In 2015, country fans watched a quiet songwriter walk onstage with a pop superstar and change his life in one night. Chris Stapleton and Justin Timberlake shared the CMA Awards stage for “Tennessee Whiskey” and “Drink You Away,” and the room never sounded the same again. The performance went viral, the song shot to the top of the charts, and a bearded guy from Kentucky suddenly belonged to every playlist in America.
What many people still do not realize is that “Tennessee Whiskey” is not even his song. It was written by Dean Dillon and Linda Hargrove, recorded by David Allan Coe, and turned into a hit by George Jones in the eighties. Stapleton simply walked in, slowed it down, poured his soul into it, and made a classic feel brand new.
That is part of the magic behind his catalog. “Millionaire” started as a Kevin Welch cut. “Joy Of My Life” began with John Fogerty. Yet when Stapleton sings about being rich in love or walking with angels, it feels like he wrote every single line in his kitchen.
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On that CMA stage, everything you just read about Stapleton suddenly came into focus in front of millions of people. You see the grit in his voice, the way Morgane locks in on harmony, and how Justin Timberlake leans into the groove like they have shared a stage for years.
Chris Stapleton, Justin Timberlake – Tennessee Whiskey / Drink You Away | CMA Awards 2015
Before Chris and Justin shared it with the world, George Jones was the voice that turned those Dean Dillon and Linda Hargrove lyrics into a country standard. His 1985 Farm Aid performance shows the song in its pure honky tonk form, slower and more fragile, carried by one of the greatest voices in country music history.