Soulful and inspiring, Chris Stapleton’s “Millionaire” rendition brings forth an introduction of modern country music to his fans. The country artist included the song in his 2017 From A Room: Volume 2 album, which gave it a whole new light. As if that’s not enough, the lyrics and meaning of “Millionaire” are different from his usual piece.
“Millionaire” Love Song
Do you know who’s the original singer of Chris Stapleton‘s soulful song “Millionaire?” It’s shocking how the rising star is not the original singer, isn’t it? The country artist successfully owned it with the instrumental and vocals.
The song was originally written and sung by Kevin Welch, a California-born yet Oklahoma-raised singer-songwriter, in 2002 for his album with the same name. Welch started out as a songwriter in the late ’70s. His connection to Stapleton is mutual. Surprisingly, he is a co-founder of Dead Reckoning Records, and the rising country stars former bandmates in SteelDrivers Tammy Rogers and Mike Henderson.
Furthermore, the original songwriter revealed how “Millionaire” came about. He recalled being home in Nashville and starting a new relationship which gave him feel optimistic and gratitude. Welch wrote it pretty quickly, which turned out to be successful.
Soul singer Solomon Burke even made his own version of the song as part of his 2006 country music album Nashville.
Chris Stapleton’s Version
With Chris Stapleton’s “Millionaire” record, not much was changed with the mid-tempo track. It’s still soulfully influenced by a mix of heartland rock and country-rock ballad. The song’s main instrumental is an acoustic guitar for both the original and cover piece. The only difference is that Stapleton’s version is more heartwarming than Welch.
His wife and collaborator Morgane Stapleton sings as a second voice which makes all the difference. The couple blended together on the melody, so it doesn’t matter if the arrangement stays the same. It’s entertaining and gives you warmth on the inside.
Rolling Stone’s Robert Crawford commented how the song gets a swing of heartbreakers-worthy and considered Morgane’s second voice as the secret weapon. Unlike some Chris Stapleton songs, his version of this song has a more laidback and cozy vibe, as noted by Ari Shapiro of NPR. It even won a nomination at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards for Best Country Solo Performance.
You can check out Chris Stapleton’s “Millionaire” below.
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