CMA Fest 2018: Chris Stapleton Teases Making More Music With Justin Timberlake

Chris Stapleton and Justin Timberlake have proven to be compatible musical companions, pairing on both “Tennessee Whiskey” and on “Say Something,” their duet on Timberlake’s current album, Man of the Woods. And there could be more coming.

“We were talking about something earlier today,” Stapleton said backstage Saturday night (June 9) at Nissan Coliseum before he took the stage during CMA Fest in Nashville, declining to reveal further details. “We just have fun. It looks like the odd couple to most people, but we have a lot of the same musical influences -- old R&B and soul music and things like that. We just enjoy hanging out.”

As far as possibly recording a whole album together, Stapleton said the two don’t talk about such specifics, but “there will probably always be music being made, whether it’s  writing or talking about music or playing music for each other… We’re both at a phase in our life where we want to have fun playing music. That’s why it makes sense." 

Stapleton has another musical pairing he’s excited about: he will open for the Eagles June 23 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

“One of the greatest shows I even went to in my life was the Eagles’ ‘Hell Freezes Over’ tour in 1995,” he said. “My memory of it was I saved all my money and I bought me and my brother a ticket to the Charleston Civic Center in West Virginia. I was 17 [or] 16, and we drove the four hours from my hometown to go watch that show. They played all the Eagles hits and then they took turns playing their solo stuff with the Eagles as the back-up band. Every piece of it was flawless. I’m excited to go play.”

It will also be a chance to get to know the members of the band better, Stapleton added that he has only said hello to Eagles’ singer/drummer Don Henley in passing at award shows, but is friendlier with Joe Walsh and with the newest Eagle and fellow country star, Vince Gill.