Chris Stapleton, CMA’s reigning Male Vocalist of the Year, sells out Saturday show at Track 29

Chris Stapleton seemed to come out of nowhere at this year’s CMA Awards, taking home three top trophies from the Country Music Association and belting out a show-stopping duet of “Tennessee Whiskey” and “Drink You Away” with Justin Timberlake.

But the dark-horse winner for Album (“Traveller”), Male Vocalist and New Artist of the Year is no outsider in Nashville. He’s been busy as a songwriter since 2001, sang lead for bluegrass group the SteelDrivers from 2008 to 2010 and later founded Southern rock band the Jompson Brothers.

Now, Stapleton’s debut solo effort has gained him attention beyond the confines of country music. “Traveller” has earned “Best of 2015” acclaim from publications as diverse as Rolling Stone, American Songwriter, NPR Music, Entertainment Weekly, the Los Angeles Times, Stereogum, Taste of Country and Noisey, among others.

His Saturday, Jan. 2, show at Track 29 is one of several sold-out dates for the artist, though there is an “Enter To Win” ticket giveaway on his website, www.chrisstapleton.com/tour.

Here are five fast facts about the 37-year-old Kentucky native, gleaned from various sources.

1It wasn’t Stapleton’s first time on the CMA stage. A couple of years ago, he sang backup for Luke Bryan on “Drink a Beer,” a mournful ballad Stapleton co-wrote.

2 He’s written No. 1 hits for a string of A-list artists, including “Your Man” for Josh Turner, “Never Wanted Nothing More” for Kenny Chesney, “Come Back Song” for Darius Rucker, “Drink a Beer” for Luke Bryan and “Crash and Burn” for Thomas Rhett. It’s not just country artists who covet his songs. Adele included Stapleton’s “If It Hadn’t Been for Love” on a deluxe edition of her “21” LP.

3 He is married to fellow country singer and chart-topping songwriter Morgane Hayes, who wrote “Don’t Forget To Remember Me” for Carrie Underwood. Rolling Stone reports they met at their publishing house, Sea Gayle Music. They’ve been married since 2007 and have two children. He told The Washington Post, “My wife has great taste in everything but men.”

4″Traveller” was influenced by the death of Stapleton’s father in October 2013. Nashville insider Mary Hilliard Harrington told Billboard magazine that that period of grief led Stapleton “to call time-out for a minute and regroup on what he wanted to say as an artist, and that’s what got us to this record.” On his website, Stapleton says the album evokes his childhood “when country, blues, rock and R&B swirled together” to create a distinctive sound.

5After his sweep on the CMAs, Stapleton told the media he had no idea what was next. Turns out, it was Grammy nominations. Stapleton is nominated for Album of the Year, Best Country Album, Best Country Song and Best Country Solo Performance, all for “Traveller,” the album or its title track. Winners will be announced in February.