Behind the Album Cover: Chris Stapleton’s Stunning “Traveller”

It’s safe to say that Chris Stapleton’s life changed with the arrival of Traveller. In May 2015, Stapleton released the album that took him from a behind-the-scenes songwriter and under-the-radar singer into a superstar. In addition to achieving critical acclaim, the album put Stapleton on the mainstream map with the Top 20 singles “Parachute,” “Nobody to Blame” and the title track. But the music came from a somber place.

Stapleton’s father passed away in 2013, which led him and his wife, songwriter, and background singer Morgane Stapleton, to go on a cross-country road trip that inspired the title track. The spirit of the album is also reflected in the cover art. The black-and-white shot shows the singer standing alone in the middle of the desert. His face and beard are somewhat hidden by the angle of his signature cowboy hat, as well as the dark shadow that hides most of his features.

The stunning photo was taken by photographer Becky Fluke, who’s also shot videos for Little Big Town, Caitlyn Smith, Keith Urban and Miranda Lambert, and others, who joined the couple to document the trip in 2013. “The album cover was actually shot a year before the album was even made,” Fluke tells Medium. “Chris and [his wife] Morgane bought a Jeep [Cherokee] online, so we went on a road trip to drive it from Phoenix back to Nashville. The photo was shot somewhere in Arizona or New Mexico.”

“We were taking a trip and my wife decided it would be good to have Becky document it,” adds Stapleton. “We didn’t know that we’d end up doing an album cover or anything like that.” The singer also partnered with the design company, Milkglass Creative, to bring the cover to life. Founders Mary Hooper and Amy Stroup sat down with the singer over breakfast in Nashville to discuss his vision for the cover where he explained the trip he’d taken with his wife.

Hooper and Stroup were drawn to the “everyday rockstar moments” Fluke captured. “This collection of imagery became the cornerstone for the project,” they described. “We settled on an obscured polaroid from the group for the front cover. There was a sense of mystery in the grainy texture of the photo and in Chris’ windblown desert cowboy posture. A stark difference from the high gloss close-ups the industry is used to. Perfect for Chris Stapleton.”

Following Stapleton’s performance of “Tennessee Whiskey” at the 2015 CMA Awards with Justin Timberlake, the album peaked at No. 1 on the all-genre Billboard 200. Stapleton’s cover of “Tennessee Whiskey,” one of the deep cuts on the album, hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart and No. 20 on the Hot 100, becoming his signature song. Traveller also won Best Country Album at the 2016 Grammy Awards.

Photo by Erika Goldring/Getty Images for Pilgrimage Music & Cultural Festival