Chris Stapleton’s ‘Traveller’ Wins Album of the Year at 2016 ACM Awards

Chris Stapleton won the 2016 ACM Award for Album of the Year, for Traveller. Live from his show in Ottawa, Ontario, Garth Brooks announced the singer-songwriter's win.

"Unbelievable. Garth Brooks just gave me an award," Stapleton said from stage. "I want to thank my wife. I want to thank everyone that worked on this record, from all the musicians and all the PR folks and all the folks at the label. Everyone's worked so hard."

Added producer Dave Cobb, "I want to say thanks to everybody who bought the record, and to the Stapletons for giving me the opportunity, and to God and our families."

Stapleton previously won an ACM Award for New Male Vocalist of the Year, as well as Song of the Year, for "Nobody to Blame." He is nominated for a total of seven awards, including Male Vocalist of the Year.

Traveller also won a CMA Award for Album of the Year, as well as a Grammy for Best Country Album. The singer-songwriter admits he was surprised by the success of the record.

“I was pleasantly surprised,” he told The Boot. “You always hope for the best when you put something out and try to make the best music you can make, but you can’t control what happens after that. It was a great, wonderful surprise.”

The record, Stapleton says, was influenced at least partly by the music his father played while he was growing up.

“My earliest memories of music were kind of the outlaw country folk — Waylon [Jennings] and Willie [Nelson] and guys like that — but also Ray Charles and Aretha Franklin and a lot of old R&B people,” Stapleton told The Boot. “My dad could hold a tune. He wasn’t necessarily a singer, but he did love music, and he listened to it quite loud in the car. So those were my earliest memories of music, and when he passed away [in 2013], it flipped the switch for me.”

Download Traveller on iTunes.

Big Moments in ACM Awards History

How Well Do You Know the ACM Awards?