Montana Politician Starts Over at 54 to Become a Country Singer

Corey Stapleton has been a longstanding Montana politician - he was a state senator from 2001 through 2009, and then served as Montana's Secretary of State beginning in 2017. Earlier this year, he officially left that position as Christi Jacobson was sworn in.

It wasn't clear what the next step for Stapleton would be... though I don't think anybody would have guessed that he'd pivot from politics to country music.

But that's exactly what happened!

Meet Corey Stapleton and the Pretty Pirates

Corey Stapleton - no relation to Chris Stapleton - decided to start a band when he left office, and they called themselves Corey Stapleton and the Pretty Pirates. A couple of weeks ago, they just released their first song - it's called "Western Son."

KRTV has an interview with Stapleton about this new direction, and he seems to say that this band may be his new focus - a return to politics at the moment is somewhat uncertain.

So What's Next For Corey Stapleton and the Pretty Pirates?

Well, the band already has a merch store set up on their website featuring shirts, hats, and hoodies. And their About page says that they plan to release a few more songs leading up to a debut album. They also plan to begin touring in 2022.

Outside of that, it's pretty unclear. Is Stapleton really leaving Montana politics behind to focus on his country music career? Or is this just a stopgap between whatever he's running for next?

What do you think of the song Corey Stapleton and the Pretty Pirates released? Are you eager to hear more?

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