Nashville, TN – Jonesboro Right Now – There was a time when the biggest audience TRIPPP could find in Jonesboro was an empty set of bleachers.

Sometimes there was only one person watching. That person happened to be their late grandfather, C.P. Stafford.

Years later, three brothers from Jonesboro found themselves standing onstage in front of thousands of people with one of their musical heroes, country superstar HARDY, who had just delivered the news that would change their lives.

TRIPPP — triplet brothers JD, Chaz and Treyson Stafford — is the first official artist signed to HARDY’s newly launched Mockingbird Records, a country label created by HARDY in partnership with Big Loud Records. The announcement came Friday, Oct. 2, after TRIPPP opened for HARDY’s “One Night in Starkville” show at Humphrey Coliseum in Mississippi.

For the three brothers, the moment was about much more than a new record deal. It was about nearly a decade of work. It was about Jonesboro. And it was about finally reaching a place they once weren’t sure existed.

“You grow up idolizing these guys,” Chaz said. “Even when you start a band and move to Nashville, you never really think that it could be you. It’s just something that, you know, we worked all these years and gone through so much to climb that invisible mountain.”

Before Nashville, There Was Jonesboro

The TRIPPP story didn’t begin in Nashville. It began at home. Surrounded by music—their father worked in local radio—the brothers grew up listening to the artists who would eventually become their heroes.

But the path wasn’t exactly a straight line. JD remembers one of TRIPPP’s earliest performances at the Brookland Junior High beauty pageant, and playing the Blessed Sacrament Fall Festival on a straw mat while almost nobody paid attention.

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“We’ve always just done this because we loved playing music together, truthfully,” JD said. “We’re not good at anything else, which narrows down our options quite a bit.”

That determination carried the brothers to Nashville in 2020 to attend Belmont University. Their timing was less than ideal. COVID-19 pushed classes to Zoom, and the traditional college experience faded. Eventually, Chaz and JD left school to work and pursue music, while Treyson remained, earning his degree.

The music business brought plenty of disappointment along with the opportunities. The brothers toured in a broken-down F-150 that kept running years longer than it should have, playing anywhere that would let them plug in.

“The comparison game sucks,” Chaz said. “You start out in Jonesboro and think, ‘If I could just move to Nashville, we’ve made it.’ Then you get to Nashville and think, ‘If we could just get on the radio, we’ve made it.’ The bar just keeps getting higher.”

Their answer was to simply keep going. Treyson’s philosophy kept them anchored: “When things are hard, just keep pushing,” he said. “I always tell myself, ‘Let’s just keep grinding, and the results will pay off.’”

That approach has now taken them through more than 300 live performances, a Grand Ole Opry debut, opening slots for artists including Riley Green and Gavin Adcock, a Belmont University Songwriter’s Showcase victory and recognition as one of The Nashville Briefing’s “25 Country Artists to Watch” in 2024. They’ve also released the nothin’ EP and their self-titled TRIPPP album.

A Different Kind of Obstacle

For Treyson, the journey has included personal challenges that most people watching TRIPPP from the outside would never know. Diagnosed with autism as a child, Treyson said that early on, tasks that came naturally to other kids required considerably more time and effort.

“Like putting a block in the right hole—it just took more time and practice,” Treyson said. Even something as simple as sitting down to practice an instrument was initially a tough thing for him. “It just took extra work and education to do things that most people can do easily,” he explained.

Today, those hurdles are much less apparent. Treyson noted that it doesn’t take as much practice anymore, and his brothers marvel that he can pick up new things within 10 minutes.

Those early years profoundly shaped the band’s dynamic. JD recalled how the family rallied around Treyson, constantly trying to figure out how to help him and make life easier.

“As hard as those times were, we would not have the patience we have with each other without it,” JD said.

JD credits their mother for helping the family understand autism not as a limitation, but as a different way of experiencing the world. “My mom did such a good job of changing the stigma back home—teaching us that autism isn’t a curse, it’s a blessing and a gift,” JD said. “Treyson is an absolutely brilliant example of why kids with special needs should not be written off.”

The 2 A.M. Message

That resilience eventually led to a breakthrough that sounds almost too good to be true.

Earlier this year, while leaving a Theo Von comedy show at the Ryman Auditorium, JD looked down at his phone. There was a direct message from HARDY. JD assumed it was an accidental livestream notification.

“He said, ‘Hey guys, y’all are f***ing badass. Do y’all have a record deal?’” JD recalled. JD immediately called the band’s manager at 2 a.m.

The conversation soon moved to HARDY’s producer studio at Big Loud. HARDY explained his plans for a new country label, Mockingbird, and his desire to pass the torch to the next generation—much like Florida Georgia Line had once done for him. He wanted TRIPPP to be his flagship artist.

The brothers didn’t hesitate.

“We were like, ‘Man, look no further. We’ll put all our chips on this table,’” JD said.

HARDY’s willingness to blur the lines between country and rock perfectly fit the direction TRIPPP’s music has taken. While their early sound leaned into traditional bluegrass, the Nashville grind brought a new edge to their music.

“The longer it took for us to find stability, the more the anger, frustration, impatience, and resiliency started to come out in our sound,” JD said.

“Made It”

The emotional peak of the Starkville show came just before the record deal announcement, when TRIPPP performed their song, “Made It.” Originally written about digging themselves out of difficult places and finding their way back through their faith, the lyrics took on a brand-new weight in front of the arena crowd.

Looking across the stage, Chaz and Treyson locked eyes.

“We all three realized, hey, we actually ‘made it,’” JD said. “We’re doing something really cool with our lives. And people are paying attention.”

As they prepare to record their debut album under Mockingbird Records, the brothers are quick to credit the hometown that raised them. They point to local mentors like Tony Spinner, Vikki McGee, and Zach James of Backbeat Music for instilling a love of the craft.

And if the three boys who once played to empty bleachers in Jonesboro have any advice for other kids sitting in their bedrooms dreaming about making music, it’s surprisingly simple: don’t be afraid to embarrass yourself, and don’t stop playing.

“If we three yahoos can do it,” JD said, “I think just about anybody can do it, man.”

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