Morgane Stapleton is no new name in the music industry. Still, while many country music fans may be well informed about award-winning singer Chris Stapleton’s life and career, there is a lot left to learn about the woman behind his success, who often cuts a quiet figure behind the singer.
More than just romantic partners, Morgane and Chris have so much in common. In addition to being a vocal backup on her husband’s band, Morgane is also a major influence on Stapleton’s music. She has been a part of his creative journey for over a decade, starting at a publishing house in Nashville.
She Started as a Backup Singer for Lee Ann Womack’s Road Band
Before she met her husband, Morgane Stapleton’s career as a backup singer and songwriter lacked stability. After quitting as a lead singer due because she was not comfortable with the spotlight, she worked as a demo recording singer, earning $60 a song. Her skill and voice later earned her a place as a backup singer to Lee Ann Womack.
After that, the budding songwriter signed a songwriting deal with Sea Gayle Music and secured a record deal with Arista Nashville Records. However, her stint at Arista proved unsuccessful, with zero released songs. In turn, she was released from her contract. In between her deal with the label, she wrote multiple songs for the 2004 Byron Hill album, Ramblings.
Two years after signing the deal, she had a breakthrough. She wrote and also provided backup vocals for the famous country singer, Carrie Underwood‘s song Don’t Forget To Remember Me. The success of the song upgraded Morgane’s profile, but it was her run-in with Chris Stapleton in 2003 that led to her established career as a songwriter.
Meeting Chris Stapleton Elevated Morgane’s Career
As Morgane tells it, she had a crush on Chris, who, at the time, was a songwriter at a neighboring publishing house. She would hang out with a friend of hers who worked with him, in the hope of running into him.
Eventually, one day, in 2003, Chris asked her to get together for a songwriting session on a Friday evening. While that meeting did lead to their romantic relationship, it also began a creative collaboration that has existed to date and made Morgane a household name.
Morgane helped Chris curate his first album, out of more than one thousand worth of songs, written over 15 years. The final nine songs formed Chris’ debut solo album, Traveller. The title song was conceived while the two of them were on a road trip from Phoenix, Arizona, to Nashville. The album won him Album of the Year at the 2015 Country Music Association Awards and Male Vocalist of the Year.
Aside from curating the album, she also sang backup vocals on eight of nine tracks. As a permanent member of his band, Morgane Stapleton has also provided vocals to two additional albums, From A Room: Volume 1 and From A Room: Volume 2. She has equally toured with him, nationally and internationally.
She is Still Working with Other Acts
Writing and providing backup to Chris Stapleton might be Morgane’s main job these days, but she is still working with other acts. Together with her husband, she has written for other acts from Lee Ann Womack to Guy Clark and Alan Jackson. Since they became a couple, she has received songwriting credits in more than 20 songs. Morgane has also featured as a backup vocalist for other acts like Mo Pitney, Joe Nichols, Dierks Bentley, and Kellie Pickler.
She has also expanded her coast and worked as a featured act in a couple of songs. She featured in The Climb, by Jessi Alexander, Look at Us by John Prine and Only Blood by Angaleena Presley. Along with her husband, she featured in the songs; You Are My Sunshine and Amanda for the compilation albums, Southern Family and Gentle Giants: The Songs of Don Williams.
You Are My Sunshine received a nomination for Musical Event of the Year from the Country Music Association Awards. So far, it is the only nomination for the singer. However, her husband, with whom she is a frequent collaborator, has received more than 85 award nominations, including 13 nominations from the Grammy Awards. It may not be her name on the plaque, but she is just as responsible for them all.
Morgane and Chris Stapleton have Been Married Since 2007
Morgane Hayes is happily married to her significant other and famous country singer/songwriter Chris Stapleton. After the failed songwriting session that became their first date in 2003, the two began a relationship. The Stapletons exchanged marital vows in 2007, and Chris had ‘You Are My Sunshine‘ etched into his ring. Since then, they have created plenty of music and babies together.
They are proud parents of five children. While there is little or no information about the couple’s first son and daughter, it is no secret that they welcomed twin boys Macon and Samuel in April 2018. News of their birth was announced at the 53rd Academy of Country Music Awards.
In the same year, in November 2018, the couple announced they were expecting their fifth child. The child, a boy, was born on May 12, 2019. Their fifth child was born in 2019. Morgane is a doting wife and mother who loves to spend quality time with her family and thus, creates a balance between her professional and personal life.
Morgane and Chris Stapleton live on a 311-acre home in Leiper’s Fork. There, aside from raising their family, the songwriter also runs her turquoise jewelry business. They bought the home in 2017, following the success of Chris’s debut solo album.
More than a Wife, more than a Collaborator
Chris’ Traveller album is a nod to his late father. He was a country music lover, as well as a big inspiration to her husband. Morgane’s father-in-law’s death in 2013 was a major blow to Chris. As a supportive wife, Morgane helped Chris through his grieving period. It was during this time that she bought him a Cherokee Jeep, which they used in embarking on a road trip that inspired and birthed the Traveller album. The Stapletons who continue to write, perform, and tour together, are going strong and show no signs to the contrary.
