From George Strait To Miranda Lambert: 10 Country Songs You Didn’t Realize Chris Stapleton Is Actually Singing On

Some surprising tracks here.

It’s hard to understate just how much of a force to be reckoned with Chris Stapleton has become throughout his music career. With 11 Grammys, 19 CMA Awards, 11 ACM Awards and a plethora of other hardware from the likes of Billboard, the Americana Music Association, ASCAP and more, the Kentucky native is arguably the biggest and most critically-acclaimed country artist this century. Among all the awards, yesterday, Stapleton made history as the only artist to capture a double-diamond song from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) as his cover of David Allan Coe’s “Tennessee Whiskey” officially sold over 20 million units in the U.S.

Of course, there’s so much to talk about when discussing Stapleton’s career as a whole. From his iconic breakout during the 2015 CMA Awards that signalled the death of bro-country, to his laundry list of hits, to his long history as a songwriter in Nashville before his fame as a solo artist, the Chris Stapleton lore runs incredibly deep.

When many talk about Stapleton before the success of Traveller and “Tennessee Whiskey” in 2015, many point to his laundry list of hit songs written for other artists. These include the likes of Josh Turner’s “Your Man,” Darius Rucker’s “Come Back Song,” Kenny Chesney’s “Never Wanted Nothing More,” Thomas Rhett’s “Crash and Burn” and Luke Bryan’s “Drink A Beer.”

What many fail to realize, however, is just how many songs Stapleton has appeared on as background vocals. From the aforementioned “Drink A Beer” and “Crash and Burn” to other deep cuts from the likes of Dierks Bentley, Miranda Lambert,  Jake Owen and more, here are 10 songs you may not have known the “White Horse” singer appears on.

1. “Drink A Beer” – Luke Bryan

Starting with the most obvious one, “Drink A Beer” is very likely one of the most powerful mainstream country songs out there. The track, co-written by Stapleton and Jim Beavers, depicts the feeling of losing a loved one unexpectedly. At this point, it’s probably the best-known Stapleton background performances due to his sitting in with Bryan during his powerful performance at the 2013 CMA Awards.

2. “Crash and Burn” – Thomas Rhett

Another one of the more notable songs Stapleton appears on uncredited, “Crash and Burn” was also written by him along with Jesse Frasure. What many might not know, however, is that he also appears in the background vocals. In particular, you can easily hear him on the echoes of the chorus when Rhett sings, “Do you hear that? I’m right back.”

3. “She Wouldn’t Be Gone” – Blake Shelton

This one was arguably the most surprising to me while doing research for this article. Outside of his debut single, “Austin,” I’ve always found “She Wouldn’t Be Gone” to be one of the top tracks of Shelton’s long career. Though he didn’t write the track, you can faintly hear him in the chorus.

4. “Love’s Gonna Make It Alright” – George Strait

Before he collaborated with The King on tour and on tracks such as “Honky Tonk Hall of Fame,” Stapleton was providing background vocals on his severely underrated 2011 Top 5 hit, “Love’s Gonna Make It Alright.” You can hear him quite clearly throughout the entire chorus, and of course, he sounds brilliant alongside Strait.

5. “Fallin’ For You” – Dierks Bentley

Appearing on his 2010 album, Up On The Ridge, “Fallin’ For You” is a swampy deep cut from the record that, in all honesty, should have been a single. Like “She Wouldn’t Be Gone,” he’s not featured predominantly, but you can definitely hear his presence on the sultry chorus. During the recording, Dierks famously called him “the greatest singer in the world.” Chris would later appear on “Hurt Somebody,” a deep cut from Dierks’ 2014 album, Riser. 

6. “If He Ain’t Gonna Love You” – Jake Owen

Another song both co-written and sung by Stapleton, “If He Ain’t Gonna Love You” is an incredibly infectious R&B-inspired deep cut from Owen’s 2016 album, American Love. It’s hard not to hear his soulful vocals on this track, and given how well he toes the line between country, soul and R&B, it’s a song I’d love to hear him cut solo.

7. “Loretta Lynn’s Lincoln” – Josh Turner

A very strange song on its surface about an inspiring country artist taking a joyride in Loretta Lynn’s Lincoln (obviously), the track appears on Josh Turner’s highly successful sophomore album, Your Man. Stapleton can clearly be heard early in the song, right before the first chorus. It’s such an odd yet fun narrative song; you have to check it out for yourself.

8. “Nobody’s Fool” – Miranda Lambert

Yet another song both co-written (independently this time around) and sung by Stapleton, “Nobody’s Fool” appears on Lambert’s Grammy-nominated 2011 album, Four the Record. As we learned on their first official duet together last year, “A Song To Sing,” the two sound lovely together, with the “Either Way” singer being able to be heard clearly during the melodic chorus.

9. “Green Eyes Red Sunglasses” – JT Hodges

Easily the most obscure artist and song on this list, “Green Eyes Red Sunglasses” appears on Hodges’ first and only album, his 2012 self-titled debut album. The record is ultimately a hidden gem, only spawning minor hits at the time of its release, such as “Goodbyes Made You Mine” and “Sleepy Little Town,” both of which barely cracked the Top 50 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart. The track sounds like a classic Stapleton co-write at that point in his career, and his vocals can be heard quite clearly on the rockin’ chorus.

10. “Ready, Set, Don’t Go” – Billy Ray Cyrus

Taking it all the way back to 2007, Chris’ angelic voice was featured in Bill Ray Cyrus’ “Ready, Set, Don’t Go.” An ode to his daughter, Miley Cyrus, who was on her way to becoming a superstar in her own right, a duet version was also released featuring Miley herself. The song would become Billy Ray’s final hit single at country radio, well… not including his feature on “Old Town Road.”

And you want to talk about a mind-blowing visual, Chris actually appeared alongside Billy Ray Cyrus for a performance of the tune on the daytime talk show, The View.

All-American Road Show Tour Dates

May 23 – Nashville, Tennessee – Nissan Stadium with Lainey Wilson & Allen Stone

June 11 – Jacksonville, Florida – Vystar Veterans Memorial Arena with Allen Stone

June 13 – Tampa, Florida – Raymond James Stadium with Lainey Wilson & Allen Stone

June 17 – Burgettstown, Pennsylvania – The Pavilion at Star Lake with Allen Stone

June 20 – Charlotte, North Carolina – Bank of America Stadium with Lainey Wilson & Allen Stone

June 24 – Hershey, Pennsylvania – Hersheypark Stadium with Grace Potter

June 26 – North Charleston, South Carolina – North Charleston Coliseum with Grace Potter

July 8 – Mountain View, California – Shoreline Amphitheater with Molly Tuttle

July 10 – Chula Vista, California – North Island Credit Union Amphitheater with Molly Tuttle

July 17 – Portland, Oregon – Providence Park with Grace Potter

July 22 – Vancouver, British Columbia – Rogers Arena with The Teskey Brothers

July 24 – George, Washington – The Gorge with Grace Potter

July 29 – Shakopee, Minnesota – Mystic Lake Amphitheater  with Allen Stone

August 1 – Cincinnati, Ohio – Paycor Stadium with Lainey Wilson & Allen Stone

August 6 – Toronto, Ontario – Rogers Stadium with Zach Top & Allen Stone

August 8 – Detroit, Michigan – Ford Field with Lainey Wilson & Allen Stone

August 14 – Boston, Massachusetts – Fenway Park with Zach Top & Allen Stone

August 18 – Virginia Beach, Virginia – Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater with Maggie Rose

August 21 – Atlanta, Georgia – Mercedes-Benz Stadium with Lainey Wilson & Ashley McBryde

August 26 – Wantagh, New York – Northwell at Jones Beach Theater with Carter Faith

August 28 – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – Freedom Mortgage Pavilion with Carter Faith

October 2 – Bristow, Virginia – Jiffy Lube Live with Mike Campbell & The Dirty Knobs

October 7 – Lincoln, Nebraska – Pinnacle Bank Arena with Nikki Lane

October 9 – Kansas City, Missouri – Morton Amphitheater with Nikki Lane