Chris Stapleton’s ‘Traveller’ Turns 10: An Oral History of the Transformational Country Album

On May 5, 2015 when Mercury Records/Universal Music Group Nashville released Chris Stapleton’s solo debut album, Traveller, those close to the project knew it was a potent collection of heartfelt songs executed by a once-in-a-generation voice, yet no one could have imagined the career juggernaut it would become, including claiming the No. 1 spot on Billboard’s Top Country Albums of the 21st Century chart.

Stapleton was a well-respected talent, known for penning hits for Kenny Chesney, Luke Bryan and Josh Turner, as well as fronting Grammy-nominated bluegrass outfit The SteelDrivers and Southern rock band The Jompson Brothers. However, when Traveller arrived, the Kentucky native had yet to gain any traction as a solo artist, including with previous single, 2013’s “What Are You Listening To.”

“Traveller came from a place of frustration,” former CEO/chair of Universal Music Group Nashville Cindy Mabe says. “Chris had written a lot of songs and done a radio promo tour only to find that he wasn’t getting any support. People knew he was this incredible vocalist, but they had no idea what to do with him.

“In the midst of all of that, his father passed away in October 2013. Chris decided to make an entirely different album based on the songs he had been writing over the 15 years he had been in Nashville,” Mabe continues. “He took a step away from everything. [His wife] Morgane bought Chris an old Jeep and they decided to take a trip across the country and drive the Jeep back. Along the way, Chris wrote the song ‘Traveller,’ which gave birth to one of the most iconic albums in the last 40 years. It helped frame the album Chris wanted to make for himself and his dad. It wasn’t chasing what was currently happening but bringing back what he loved about country music.”

The deeply personal and soulful Traveller has become a landmark album, and the story of that fateful drive from Phoenix to Nashville has become country music lore. “Our dear friend Becky Fluke is an incredible videographer and photographer, and it was something the three of us had talked about doing for quite a while,” Morgane Stapleton tells Billboard. “Becky said, ‘In 20 years you’re going to want to have this,’ but it was really mainly just three friends taking a trip and Chris getting some head-clearing space.”

In the summer of 2014, Chris and Morgane, along with co-producer Dave Cobb, Stapleton’s drummer Derek Mixon and bassist J.T. Cure, and special guests Mickey Raphael on harmonica and Robby Turner on pedal steel guitar entered RCA’s famed Studio A in Nashville. Armed with some of the most compelling songs in Stapleton’s catalog, they proceeded to record Traveller, while the studio was under threat of developers planning to take a wrecking ball to the historic site.

That November, Stapleton performed with Justin Timberlake on the Country Music Association Awards and their mesmerizing medley of Stapleton’s cover of David Allan Coe’s “Tennessee Whiskey” and Timberlake’s “Drink You Away” changed Stapleton’s career. “Tennessee Whiskey,” penned by Dean Dillon and Linda Hargrove, hit No. 1 on Hot Country Songs and Traveller finally reached No. 1 on Top Country Albums six months after its release (after initially debuting at No. 2). A decade later, Traveller is still on the chart, having logged more than 523 weeks on that list. By the end of the year, it will likely surpass Willie Nelson’s 1978 album Stardust’s record of 551 weeks as the longest run on the chart.

 In all new interviews, those closest to Stapleton and the project recall the creative journey.

Brian Wright, former executive vp of A&R, UMG Nashville: I was doing A&R and got Chris a few songwriting cuts [with] Josh Turner and George Strait. That’s how we became friends. Publishers would play me their latest and greatest songs, and somebody played me a Chris demo. I called Chris and said, “Hey buddy, do you want to go to lunch?” We talked about family, kids, life. We get up to leave and I have no idea why or what my intention, but I said, “It’s time for you to make a country record.” He said, “Are you offering me a record deal?” I said, “Yeah,” and that’s how the whole thing started. I just wanted to make a record. I didn’t care if it was commercial. I just wanted the world to hear Chris Stapleton.

Before Traveller, Stapleton initially worked with producer Tony Brown, a Nashville legend who played piano for Elvis Presley and has produced The Oak Ridge Boys, Reba McEntire, Vince Gill and George Strait, among many others. Brown will be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame this fall.

Morgane Stapleton: Tony is an icon, but what was interesting is when Chris recorded with Tony, he did not play guitar, acoustic or electric. So much of his sound — and what people enjoy about Chris’ music is [his guitar]. I know him better than anybody, and when he sings without a guitar in his hand, it’s very different. He just embodies music differently. If he’s not holding a guitar or playing an instrument on a song, it’s almost like he’s not whole. [With Tony] we used Nashville session guys, and all those guys are brilliant, but I think what makes Chris’ sound unique to him is that musicianship that we share.”

Wright: What Tony cut was really, really good, but I think once we had Traveller it was like a wheel where you have the hub and you start making spokes. We weren’t just trying to cut four radio songs and we’ll just throw six other songs on there. Every song was thought through: “What do you want to say? What else do you want to say?”

Derek Mixon, drummer: Chris decided he wanted to put a band together and go out on the road and [try out songs for what would become Traveller] for about a year and then make a record. He called me out of the blue one day — probably based on J.T.’s recommendation — and we went from there. It was probably late 2013 or early 2014.

J.T. Cure, bassist: Prior to going into the studio, the band consisted of me, Chris, Morgane and Derek Mixon. We would get together at Chris and Morgane’s house and start working on the songs and arrangements that would eventually become Traveller.  So, we were all pretty familiar with the songs going into it.

Dave Cobb, co-producer: The first time I heard Chris sing, I was living in Los Angeles at the time and this guy played me the SteelDrivers. I’m like, “Oh my God! What a voice,” and I always wanted to work with him. Then he heard Sturgill Simpson’s [Cobb-produced] High Top Mountain, and we had a meeting. We found out we had exactly the same bad habits — guitars, old cars and country music. We just hit it off. Brian Wright had been kind enough to give us a budget to cut some songs. I give so much credit to Brian of being the ultimate supporter. He came in, heard some stuff and said, “Keep going.” We felt like kids getting away with something we weren’t supposed to be doing.  It was an amazing opportunity to get to go into the studio, especially RCA Studio A.

Mixon: No question that recording in that studio impacted what we were doing, just knowing all the music that had happened in that room. It’s really mind boggling when you think about all the great records that were recorded there and all the legendary artists, musicians and producers and songwriters that had passed through that room. It’s such a heavy feeling knowing that you are tied in with that now. It is a very magical place, and it inspires creativity.

Morgane Stapleton: We would’ve been the last record made in there, and I think that was part of the charge in the air for sure. How could [Nashville] be about to tear down this most sacred of places? That was definitely felt. It was like a presence in the room with us for sure. But then, of course, they came in and at the last minute saved the day.

Vance Powell, engineer/mixer: I believe Chris liked the sound of High Top Mountain and asked Dave to get me on [Traveller]. I appreciate every day that Dave, Chris and Morgane called on me to be a part of this. It’s two-and-a-half weeks of our life that changed our lives and the country music industry. 

During recording, there was one day RCA Studio A wasn’t available, and Stapleton and crew moved to The Castle to record “Daddy Doesn’t Pray Anymore” and “Might As Well Get Stoned.”

Cobb: I remember very vividly cutting “Daddy Doesn’t Pray Anymore” at the Castle. I remember walking out and it was so pretty outside. I had a guitar in my hand and it sounded amazing out there, I remember convincing Chris and the guys to record outside. The lyrics and his performance are so incredible. Sometimes you hear things that sound like a record going down. That was one of them. 

Mixon: “Daddy Doesn’t Pray Anymore” might have been a first take because I don’t think any of us could get through it more than once. My dad had just passed away about a year prior to that and so that was a tough one for me. It was a bittersweet memory recording that, but I remember the sound at the Castle was just incredible. I remember setting the microphones up on the porch out there for guitars and vocals.  We decided to open up the doors and let nature in. On “Might As Well Get Stoned,” you can hear the locusts in the beginning when the guitar cranks up.

Morgane Stapleton: Recording “More of You” back at RCA was one of my most favorite moments. Chris played mandolin and we sat in a room together, all of us, and it was completely live. I had never done harmony vocals live with anybody in a recording studio and Dave was adamant that our vocals should go down at the same time. It was nerve-racking and it really pushed me out of what was my comfort zone at the time, but staring at Chris, it just felt like the most magical love song.

Mixon: [Album closer] “Sometimes I Cry” was recorded after the bulk of Traveller was recorded. We went back in a month or two later and recorded that song in one take in front of an audience at RCA Studio A. We had rehearsed it a few times before, but then the day of, we were in a circle in the middle of the studio. We set up and got levels. The audience came in and we played the song one time and that’s what you hear on the record.

Mabe: Chris had fans that were lifelong fans even before this album. We filmed the fans telling their stories of why they loved the live shows and how far they’d drive. Chris drove a Ram truck, and Ram ultimately helped us tell the story through Chris’ own voice and words. His first performance of “Tennessee Whiskey” was on The View. It instantly translated to sales off that performance, and we knew he needed more TV, but were still convincing people because he didn’t have a radio hit. Despite that, [the album] debuted at No. 2 and sold 27,000 units, which made us know we were on to something big. That was a really big number to hit without a radio hit to drive it. 

At the 2015 CMA Awards on Nov. 4, Stapleton won album of the year for Traveller, as well as male vocalist and new artist of the year. But more than the trophies he collected, he’ll be remembered for his performance with Timberlake.

Mixon: I remember this sort of electric feeling, even in rehearsal. I felt we were on the verge of something that was really cool. I don’t think anybody could have ever predicted the impact that it had.

Robert Deaton, CMA Awards executive producer: It’s arguably the most famous moment on the CMA Awards. There have been great moments from Dolly [Parton] doing “He’s Alive” to Martina McBride doing “Independence Day,” but what set this performance apart is we all knew who those people were. This was a coming out party for Chris Stapleton. Because he was in the SteelDrivers, people in Nashville knew who he was, but for the most part he was being introduced to a national audience. I’ve never experienced anything like this before in that it literally sucked the wind out of the room for an hour. It’s like we had to recover. We were not the same. 

Mabe: Perhaps Chris’ biggest superpower was in how much he had been tied to everyone else’s success and story in Nashville. We are such a connected community; that’s the magic of Nashville. And he has written so many songs for our community and other artists. He had sung background vocal or played guitar on their projects. He really was the greatest artist that everyone knew and adored in Nashville, but the world just hadn’t caught up yet. 

Sarah Trahern, CEO Country Music Association: The thing that I love with Chris is he’s such a great gateway drug. Chris is about great songs, great production and being true to who he is. You don’t have to be a country fan to like his music.  If you are a country fan, you are going to love it because you’re going to hear Haggard and Jones and it’s still totally contemporary. People who think they may not like country music like Chris, and that’s one of the reasons why he works so well on television, whether it’s on our show or on a multiformat show like the Grammys.

Deaton: Afterwards, my phone started lighting up and I started seeing all the texts. People were going, “Hey Chris Stapleton is trending worldwide right now.” And Mike Dungan, my dear friend who was at the time the president of Chris’s record label, sent me a text that said, “Thank you Robert, I think I just recouped on Chris Stapleton.”

Mabe: Getting to be a part of the Traveller campaign is one of the favorite memories of my career because everything about it speaks to how much music impacts overall culture. The reason Traveller stands the test of time is because these songs had already been tested. They held up over 15 years before they were ever recorded. When you are striving for greatness and endurance, the songs have to reflect more than one moment. Chris and Morgane have a way of keeping their fingers on the pulse by hearing what cuts through the lens of time. Some were road tested, but all were heart tested. They have a clear understanding that past, present and future connect in songs and music and that’s what gives rise to enduring legacy. That and being able to sing like Chris Stapleton.

Cobb: It’s very cool that you can come from the most honest place and have such commercial acceptance and community acceptance. It’s really beautiful. 

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