At least on paper, Chris Stapleton's 2015 version of the oldie "Tennessee Whiskey" is now the most popular country song of all time. According to a press release from Stapleton's label MCA, "Tennessee Whiskey" is now the first country song ever to achieve a double diamond certification from the RIAA for 20 million units sold. That press release might be underselling things.
The RIAA hasn't confirmed the song's double diamond status on its website yet. As I write this, "Tennessee Whiskey" is merely listed as 17 times platinum, with its most recent certification coming in November 2024. But when it becomes official, "Tennessee Whiskey" will join Bruno Mars' "Just The Way You Are" and the Post Malone/Swae Lee collab "Sunflower" as the only double diamond singles in RIAA history.
It's been a long road for "Tennessee Whiskey." Dean Dillon and Linda Hargrove wrote the song, and David Allen Coe released the first version in 1981. It only reached #77 on the country chart. George Jones' cover came out two years later and went #2 country. Chris Stapleton was a veteran country songwriter when he released his debut album Traveler in 2015. He and his band tried out a bluesy, vocally showy "Tennessee Whiskey" cover during a soundcheck in Charlottesville, and it became a regular part of his live set and then earned a spot on the LP.
Stapleton's take on "Tennessee Whiskey" never officially came out as a single or got a music video, but it took off after Stapleton and special guest Justin Timberlake performed a rousing version of the song at the 2015 CMA Awards. That performance went viral, and the song reached #20 on the Hot 100. When we published our list of Stapleton's best songs in 2020, "Tennessee Whiskey" came in at #3. The song has stuck around and became (ahem) a staple.
