An eight-time Country Music Association Male Vocalist of the Year, Chris Stapleton is less a singer than a sorcerer. The man opens his mouth, and magic pours out. His vocal prowess is nearly matched by his songwriting ability, penning hits for Kenny Chesney, Luke Bryan, and George Strait. However, the “Tennessee Whiskey” crooner, 47, never fails to remind us who the real wizard is: his wife, Morgane Stapleton.
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Born on this day (Jan. 25) in 1983, the Nashville native is “my barometer for most things,” the 11-time Grammy winner told Jennifer Hudson last year. Indeed, no song makes the final cut on a Chris Stapleton record without his better half’s go-ahead. ““My wife picks the songs,” he told Cowboys & Indians in January 2024. “Most of the songs are heavily influenced by things that she likes. She has excellent taste in songs.”
A Look at Chris and Morgane Stapleton’s Love Story
Morgane Stapleton met her future husband in 2003, when she was a solo artist signed with Arista Nashville under her maiden name, Morgane Hayes. Despite recording enough songs to fill three albums, she never formally released any music on her own.
“I think the label was looking for Gretchen Wilson, the total package — a crazy talented woman, who could write great songs and sing the hell out of them,” Morgane told the New York Times in 2017. “I was still trying to find my voice.”
The Nashville native made her living singing demos for $60 apiece and singing backup for Lee Ann Womack on tour. She’s also an accomplished songwriter in her own right, penning Carrie Underwood’s “Don’t Forget to Remember Me” (2005), “We Tried” by Trisha Yearwood (2007), and Kellie Pickler’s “Stop Cheatin’ on Me” (2011.)
A few months after meeting, Chris Stapleton asked his future wife to write a song together. She agreed, but “that ended up being our first date,” Morgane told the Washington Post in 2015. We didn’t get much writing done that night.”
Four years later, they were married. Today, they have five children and a hefty songwriting catalog together. After playing a key role in his pivotal album Traveler, Morgane Stapleton has contributed to every one of her husband’s projects since. She sings background, harmony, and duet vocals in his band, and co-produced his 2023 album Higher.
Featured image by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images
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