Some country music albums are so vital, so unforgettable, so iconic, that everyone should gather around the proverbial table and sing happy birthday to commemorate their release.

• Chris Stapleton's "Traveller," which hit the shelves 10 years ago this week, is one of those albums worthy of reflection and celebration.

Why it matters: "Traveller" exceeded all expectations. It was a game-changing album for country music, and a colossal commercial success for his label Mercury, which is an imprint of Universal Music Group.

The intrigue: Stapleton created "Traveller" at a time when hip-hop-infused bro country was the flavor of the moment. Artists like Luke Bryan, Florida Georgia Line and Sam Hunt led the way.

• "Traveller" cut its own path, with Stapleton's soulful vocals, traditional instrumentation and simple production from producer Dave Cobb.

Flashback: Universal decided to take an unconventional approach to promotion, relying on word-of-mouth. Cindy Mabe, then-president of UMG Nashville, laid out the label's plans to The Tennessean on the eve of the album's release in 2015.

• "Normally we'd service music to radio six months prior to releasing an album, but we believe with Chris that if we build organically and show the mainstream outlets how his music is connecting, we will continue to garner bigger partners and the word of mouth will snowball," she said.
• The label believed that the more people who simply heard Stapleton sing the better the album would sell.
• They were right.

State of play: The album was released to good reviews, but it wasn't until months later that Stapleton caught lightning in a bottle when he performed "Tennessee Whiskey" with Justin Timberlake at the CMA Awards.

• That performance may be the most unforgettable in modern country music history.
• Artists like Luke Combs and Cody Johnson followed in Stapleton's bootprints, and the genre largely lurched away from the bro country sounds of a decade ago.

What he said: At 37, Stapleton was a grizzled veteran of Nashville's country music industry by the time "Traveller" came to be. At the time, the Vanderbilt dropout had carved out a workmanlike career that included songwriting for other artists and fronting the bluegrass band the SteelDrivers.

• The release of his first solo album had been delayed for years.
• "There's songs that are the 23-year-old me on this record, the 28-year-old me playing in bands, the 30-year-old who just got married," Stapleton told the Tennessean 10 years ago. "There's the 37-year-old with two kids and in-laws living close by, and my mother living down the street.
• "There's all those things on this record, and all those stages of my musical life are on this record."

By the numbers: Two weeks after the CMA performance, "Traveller" reentered the Billboard 200 all-genre chart at No. 1.

• It's the first country album to spend over 500 weeks on the Billboard 200 chart.
• Global sales eclipsed 11 million albums, and it has been streamed over 11 billion times.

What's next: Tenth anniversary vinyl variants of the album are coming this summer.

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Pope Leo XIV was elected yesterday as the first pontiff from the United States.

• He was previously known as Robert Prevost, a Chicago native and White Sox fan.

What they're saying: The Rev. Bruce Morrill, a professor at Vanderbilt University, tells Axios that the name Leo is a significant choice.

• "Leo XIII in late 1800s issued the first papal encyclical on a modern social justice issue: On Human Labor."

The big picture: Leo is also the second consecutive pope to come from a religious order. He is part of the Augustinian order. (Pope Francis was a Jesuit.)

• "These are men formed in communal life, shaped by shared vows of chastity, poverty, and obedience," Morrill said. "This makes them adept at and even expecting dialogue, patient listening, communal discernment, forgiveness, and flexibility."

📺 Gov. Bill Lee praised President Trump's trade policies in an interview on Fox News, which broadcast yesterday from Puckett's downtown. (Tennessean)

⚽️ Nashville SC will host the English Premier League club Aston Villa on Aug. 2 at Geodis Park. (Nashville Post)

🌎 Human-caused climate change made the deadly rainfall in Tennessee last month more intense and also made those storms more likely to occur, scientists said. (AP)

On average, Tennessee moms were 28.5 when they gave birth last year — up from 26.2 in 2003, according to provisional CDC data.

Why it matters: Increased access to fertility treatments and reliable birth control are helping more women delay parenthood, although obstacles remain to getting pregnant later in life.

The big picture: Nationally, the birth rate for teenagers and women in their early 20s dropped to record lows in 2024, as the birth rate for women over 30 rose, per the CDC data.

• And women aged 30-34 had a higher birth rate (95.4 per 1,000 women) than those in their late 20s (91.4).

The bottom line: Happy Mother's Day to moms of all ages.

🏙️ Check out what's happening around the city.

Hellbender on the River at The Platz at Neuhoff May 15: Hellbender on the River is the Cumberland River Compact's annual evening of live music and incredible food that celebrates the streams and rivers that make up the Cumberland River watershed. Featuring all-vinyl DJs Sparkle City Disco, taco bar, and a specialty cocktail.

Interested in featuring an event? Email [email protected].

We're back to test your reading comprehension.

1. Which superstar is partnering with Belmont University to teach students about the music business?
2. Name one of the suggested ways you can help Metro Animal Care and Control reach no-kill status.
3. Which local mall was the subject of a new redevelopment deal announced this week?

✍️ Reply to this email with the answers to the following questions and you might earn a coveted shoutout in Monday's newsletter.