Chris Stapleton to receive Vanguard honor at 54th ASCAP Country Music Awards

Chris Stapleton will be honored with the ASCAP Vanguard Award at the 54th annual ASCAP Country Music Awards. The acclaimed singer/songwriter will receive the award, which honors songwriters and publishers of ASCAP's most-performed country songs of 2015, at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville on Oct. 31.

"Every so often, someone comes along with songwriting so masterful, a voice so powerful and a presence so captivating, that it stops you in your tracks," said ASCAP President Paul Williams. "Chris Stapleton does just that. By distilling Southern sounds and themes into potent songs, he has brought raw soul back to the country charts, and established himself as one of the most respected and original artists in American music today. We are thrilled to honor him with the ASCAP Vanguard Award."

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The Vanguard Awards recognizers ASCAP members' impact on musical genres that help shape the future of American music, with past recipients that include St. Vincent, Fun, The Civil Wars, Walk the Moon, Third Day, Band of Horses,Sara Bareilles and others. Stapleton's honor comes after the release of his acclaimed 2015 album Traveller, which debuted at #2 on the Billboard Country Albums chart, re-entering the Billboard 200 all-genre chart at #1 after the singer became the first artist to win Album of the Year, Male Vocalist of the Year and New Artist of the Year at the 2015 CMA Awards.

Stapleton's big year also included four nominations and two wins at the 58th Annual Grammy Awards — Album of the Year (nominee), Best Country Album (winner), Best Country Song (nominee) and Best Country Solo Performance (winner). He's nominated for Entertainer of the Year, Single of the Year, Male Vocalist of the Year and Music Video of the Year, as well as Musical Event of the Year -- with wife Morgane Stapleton, for their performance of "You Are My Sunshine" from producer Dave Cobb's Southern Family compilation -- at the 50th annual CMA Awards on Nov. 2.

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The ASCAP Country Music Awards will also include the presentation of the prestigious ASCAP Founders Award to Ricky Skaggs, as well as the reveal of the ASCAP Country Music Songwriter of the Year, Song of the Year and Publisher of the Year.