Alright, so we all know that Chris Stapleton has been one of the most notorious singers and songwriters in the country music world over the past 20 years.
Stapleton began his music pursuit in 2001 after moving to Nashville, and the man has been blazing a trail ever since. From his humble beginnings with the bluegrass band The Steeldrivers, then later going off on his own, Stapleton has racked up 5 Grammys and numerous country music awards.
He’s also written a number of incredible songs too, such as Kenny Chesney’s “Never Wanted Nothing More,” Josh Turner’s “Your Man”, and Luke Bryan’s “Drink a Beer.” Stapleton’s even wrote a song for the King himself, George Strait’s “Love’s Gonna Make It Alright.”
I mean, with all of these genius hits Stapleton has written, you’d think he was a rocket scientist.
No really, the man actually could’ve been a rocket scientist. What a lot of people don’t know is that Stapleton was class valedictorian at Johnson Central High School, just outside of Lexington, Kentucky . He then went on to Vanderbilt to study engineering, which is one of the most prestigious universities in America.
“I went through a year of engineering school at Vanderbilt University and then two years of business school,” said Stapleton, in an interview with the San Diego Union-Tribune.Â
“The main thing I learned from both of those things is that I didn’t want to be an engineer or an economist. Sometimes, when you’re 18, career paths are not clear. You have things you like to do, but everyone I knew made a living in business. My dad was an electrical engineer who worked on coal mines. My brother is an FBI agent.”
Stapleton dropped out after one year, and ended up pursuing music shortly after. With how things have turned out, I guess you could say he made the right decision.
“But I’m glad I did (engineering and business) first because all the wrong roads bring you to the right roads.”
Cheers to the legend himself.
