Stapp was born in
Nashville, Tennessee, United States. His family moved to
Atlanta,
Georgia in 1921, and Stapp was educated in that city. He became the programme controller at
Georgia Tech's own radio station and oversaw its development to a commercial radio station as
WGST. By 1954, Tree Publishing's song, "By the Law of My Heart", was recorded by
Benny Martin. The following year, two of Tree Publishing's songwriters,
Mae Boren Axton and
Tommy Durden, co-wrote "
Heartbreak Hotel". By 1964, Stapp had left his radio duties behind to concentrate his efforts in expanding Tree. He later became a founder-member of the
Country Music Association and held top posts with
NARAS. Stapp died in 1980, but was posthumously inducted to the
Country Music Hall of Fame in 1989. Tree International Publishing, a music publisher, is still based in Nashville. ==References==