WHEN CHRIS STAPLEton’s debut album, Traveller, hit Number One on the charts in November, no one was more surprised than Stapleton himself. “It’s wonderfully strange – not something I ever expected,” says the 37-year-old country singer. Stapleton, who comes from a long line of Kentucky coal miners, spent 14 years in Nashville, briefly fronting a bluegrass band and writing hits for Tim McGraw, Luke Bryan and Darius Rucker, before making Traveller. The album sidesteps modern Nashville slickness in favor of classic barroom twang – including a cover of “Tennessee Whiskey,” a 1983 hit for George Jones. Stapleton recently performed it with Justin Timberlake at the CMA Awards. “I love working with people, regardless of genre – country, rock & roll, whatever,” Stapleton says. “I just called Justin, and he said…
