Chris Stapleton's 'White Horse' Draws a True CMA Standing Ovation

Chris Stapleton brought the house down with his edgy performance of "White Horse" at the CMA Awards on Wednesday (Nov. 8). Despite being placed on vocal rest in October, his iconic raspy vocals showed no signs of fatigue.

The slow-building song captured the television and live audience's attention, erupting with a short guitar solo at the very end.

Stapleton's eyes blazed as he performed the love song. Wife Morgane stood beside him throughout, and his trusted band — including Paul Franklin on steel guitar — did all they could to keep up.

Terry Wyatt, Getty Images

Stapleton wrote the song with his pal Dan Wilson a decade ago for the movie 2013 The Lone Ranger, but it was not selected for the soundtrack. At the time, the idea was to create a rock-driven Western song. He officially released "White Horse" on July 21, 2023 as the lead single off his fifth studio album, Higher. The upcoming project is scheduled to be released on Friday, Nov. 10.

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The "You Should Probably Leave" singer was also nominated for a handful of CMA Awards. He's included in the Entertainer of the Year category, as well as Male Vocalist. His duet with Carly Pearce — "We Don't Fight Anymore" — received a nod for Musical Event of the Year.

The 57th annual CMA Awards, hosted by Luke Bryan and Peyton Manning, were held at Nashville's Bridgestone Area on Wednesday (Nov. 8). The show aired on ABC and is available to stream on Hulu.

2023 CMA Awards Performance Pictures

Luke Combs, Morgan Wallen, Jelly Roll, Lainey Wilson and Kelsea Ballerini are among the country stars performing at the 2023 CMA Awards. See the best pictures from the show.

The 2023 CMA Awards aired live on ABC from Nashville's Bridgestone Arena on Nov. 8. Luke Bryan and Peyton Manning hosted the show for a second straight year. Luke Combs, Carrie Underwood, Chris Stapleton, Lainey Wilson and Morgan Wallen were nominated in the Entertainer of the Year category.

Gallery Credit: Billy Dukes