Although working with stars like Adele, Kelly Clarkson, Taylor Swift, Vince Gill, Sheryl Crow, Ed Sheeran, and countless others, Chris Stapleton eventually sought to leave his own mark on country music. And that decision led to hit songs like “Broken Halos”, “White Horse”, and “Tennessee Whiskey.” Having won numerous awards including Grammys, the singer recently crossed that milestone that solidified himself as one of the biggest names in the genre. Thanks to his debut album Traveller, Billboard placed it at No. 1 on the Top Country Albums of the 21st Century chart.
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First hitting shelves back in 2015, Traveller not only showcased the hidden talent of Stapleton but spent a whopping 525 weeks at No. 1 on Top Country Albums. Just to give some insight, there was only one other album, Will Nelson’s Stardust, that spent over 500 weeks on top of the chart. And it was there for a total of 551 weeks.
Outside of the album featuring the hit song “Traveller”, it also came packed with other memorable songs like “Nobody to Blame” and the iconic “Tennessee Whiskey.” The Top Country Albums of the 21st Century chart looked at albums that were released between January 1, 2000, to December 28, 2024. While country music produced countless albums throughout that time, Stapleton reigned supreme.
Other inclusions within the top 10 of Billboard’s rankings included both Taylor Swift’s self-titled album as well as her “Fearless” album. Morgan Wallen’s Dangerous: The Double Album checked in at No. 3.
The Pain That Helped Chris Stapleton Write “Traveller”
Looking back at the breakthrough album, Stapleton once discussed his inspiration behind the hit song “Traveller” and how it came about thanks to his father. “I lost my dad in October 2013 and did a little bit of soul-searching. My wife was kind enough to buy me an old Jeep. We flew out to Phoenix and drove it all the way back to Nashville through the desert. I thought a lot about music and my dad, and the things that he would have liked that I should be doing.”
With Stapleton able to work through his emotions at the time, he poured those feelings into his music. “Out of that, I actually wrote the song ‘Traveller’ driving down Interstate 40 through New Mexico. That became the cornerstone for the record and wound up being the title track.”
Although missing his father, Stapleton’s dad helped his son kickstart a career that would completely dominate country music.
(Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images)
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