Country songwriter Chris Stapleton wears a cowboy hat and loves looking off into the distance. Photo Courtesy of website Saving Country Music.
One of the world’s biggest country artists, Chris Stapleton, is coming to the Paso Robles Mid State Fair this summer on July 14 for the first time ever, and San Luis Obispo High School students can’t wait.
Stapleton has built up 25.8 million monthly listeners on Spotify, making him one of the biggest artists of all time to come to the Mid State Fair.
“When I heard Chris Stapleton was coming to the fair I was so pumped up I jumped out of my seat and started freaking out,” said 2026 SLOHS graduate Jacob Gill.
Many students at SLOHS were ecstatic to hear of Stapleton’s concert. Some students felt it was a sign of change in students’ music taste. We asked junior Grady Garrison why there are so many SLOHS students excited to go to the concert.
“Country music has been getting more popular at SLOHS; I’ve been hearing less rap nowadays, I think its because were heading into summer and people are getting ready for the fair, as well as the weather is warm so people just want to be outside and listen to good vibe country music,” said senior Grady Garrison.
In 1975, 6 percent of Billboard-charting songs were categorized as country; by 2023, this figure had increased to 34 percent, making country the most popular genre on Billboard’s year-end Top 100 chart.
Country music has become the most popular genre in recent years.
The California Mid State Fair pulling in star Chris Stapleton, shows that the artists possibilities for coming years are endless, so not only are students excited for Stapleton this year but they can’t wait to see who they bring in next year.
“If the fair could bring anyone I would love to see Megan Moroney or Zach Bryan. I listen to them everyday, they’re really good,” said SLOHS 2026 graduate Mackenzie Moore.
With excitement building around Chris Stapleton’s concert, many SLOHS students are ready for a fun summer at the fair. The concert not only brings a huge artist to Paso Robles, but also shows how country music is becoming more popular among students at SLOHS.
