Chris Stapleton was almost baffled to be named the CMA’s Male Vocalist of the Year. He claimed his trophy in person during the awards show on Wednesday night (Nov. 8).
“Any one of these guys in this category deserves this award,” he said as he opened his acceptance speech. “I’ve won a couple of these, and I’m always shocked that I win one. And I’m humbled here tonight to get to stay in such a wonderful crowd of people.”
He also took a moment to thank his wife and fellow singer, Morgane, who was beaming in the audience.
“I wanna thank my wife, Morgane, who I don’t do any of this without her,” he confessed. “Sure don’t get any of these without her.”
He beat out some tough competition to earn his victory: Jelly Roll, Luke Combs, Morgan Wallen and Cody Johnson were all nominated in the category this year.
It’s Stapleton’s third consecutive year winning CMA Male Vocalist of the Year — his seventh overall — and you’d be hard pressed to find a candidate who deserves the title more. The star’s powerhouse, soulful voice is perhaps more well-known than any other in the genre.
Stapleton has been releasing new music in 2023, and as always, he continues to showcase the foundational talent that made him a star while experimenting with forays into the rock and soul genres. This year, he delivered vocal finesse and tenderness as Carly Pearce‘s “We Don’t Fight Anymore” duet partner — a song they performed on the CMAs stage earlier on Wednesday evening — and showed off his rock side on his new solo single, “White Horse.”
He also had a banner year as a live performer, kicking off 2023 with a Super Bowl National Anthem performance. From there, Stapleton headed up a new iteration of his annual All-American Road Show Tour and played some stadium shows with George Strait and Little Big Town — a lineup he’s already extended into 2024.
Stapleton was also nominated for the evening’s top honor, Entertainer of the Year, which was awarded to Lainey Wilson.
*Remember: The best way to watch the CMA Awards is on ABC with ToC on your phone.
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Gallery Credit: Billy Dukes