Chris Stapleton – Tennessee Whiskey (Austin City Limits Performance)

“Tennessee Whiskey” – single by Chris Stapleton from the album Traveller
Released 2015
Label Mercury Nashville Decca
Songwriters Dean Dillon and Linda Hargrove
Producers Dave Cobb and Chris Stapleton
Charted No.1 in US Hot Country Songs

“Tennessee Whiskey” is one of Chris Stapleton’s best-known songs and a staple of his setlists, but the song dates back to 1981, when David Allan Coe recorded the first version of the song. Coe took it to #77 on the Country chart, and two years later George Jones covered it and took it to #2. The song became a mainstay of Jones’ live shows, but the song was mostly forgotten by 2015, when Stapleton recorded a bluesy cover for his debut solo album, Traveller, in 2015 at the suggestion of his producer, Dave Robb. He recalled to Billboard magazine: “The guys in the band and I were in Charlottesville, Virginia, waiting to set up microphones and started playing in that groove. I just was really enjoying it and started singing ‘Tennessee Whiskey’ on top of it, trying to make it something new.”

Chris Stapleton recorded an Etta James-influenced version of the song for his debut studio album Traveller released in 2015. Stapleton first sang his version on the spur of the moment while the band was playing during a soundcheck before a show in Charlottesville, Virginia. Stapleton and the band enjoyed playing the song, and he decided to sing the song every show. His producer Dave Cobb heard the song and suggested that he should record the song for his album. His cover was never officially released to radio as a single, but it was released as a promotional CD single.