You’ve heard it at every wedding, dive bar, and karaoke night for the last decade. That slow, honey-thick guitar lick starts, and suddenly everyone in the room thinks they’re a soul singer. Most people will tell you it’s a Chris Stapleton song. They aren’t exactly lying, but they aren’t right either.
The truth is, who made the song Tennessee Whiskey isn't a simple "this guy" answer. It’s a forty-year relay race. The song was actually born in the middle of the night in 1981, long before Stapleton was a household name. It was written by two Nashville legends, Dean Dillon and Linda Hargrove, and honestly, the story of its creation is just as whiskey-soaked as the lyrics suggest.
The 4 A.M. Miracle at the Bluebird Cafe
Nashville lore is full of "written on a napkin" stories, but this one is the real deal. Dean Dillon—the man basically responsible for George Strait’s entire career—met Linda Hargrove at the famous Bluebird Cafe. They’d been drinking. A lot.
Around 4:00 in the morning, they ended up back at Linda's place. Not for a hookup, but because Dean had a seed of an idea. He had the title. He had the vibe. Together, they hammered out the lyrics about a love so smooth it felt like top-shelf booze.
It’s kind of wild to think about. This song that has now sold over 20 million units (it literally just went Double Diamond in January 2026) was just a bleary-eyed brainstorm between two friends trying to out-write their hangovers. They finished it before the sun came up.
The Outlaw and the Possum
Before it was a soul-country anthem, it was a traditional country ballad. The first person to actually "make" the song—as in, record it and put it on an album—was David Allan Coe.
In 1981, Coe released it as the title track of his album Tennessee Whiskey. It was good. It was twangy. But it didn't set the world on fire. It peaked at number 77 on the charts. Basically, it was a flop by industry standards.
Then came George Jones.
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In 1983, "The Possum" took a swing at it. Jones was the gold standard for country vocals, and his version is what turned the song into a standard. He took it to number two on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart. For thirty years, if you asked a country fan who made "Tennessee Whiskey," they’d say George Jones. Period. End of story.
The Soundcheck That Changed Everything
Fast forward to 2015. Chris Stapleton is a respected Nashville songwriter, but he's not a "star" yet. He’s playing a show in Charlottesville, Virginia. During soundcheck, he starts messing around.
He didn't play it like George Jones. Instead, he started singing the lyrics over a groove that sounded suspiciously like Etta James' "I'd Rather Go Blind." It was bluesy. It was gritty. It was total soul.
His producer, Dave Cobb, heard it and basically told him he’d be an idiot not to record it that way for his album Traveller.
The Justin Timberlake Factor
The song might have stayed a "cool album track" if not for the 2015 CMA Awards. Stapleton was scheduled to perform, and he brought out Justin Timberlake. They did an eight-minute medley of "Tennessee Whiskey" and "Drink You Away."
The world melted.
The next morning, the song was number one on iTunes. It didn't even matter that it wasn't a "new" song. To the general public, it was a revelation. It eventually became the first country song in history to be certified Double Diamond by the RIAA, meaning it has moved 20 million units. That is an insane number. For context, only a handful of songs like "Sunflower" by Post Malone have hit that mark.
Why Does This Song Keep Winning?
So, why did this specific song survive three different eras of music?
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- The Metaphor is Flawless: Comparing love to brandy and whiskey is universal. It’s "warm," it’s "smooth," and it’s addictive.
- The Melody is Flexible: You can play it as a honky-tonk waltz (like Coe), a heartbreak ballad (like Jones), or a soul-shaking anthem (like Stapleton).
- The "Stoned" Line: "Honey, I stay stoned on your love all the time." That line was risky in 1981. It’s iconic now.
It’s also become a benchmark for talent. If you can sing "Tennessee Whiskey" and not sound like a dying cat, you’ve probably got some pipes. From Kelly Clarkson to T-Pain (who did a killer cover in 2023), everyone wants a piece of it.
The Writers Behind the Curtain
While Stapleton gets the royalty checks and the trophies, we have to give it up for Dean Dillon and the late Linda Hargrove.
Dillon is a Hall of Fame songwriter who has written over 50 hits for George Strait. He’s the guy who wrote "The Chair" and "Marina del Rey." He’s a craftsman. Linda Hargrove was known as "The Blue Jean Country Queen." She was a session guitarist and a powerhouse writer in her own right.
They created the bones. Everyone else just dressed it up.
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Real-World Takeaways for Your Playlist
If you want to truly appreciate who made the song Tennessee Whiskey, you need to hear the evolution. Don't just stick to the Stapleton version.
- Start with David Allan Coe (1981): Hear the original outlaw vibe. It’s much faster than you expect.
- Move to George Jones (1983): Listen for the "Jones-isms"—those little vocal slides and the pure country ache.
- Watch the 2015 CMA Performance: This is the moment the song became a global phenomenon.
- Check out the 2026 Double Diamond news: It’s officially the "biggest" country song of all time according to the RIAA.
Next time you're at a bar and someone says, "I love this Chris Stapleton song," you can be that person who says, "Actually, it was written at 4 a.m. in 1981 by two drunk legends." You'll sound like an expert, and honestly, the song deserves that kind of respect.
Go back and listen to the George Jones version tonight. You might find that while Stapleton has the soul, Jones had the spirit. Both are essential.