Between Rihanna and Chris Stapleton, the NFL has it all covered when it comes to music at Super Bowl 57.
The latter may not be as well-known as the international pop star from Barbados, but he is a talented and prolific artist whose fingerprints are all over the music industry. Perhaps that's why the NFL chose him to perform the national anthem Sunday at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz.
While Stapleton has a history of writing his own music, he also has written songs for other artists, many of which have become hits. Not bad for someone who dropped out of college to pursue a career in music.
The Sporting News has everything you need to know about Stapleton's origin story, his top songs and lyrics, and his net worth:
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Who is Chris Stapleton?
Stapleton — full name Christopher Alvin Stapleton — is a singer-songwriter, guitarist and record producer from Kentucky (he was born April 15, 1978, in Lexington but was raised in Staffordsville). He attended Johnson Central High School, where he played football and was class valedictorian.
Stapleton moved to Nashville, Tenn., in 2001 to pursue an engineering degree from Vanderbilt University but dropped out after a year to pursue a career in music (which, of course, worked out for the best). He subsequently signed with publishing house Sea Gyle Music and in 2007 became the frontman for bluegrass group the SteelDrivers.
That group had two hit records that peaked at No. 2 on the bluegrass charts before Stapleton left in 2010 to form Southern rock band the Jompson Brothers (where Stapleton was on vocals). In 2013, Stapleton signed with Mercury Nashville as a solo artist.
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Stapleton's music has been described as outlaw country, bluegrass, rock 'n' roll, blues, country, classic rock and Southern soul. He is a nine-time Grammy Award winner who also has 10 Academy of Country Music awards, 14 Country Music Association awards, five Billboard Music awards and two iHeartRadio Music awards.
Chris Stapleton songs, lyrics
As of 2018, Stapleton had writing credits on 170-plus songs. He also co-wrote six No. 1 country songs, including Josh Turner's "Your Man" (2005); Kenny Chesney's "Never Wanted Nothing More" (2007); George Strait's "Love's Gonna Make it Alright" (2011); and Luke Bryan's "Drink a Beer" (2013).
He has also written songs that appeared on other artists' albums, including Adele, Kelly Clarkson, Brad Paisley, Dierks Bentley, Taylor Swift and more. But Stapleton also has a noted discography of his own, with four studio albums that fared no worse than No. 3 on the Billboard 200, 15 singles, six promotional singles and three music videos.
His debut album, "Traveller" (2015), topped the charts at No. 1, while his two ensuing albums — "From A Room: Vol. 1" and "From A Room: Vol. 2," both released in 2017 — topped out at No. 2. His most recent album, "Starting Over," released in 2020, reached at No. 3.
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Nine of his songs as lead artist and three songs as a featured artist have charted in the Billboard Hot 100. His most successful song as the led artist is "Tennessee Whiskey," released as a promotional single in 2015. It charted at No 20 overall. The most successful song with which he has been associated is Justin Timberlake's 2018 hit "Say Something," which peaked at No. 9.
Here's a look at the lyrics to some of Stapleton's most notable songs:
Tennessee Whiskey (Traveller, 2015)
Used to spend my nights out in a barroom Liquor was the only love I've known But you rescued me from reachin' for the bottom And brought me back from being too far gone
You're as smooth as Tennessee whiskey You're as sweet as strawberry wine You're as warm as a glass of brandy And honey, I stay stoned on your love all the time
I've looked for love in all the same old places Found the bottom of a bottle's always dry But when you poured out your heart I didn't waste it 'Cause there's nothing like your love to get me high
You're as smooth as Tennessee whiskey You're as sweet as strawberry wine You're as warm as a glass of brandy And honey, I stay stoned on your love all the time
You're as smooth as Tennessee whiskey You're as sweet as strawberry wine You're as warm as a glass of brandy And honey, I stay stoned on your love all the time
You're as smooth as Tennessee whiskey Tennessee whiskey Tennessee whiskey
Scroll to Continue with ContentYou're as smooth as Tennessee whiskey Tennessee whiskey Tennessee whiskey
Say Something (2018)
Mmm, yeah, alright Ooh (yeah)
Everyone knows all about my direction And in my heart somewhere, I wanna go there Still I don't go there
Everybody says, 'Say something' Say something, say something Then say something, say something, then say something
I don't wanna get caught up in the rhythm of it But I can't help myself, no, I can't help myself, no, no Caught up in the middle of it No, I can't help myself, no, I can't help myself, no, no, no Caught up in the rhythm of it
Maybe I'm looking for something I can't have (maybe I'm looking for something I can't have) Maybe I'm looking for something I can't have
Everyone knows all about my transgressions Still in my heart somewhere, there's melody and harmony For you and me, tonight (whoa)
I hear them call my name Everybody says, 'Say something' Say something, say something Then say something, say something, then say something
I don't want to get caught up in the rhythm of it But I can't get help myself, no, I can't help myself, no, no Caught up in the middle of it No, I can't help myself, no, I can't help myself, no, no, no Caught up in the rhythm of it
Maybe I'm looking for something I can't have (maybe I'm looking for something I can't have) Maybe I'm looking for something I can't have (maybe I'm looking for something I can't have) Maybe I'm looking for something I can't have (maybe I'm looking for something I can't have) Maybe I'm looking for something I can't have (maybe I'm looking for something I can't have)
Sometimes the greatest way to say something is to say nothing at all Sometimes the greatest way to say something is to say nothing at all Sometimes the greatest way to say something is to say nothing
But I can't help myself, no I can't help myself, no, no Caught up in the middle of it No I can't help myself, no I can't help myself, no, no, no Caught up in the rhythm of it
Maybe I'm looking for something I can't have (maybe I'm looking for something I can't have) Maybe I'm looking for something I can't have (maybe I'm looking for something I can't have) Maybe I'm looking for something I can't have (maybe I'm looking for something I can't have) Maybe I'm looking for something I can't have (maybe I'm looking for something I can't have)
Sometimes the greatest way to say something is to say nothing at all Sometimes the greatest way to say something is to say nothing at all Sometimes the greatest way to say something is to say nothing
Starting Over (Starting Over, 2020)
Well the road rolls out like a welcome mat To a better place than the one we're at And I ain't got no kinda plan But I've had all of this town I can stand And I got friends out on the coast We can jump in the water and see what floats We've been saving for a rainy day Let's beat the storm and be on our way
And it don't matter to me Wherever we are is where I wanna be And honey, for once in our life Let's take our chances and roll the dice And I can be your lucky penny You can be my four leaf clover Starting over
This might not be an easy time There's rivers to cross and hills to climb And some days we might fall apart And some nights might feel cold and dark But nobody wins afraid of losing And the hard roads are the ones worth choosing Some day we'll look back and smile And know it was worth every mile
And it don't matter to me Wherever we are is where I wanna be And honey, for once in our life Let's take our chances and roll the dice And I can be your lucky penny You can be my four leaf clover Starting over Starting over
And it don't matter to me Wherever we are is where I wanna be And honey, for once in our life Let's take our chances and roll the dice And I can be your lucky penny You can be my four leaf clover Starting over Starting over
Ooh Ooh
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Chris Stapleton net worth
Stapleton's net worth is valued at $25 million, per CelebrityNetWorth, which does not provide a methodology for its estimates.