On the Charts 9 Years Ago, Chris Stapleton Was at No. 1 With the Album That Went On To Win CMA and Grammy Gold

Chris Stapleton has pretty much always been on top. Since his debut album, Traveller, Stapleton has been accustomed to No. 1 records. That initial solo effort set the stage for him to become one of the most celebrated country acts ever. But what he followed it up with cemented his status as a living legend. Revisit the album, which celebrated its final week at No. 1 on this day in 2017, that would prove Stapleton’s debut success wasn’t just a fluke.

The Beloved Album Chris Stapleton Released on This Day in 2017

Chris Stapleton’s second solo album, From A Room: Volume 1, spent 8 non-consecutive weeks at No. 1. It didn’t exactly match up to the whirlwind success of Traveller, but it did numbers all the same. This success positioned Stapleton not just as the next big thing, but as an artist who was here to stay.

This album was named after the studio where Stapleton recorded it, RCA Studio A in Nashville. This speaks to Stapleton’s grounded musicianship. He also worked with frequent collaborator Dave Cobb on this project, earning even more stunners for his discography.

This album would go on to earn Stapleton many accolades, including Album of the Year at the CMA Awards and Best Country Album at the Grammys.

Stunning Singles

While Stapleton knows how to make great albums, he’s no stranger to a great standalone track either. From A Room: Volume 1 featured staple singles like “Either Way” and “Broken Halos”. The latter remains one of Stapleton’s most impressive tracks and a fan favorite to boot.

“I recorded this on the day a friend of mine passed away from pancreatic cancer,” Stapleton once said of this song. “He was the same age as me; we played Little League together, stuff like that. He was 38 years old.”

This touching track bottles up everything great about Stapleton’s musicianship. It’s emotional, personal, and of course, the vocals are superb. “Seen my share of / Broken halos / Folded wings that used to fly / They’ve all gone / Wherever they go / Broken halos that used to shine,” he sings in this hit.

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Both “Broken Halos” and “Either Way” also earned Stapleton some trophies. He took home Single and Song of the Year at the CMAs for the former and Best Country Solo Performance at the Grammys for the latter.

These singles helped catapult the accompanying record to fame, earning Stapleton a celebrated follow-up to his splashy debut.

(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)