Chris Stapleton: Five Songs I Wish I’d Written
Last year Chris Stapleton went from a virtual unknown outside of country music circles to a bona fide star. His debut LP, Traveller, recently scored an Album of the Year nomination from the Grammys. As he looks ahead to the big awards ceremony in February, he told us about five songs that inspire him as a songwriter.
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Willie Nelson, “The Last Thing I Needed First Thing This Morning”
If it's late enough and I'm pulling out a guitar, I'll play this. I'm one of those cats that if I hear a sad song, it makes me feel good in some way.
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Louis Armstrong, “What a Wonderful World”
This one's a standard for a reason. It's a good life philosophy, and it's also got a great melody.
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Tom Petty, “Crawling Back to You”
Petty’s always been a country songwriter to me. His songs are full of these remarkable images.
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Dolly Parton, “Coat of Many Colors”
Dolly is a brilliant technical singer, but her ability to make you believe what she's saying is what speaks most to me.
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Hank Williams Jr., “Old Habits”
Every line in this song is fantastic: "I use Lifesavers to help get me off cigarettes/But you know, for your love, I ain't found no Lifesavers yet." It's a lesson in economy.