At the risk of falling victim to cliche, Chris Stapleton could win awards singing the phone book. A combination of masterful vocal skills and powerful storytelling has earned him 19 CMA Awards, including a record-breaking eight for Male Vocalist of the Year. In addition to his own material, Stapleton, 46, can also make magic with other people’s work. And that’s exactly what he did with this soaring rendition of Willie Nelson’s “Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground.”
Videos by American Songwriter
Chris Stapleton Channels Willie Nelson at ACL
Back in 1974, a 41-year-old outlaw country singer named Willie Nelson recorded the pilot episode for a brand-new program called Austin City Limits. Half a century later, both Nelson and ACL are doing just fine. And Chris Stapleton tipped his cowboy hat to both during a recent appearance on the special 50th season of the longest-running music series in TV history.
Airing on Friday, April 4 at 8 p.m. Eastern on PBS, Austin City Limits Celebrates 50 Years features a special performance from Chris Stapleton. And the 10-time Grammy Award winner soared with a soulful rendition of Willie’s 1981 hit “Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground.”
Written for the 1980 film Honeysuckle Rose (which Nelson starred in), the song spent 14 weeks on the country chart. One of those weeks was at No. 1, marking Willie’s seventh career chart-topper.
Watch the video below to see how Stapleton positively smolders with his take on the beloved Willie classic. “I think Willie wrote it ‘n beautifully sang it 1st…and now…Chris smacks it outta the park!!” one YouTube user remarked.
Another added, “Mannnn is there anything he can’t do… truly a legend.”
The mesmerizing performance brought to mind another from last October, when Stapleton surprised the Austin City Limits festival by bringing out the Red-Headed Stranger for duets of “Whiskey River and “Bloody Mary Morning.”
Stapleton Is At The Front Of This Year’s ACM Awards Pack, Again
The 60th Academy of Country Music Awards ceremony is just around the corner. Reba McEntire will again take the stage as host on May 8 at Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas.
This year, Chris Stapleton scored nods in six categories, including his 10th consecutive nomination for Male Artist of the Year. The “Tennessee Whiskey” crooner is already a four-time winner in that category, with his most recent trophy coming during last year’s ceremony.
Featured image by Kaitlyn Morris/Getty Images
Leave a Reply
Only members can comment. Become a member. Already a member? Log in.