Chris Stapleton Opens up About His How Late Father Influenced His Work Ethic: “I Think about Him Every Day”

With five studio albums, Chris Stapleton stays busy working on his career but also being a father to his five children. In an interview with Cowboys & Indians, Stapleton said he learned his work ethic from his own father.

Stapleton’s father Herbert worked as a coal miner. He also played a key role in introducing Stepleton to country music, fostering a love for the genre. Herbert and his son also found commonalities in their disciplines towards work.

“My work ethic comes from my dad, and I’m not sure that it’s altogether healthy. I’m working on some work-life balance,” he admits. “My dad was a coal miner. He worked long hours his whole life, and he died very young. I’m trying not to do that. That may be who I am in a lot of ways, and I think about him every day.”

However, Stapleton also said he learned what not to do from watching his dad. Herbert. passed away in 2013 at the age of 67. Stapleton said his father struggled to balance life with work, and that’s something Stapleton wants to better balance. Family is important to him.

Chris Stapleton on Family and Being Father

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Stapleton had the chance to just spend time with his family. Post-pandemic he’s learned to focus more on family.

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He said, “You get to really check in with — my older children are 11 and 10…so there’s all kinds of new personality and emotional space to explore with them,” he continues. “It’s really interesting to talk to them and hear their takes on things, their likes and dislikes, and they’re very opinionated.”

Stapleton also said he learned a bit about his own career aspirations by watching his siblings and the paths that they took in life. He said, “Sometimes you’re so close to whatever there is around you, you don’t even know what you’re learning from it. I have an older brother and a younger sister who both do great work in the world. They’re so giving of themselves, and I admire that about them.”

As far as the lessons that Stapleton wants to pass to his own kids, he wants them to own their mistakes. It’s important to learn from one’s failures in life.

“The thing we try to impart on them is that it’s okay to be human. It’s okay to make mistakes, and owning those mistakes is important,” he said. “Here’s what I hope for my children: that they are the best parts of me and that they can overcome the worst parts of me. I want my children to be themselves, whoever they are. I want that for them more than I want it for me.”

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[Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for The Recording Academy]