Chris Stapleton Was Valedictorian — But He Didn’t Give a Speech

Chris Stapleton was a guest on Dax Shepard’s Armchair Expert podcast, where he was in a great mood and open to talking about just about anything.

During the interview, Stapleton revealed a little-known fact about himself: He was the valedictorian of his high school. But instead of delivering a traditional speech to his graduating class, he chose to write, arrange and perform a song for the entire crowd at graduation.

Stapleton explained that his school asked him to prepare a speech, but he decided to do something different.

“I actually just played a song,” he said.

When Shepard asked what song he performed instead of giving a speech, Stapleton said, “I actually wrote one.”

Stapleton and Shepard joked that the song might have been titled “4.0,” a nod to what his GPA likely was at graduation. In reality, the song was called “Memories,” written by a then–18-year-old future country music phenom.

Stapleton also told Shepard that he rarely brings up the fact that he was the valedictorian of his graduating class — a reflection of the humility that has long been part of his personality and vibe.

The “You Should Probably Leave” singer went on to explain that there were actually four or five valedictorians in his graduating class, as several students tied.

“I’m 47, and we’re talking about something that happened 30 years ago,” he said. “Why are we talking about this?”

Read More: Is Chris Stapleton Contemplating Retirement? ‘I’m Looking for the Fire’

This only proves what many have suspected all along: Stapleton’s humility is genuine. He doesn’t do what he does for credit, acceptance or to fit in — he does what feels right to him, when it feels right. And it works. Always.

Where Did Chris Stapleton Go To High School?

Stapleton attended Johnson Central High School in Paintsville, Kentucky. He graduated at the top of his class of roughly 250 students in 1996.

If you dig deep enough online — as I just did — you’ll find local Kentucky music blog that recounts how Stapleton returned to his high school about 10 years ago to play two shows and donate $57,000 to the school’s band program.

Let’s take a walk through Stapleton’s musical library and see which of his songs carry the most emotion.