Chris Stapleton Was Accused Of Stealing Etta James's Song And Never Paying Her A Cent, But Is Any Of
Highlights
- Chris Stapleton's song "Tennessee Whiskey" has been in comparison to Etta James' "I'd Rather Go Blind".
- There is confusion about who is liable for the similarities.
- Stapleton has written songs for different artists and believes that the success of a song cannot be predicted.
There is a tremendous line between being impressed by anyone's music and replicating it. Many artists have discovered themselves being slapped with a lawsuit as a result of they sampled every other musician's paintings. But does this come with Chris Stapleton, who has been accused of sampling the song "I'd Rather Go Blind," by way of Etta James on his observe "Tennessee Whiskey"?
Is there more to this tale, and is Stapleton in point of fact chargeable for the reports about the monitor? Or does his song simply pay tribute to an artist he is impressed through? These are questions that some fans could have, but offering answers is a little more complicated …
Who Is Chris Stapleton?
Chris Stapleton is a gifted person who has earned many unswerving lovers together with his spectacular vocals and tracks. In recent years, he has appealed to a new group of fanatics, partly as a result of of his performance with Justin Timberlake at the 2015 Country Music Awards. It is no secret that "Tennessee Whiskey" has earned Stapleton much more popularity after spending six weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2015.
His studio album, "Traveller," really catapulted his good fortune ("Tennessee Whiskey" is only one of the 14 tracks). Speaking to The Shot Gun Seat of thoughts on his songwriting and how you can be influenced by others, he mentioned: "As a songwriter, I think you get your education from other people's songs. You're certainly influenced by them, and I don't know any songwriters who don't point to, 'Man, I really wish I could write a song like 'insert song.'"
Speaking of the covers he chose for his album, he continued, "Both of these songs are certainly songs that I've done that with for many years, have been sort of standards to me, examples of how you should try to write a song. I don't think there's anything wrong with being a songwriter but also being a fan of other songwriters and songs. In fact, I think it's important that you do. I think that's important to pay homage to."
Is Chris Stapleton's Song "Tennessee Whiskey? A Rip-Off Of Etta Hames "I'd Rather Go Blind"?
If you love Chris Stapleton's "Tennessee Whiskey," you may have read the reports comparing it to Etta James' "I'd Rather Go Blind." One of the most productive techniques to describe the similarities is explained by means of Medium: "Both songs have the 12/Eight rhythmic meter, are in the important thing of A, and have a chord development continuously present in classic gospel and soul song. Stapleton and James have a equivalent making a song taste, too."
However, there is some confusion surrounding the track and who is responsible for the similarities. We say this because, according to Country Daily, the track was initially written by Dean Dillon and Linda Hargrove in 1981. It has been recorded before by David Alan Coe, and later George Jones, but the modern version belongs to Stapleton. This time, the song has a much more bluesy feel, which makes it sound fresh, even if the lyrics are not original. And here lies the problem: the music has been called into question, with critics noting a similarity in the melody.
Stapleton would not be the first to make headlines for this reason, and there have been multiple famous cases over the years. This includes Bruno Mars, whose song "Uptown Funk," in collaboration with Mark Ronson, actually resulted in multiple lawsuits for copyright infringement.
And what about Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams's hit track "Blurred Lines?" This song also found itself embroiled in lawsuits after Marvin Gaye's family sued them for sampling off the 1977 song "Got To Give It Up."
If you are wondering what has happened since these reports, well, it seems the answer is not much. There is very little information available about the comparison. As neither legal professionals nor songwriters ourselves, it would be irresponsible for us to assume an opinion on this case either way. We know Chris Stapleton has been in the business for a long time, and he knows a lot about writing songs.
What Does Chris Stapleton Think About Songwriting?
Chris Stapleton has written multiple tracks, and according to The List, some of the artists who have used his songs include Miranda Lambert, Thomas Rhett, Luke Bryan, and Sheryl Crow, to name but a few. CBS News adds that Stapleton has also written songs for George Strait and Blake Shelton. But how does he know when he has found a winning formula?
"I don't think I ever know that," he told CBS News. "The win is completing the song. And there are a lot of songwriters who will claim that they know. 'Yeah, I knew this -- after we wrote this person who it was a six-week primary. And -- and I was gonna get a large giant check within the mail.' I in reality just suppose those guys are full of s***. I don't think any one is aware of that. Like, you can't -- in all probability understand how everybody's gonna feel about a song that you just write. That's unattainable to understand. I don't believe computer analysis or telephone surveys or the rest like that. You have to take it to the people. I consider other people. And I trust people who have taste."
Stapleton is one of the most successful songwriters, and his interview with The Shotgun Seat, he shared perception into his writing inspiration.
"It varies, but most often I don't get started with the lyrics, I'm more of a strum at the guitar and hum and little bit, to find a melody, from there follow up on a phrase or a word or a description or feeling that works into what you might be enjoying and buzzing along to," he told the publication of how he writes songs. "To me, lyrics always observe melody as a common rule. That's to not say I have not written whole songs and needed to put melodies to 'em or come from an idea. Songs happen in quite a bit of different ways; it in point of fact simply is dependent upon the instant."
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