“A Remarkable Achievement”: Chris Stapleton's ‘Tennessee Whiskey’ is the First Country Song in History to Go Double-Diamond

Chris Stapleton's ‘Tennessee Whiskey’ is the first country song in history to be RIAA certified ’Double-Diamond’, in honour of the song selling the equivalent of 20 million units.

Stapleton's soulful cover of David Allan Coe's 1981 classic - which was penned by Dean Dillon and Linda Hargrove, and also released by George Jones - has been a staple on all-time country music rankings ever since he dropped it on his 2015 album, Traveller.

In an official statement, RIAA Chairman & CEO, Mitch Glazier, has gushed, “Chris Stapleton’s undeniable vocal grit and storytelling have connected deeply - driving chart successes, earning major awards, and most importantly, resonating with fans”.

He stresses the scale of this feat, “RIAA is proud to celebrate him alongside MCA as ‘Tennessee Whiskey’ today makes history, becoming the first Country single ever to earn a Double Diamond certification with two million units in the U.S. alone. It’s a remarkable achievement and another defining moment in Stapleton’s career”.

Now that Stapleton has passed this groundbreaking threshold, we suspect Luke Combs and Morgan Wallen will be jostling to become the next artist with a Double-Diamond single.

Combs has four songs that have been certified Diamond: ‘She Got the Best of Me’, ’When It Rains It Pours’, ‘Hurricane’ and ‘Beautiful Crazy’, while Wallen has tallied five: ‘Whiskey Glasses’, ‘Last Night’, ‘I Had Some Help’, ‘Wasted On You’ and ‘Heartless’.

Of course, other iconic country songs such as Darius Rucker's ’Wagon Wheel’ and Lady A's ‘Need You Now’ have been certified Diamond, but given the month-to-month streaming numbers Combs and Wallen post, we imagine it'll be one of these two country titans who ends up following in Stapleton's hallowed footsteps.

For more on Chris Stapleton, see below: