Adele and Chris Stapleton are at the top of their game right now with both artists enjoying recent spots atop the charts, but before 25's "Hello" was breaking records, the pop singer was covering the former underground country artist's tunes on 21.
This little gem comes in the form of her UK bonus track "If It Hadn't Been For Love," which is a bluesy tune she's played for year, but has a renewed significance following Stapleton's sweep of the CMAs earlier this month.
In a Nashville Scene interview with Mike Henderson, details surfaced of how the cover wound up on the decade's best selling album. Back when Adele was on her first U.S. tour for her 2008-debut album, 19, she spent a lot of time in the front of the bus for her frequent smoke breaks (a habit she has since kicked), where she had plenty of time to converse with the driver.
"Do you like bluegrass music?" the unknown bus driver asked her. "Well, I don't know, I haven't really heard a lot of it," Adele responded, according to how Henderson has heard the story.
The bus driver played The Steeldrivers' self-titled debut album, which Henderson co-wrote with Stapleton, and Adele instantly fell in love with "If It Hadn't Been For Love," forcing her band to learn it so they could play it at upcoming shows.
The cover was only released on the Target exclusive release of 21, which went on to sell more than 30 million copies worldwide.
Stapleton and Henderson have both since left the Steeldrivers and given the "Tennessee Whiskey" singer's recent success at the CMAs, it gives this song and story a whole new meaning.
"I do not know who the bus driver was," Henderson told Scene. "And if I could ever find out, I owe him at least a good steak dinner, a bottle of good whiskey or something."
Listen to both versions below.
