Chris Stapleton is at the top of the list. Credit to Erika Goldring/Getty Images.
Los Angeles, California (May 28, 2025)- In a moment of poetic justice and long-earned acclaim, Chris Stapleton’s breakout 2015 album Traveller has been named the No. 1 country album of the 21st century by Billboard. The announcement comes as part of the magazine’s extensive recap of the first 25 years of the 2000s, placing Traveller at the top of its Top Country Albums of the 21st Century chart—a 100-position ranking reflecting performance on the weekly Top Country Albums chart from 2000 through the end of 2024.
Since its debut in May 2015, Traveller has not only endured but dominated, spending a staggering 525 weeks on the chart—second only to Willie Nelson’s Stardust (551 weeks), which dates back to 1978. Stapleton’s genre-defining LP reached No. 1 on the Top Country Albums chart on November 21, 2015, and has held that position for a cumulative 29 weeks. It also topped the Billboard 200 for two weeks, an impressive crossover feat.
Among the album’s standout tracks is the now-iconic “Tennessee Whiskey,” which ruled Hot Country Songs for two weeks and continues to be a streaming powerhouse. Other hits like “Nobody to Blame” helped Stapleton notch his first of seven Top 10s on the Country Airplay chart, cementing his place as a cornerstone of modern country music.
Reflecting on the album’s origins in a 2015 interview with Billboard, Stapleton shared that Traveller was born from a period of introspection following the death of his father. “My wife was kind enough to buy me an old Jeep,” he said. “We flew out to Phoenix and drove it all the way back to Nashville through the desert. Out of that, I wrote the song ‘Traveller’ driving down Interstate 40 through New Mexico.”
The album’s success was turbocharged by Stapleton’s now-legendary performance with Justin Timberlake at the 2015 Country Music Association Awards, where he swept the night by winning New Artist, Male Vocalist, and Album of the Year. The duet brought country soul into the mainstream consciousness and catapulted Traveller to No. 1 on multiple charts.
Billboard’s Top 10 Country Albums of the 21st Century:
Chris Stapleton – Traveller
Luke Combs – This One’s for You
Morgan Wallen – Dangerous: The Double Album
Morgan Wallen – If I Know Me
Luke Combs – What You See Is What You Get
Sam Hunt – Montevallo
Taylor Swift – Taylor Swift
Florida Georgia Line – Here’s to the Good Times
Taylor Swift – Fearless
Luke Bryan – Crash My Party
Notably, Taylor Swift appears twice in the top 10, underlining her massive early influence on the genre before her transition to pop. Morgan Wallen and Luke Combs also emerge as dominant forces, with two entries each—testament to the genre’s evolving but chart-busting appeal in recent years.
The accolade adds another high point to Stapleton’s extraordinary career, which has included Grammy wins, multi-Platinum sales, and a reputation for musical integrity and vocal firepower. As the country genre continues to expand and evolve, Traveller remains a gold standard—a blend of blues, soul, and country storytelling that transcends time.
With Billboard’s chart reflecting a quarter-century of data, Chris Stapleton’s Traveller not only stands atop the rankings but also stands as a defining work of 21st-century American music.
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