Chris Stapleton - Tennessee Whiskey (audio) Apr 2026

: During the recording of his debut album Traveller , engineer Vance Powell pressed "record" while the band was just warming up with the song; that spontaneous take is what ended up on the album. The 2015 Breakout Moment

: The arrangement famously borrowed its slow-burning melody from Etta James’ soul classic, "I'd Rather Go Blind". Chris Stapleton - Tennessee Whiskey (Audio)

: After the performance, sales for the album Traveller jumped 6,000%, propelling both the album and song to No. 1 on the Billboard country charts. : During the recording of his debut album

The track was written by Dean Dillon and Linda Hargrove at 4:00 AM after meeting at Nashville's Bluebird Cafe. While earlier versions followed a traditional country style, Stapleton's version was born almost by accident. 1 on the Billboard country charts

: As of 2026, the song has achieved Double Diamond status (20x Platinum), making it one of only a handful of songs in American music history to reach this milestone.