing "Tennessee Whiskey" back at him under the lights, it's one of those concert moments that stays with you permanently. He's won five Grammys, eight CMA Awards, and somehow still feels like the underdog because he never acts like a superstar.

Our song recommendation: When the Stars Come Out. Give it a listen and then go see him play it live. You'll understand immediately.

If you haven't seen Chris Stapleton live, fix that. Seriously. Right now. Find tickets on Evil Tickets and hear what real country music sounds like when it's done by the very best.