I've been singing the praises of Chris Stapleton for what seems like forever, but very few listened to me. And then the CMAs happened. And now, the world has taken notice. So much of a notice that  Stapleton has the number one country album. He's sold more albums in a week than he has ever.

So, who is this man that appears to have come from nowhere and take the world by storm? For starters, Stapleton has been around for quite some time. As a matter of fact,  Billboard.com did a "10 Things to Know" about him.  Here are five of those things.

  • 1

    Stapleton is a prolific writer

    Stapleton's songs have been recorded by Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert, Jason Aldean, Brad Paisley, and Adele, and those are just a few names of the many. How many others are there? Well, according to Wikipedia, over 150 of his songs have appeared on other artist's albums.

  • 2

    "Traveller" is Stapleton's first solo album

    Stapleton has been in two bands, The SteelDrivers and The Jompson Brothers, but "Traveller" is the first project credited to him and him alone.

  • 3

    Stapleton loves whiskey

    Whiskey is one of Stapleton's favorite subjects to write songs about. Here are a few titles of songs he's written on the subject: "Drinkin' Dark Whiskey", "Whiskey and You", "Guitars, Whiskey, Guns and Knives", "Good Corn Liquor", "Drinkin' Alone", and "Hangover Tonight."

  • 4

    Stapleton is a vocal defender of country music

    Stapleton once said, quote, "As long as people want to buy country music and go see live shows, as long as they're doing that for somebody, it's good for everybody."

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