The 2015 CMA Awards were life-changing for Chris Stapleton, who was known more then as a songwriter and less as an artist.
The rest of the world learned that night what Nashville had known for years…Chris Stapleton is a force to be reckoned with. Stapleton won his first of many CMA Awards in 2015, including the Male Artist and New Artist trophies, making him the first to win both trophies the same year since Ricky Skaggs did so in 1982.
RELATED: MEET CHRIS AND MORGANE STAPLETON’S 5 KIDS
The “Broken Halos” singer also performed with Justin Timberlake, a moment that will go down as one of the best in CMA Awards show history. While appearances by pop artists are generally frowned on at the country awards shows, fans embraced Timberlake whose soulful tenor sound was the perfect companion for Stapleton’s.
The two took the stage to sing David Allen Coe‘s 1981 single “Tennessee Whiskey” and Timberlake’s 2013 release, “Drink You Away.”
The performance launched Chris Stapleton’s career as an artist with his version of “Tennessee Whiskey” eventually earning a 14X Platinum status from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
So how did the historical collaboration between country music’s songwriting king and a boy band frontman come to be?
In a new interview with Howard Stern, Chris Stapleton shared the story behind the epic collab.
In the interview, Chris told the host that he had attended Justin’s birthday party after they were introduced by a mutual friend. At the party, Justin “expressed an interest in doing something sometime,” according to Stapleton. He added that when asked to perform on the 2015 CMA Awards show, it was his wife who encouraged him to invite Justin Timberlake to join him.
RELATED: 11-YEAR-OLD JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE SINGS ALAN JACKSON SONG ON ‘STAR SEARCH’
“[Justin had] never played on the CMAs or anything…he was kind enough to come do it and it was what it was,” Chris said.
Howard Stern asked Stapleton about the after-effects of “the perfect moment.” Chris responded that all of his tour tickets were “sold out instantly” after that performance.
“It was such a defining moment, this whole thing. You guys doing this, the country artists watching you. And you must love Justin Timberlake because he made this happen with you,” Stern said.
Chris responded, “Oh, for sure. I like to say, ‘We built the fire, but he threw the match on it, you know. And that’s really how I feel about that moment, and it will always have a special place in my heart, and he will, too.”
Watch Chris Stapleton talk to Howard Stern about his viral CMA Awards show performance in the video below.