Chris Stapleton, a veteran songwriter who until last year was stuck in the shadows, Sunday enjoyed his latest triumph as the top winner at the Academy of Country Music Awards.

Stapleton won four awards including Album of the Year and Song of the Year at the annual country gala in Las Vegas.

Stapleton, the son of a coal miner who was once virtually homeless, has spent 15 years in Nashville writing songs that became hits for better-known country stars.

He finally last year put out his first solo album -- "Traveller," which focuses on his both physical and metaphorical voyages -- at age 37, considered mature for a musician's debut.

Despite the lack of radio hits, "Traveller" won Album of the Year in November at the Country Music Association Awards, another televised prize ceremony for the genre.

The critical recognition led to a surge of interest in "Traveller," which soared to the top of the mainstream US album chart and was also nominated for Album of the Year at the Grammys, the most prestigious US music industry prize.

In another sign of his crossover appeal, Stapleton was selected as a performer this month at the most lucrative US festival, Coachella in southern California, where country singers are rare.

Country star Eric Church delivered the most high-profile performance of Sunday's awards, playing his song "Record Year" with rapid-fire tributes to a number of music legends who have recently died.

With help from a DJ in the back, Church's medley included snippets of signature hits from pop icon David Bowie, Lemmy of metalheads Motorhead, grunge singer Scott Weiland and Glenn Frey of chart-topping 1970s rockers The Eagles.