Category Archives: Kenny Chesney

Contemporary country star Kenny Chesney didn’t have the immediate breakout success that many of his peers enjoyed upon signing with major labels, but gradually built up a significant not long after via hard work, pop-friendly ballads, and a likable, average-guy persona. Chesney was born in Knoxville, TN, in 1968 and raised in the nearby small town of Luttrell, better known as the home of Chet Atkins. He grew up listening to both country and rock & roll, but didn’t get serious about material until college, when he studied marketing at East Tennessee State University. He received a guitar as a Christmas present and set about practicing, and was soon performing with the college bluegrass band. He soon began writing material as well and played for tips in local stages — most frequently a Mexican restaurant — every night he could; additionally, he managed to sell 1,000 albums of a self-released demo album. After graduation in 1991, he moved to Nashville and became the resident performer at the Turf, a rougher honky tonk in the city’s historic district. during he gained experience, it wasn’t the sort of place where he’d be discovered, and in 1992, he moved on to a publishing deal with Acuff-Rose. From there he acquired a record record deal with Capricorn and issued his debut album, In My Wildest Dreams, in late 1993.

Unfortunately for Chesney, Capricorn wasn’t much of a country label; not only was the album underpromoted, but the label’s country division shut down completely not long after its release. Still, it sold 100,000 copies and caught the attention of several big-time major labels. Chesney ended up signing with RCA subsidiary BNA, which issued All I Need to Know in 1995. The record gave him his first two Top Ten favorites in the title track and “Fall in Love.” His follow-up, 1996’s Me and You, became his first album to go gold, thanks to two number two singles in the title track and “When I Close My Eyes.” 1997’s I Will Stand was another gold-selling effort that gave Chesney his first-ever number one hit in “She’s Got It All,” plus another number two with “That’s Why I’m Here.” His big-time breakthrough, however, followed with 1999’s Everywhere We Go, which sold over two million copies and spawned two number one smashes with “You Had Me from Hello” and “How Forever Feels”; it also featured another Top Ten single in “What I Need to Do,” and another, “She Thinks My Tractor’s Sexy,” that just missed. In 2000, Chesney gave us his first Greatest favorites compilation, and two newly recorded music — “I Lost It” and “Don’t Happen Twice” — went to number three and number one, respectively.

Greatest smashes became Chesney’s second straight double-platinum release and dominated the country LP charts. He followed it with the all-new No Shirt, No Shoes, No Problem in early 2002, which gave him his strongest commercial performance yet. It, too, hit number one on the country record charts and spun off four Top Ten singles in “Young,” the number one “The Good Stuff,” the Bill Anderson co-write “A Lot of Things Different,” and “Big Star.” A Christmas album plugged the gap for 2003, and he returned strongly with 2004’s When the Sun Goes Down, which won in the record of the Year category at the Country music Awards. He repeated the win, this time as Entertainer of the Year, with Be as You Are (songs from an Old Blue Chair). Chesney found himself the subject of much press rag fodder in 2005 with his surprise marriage to actress Renée Zellweger (he had composed 1999’s “You Had Me from Hello” after watching Zellweger in the 1996 film Jerry Maguire). The duo split that same year, citing irreconcilable differences, and Chesney gave us the chart-topping The Road and the Radio in November. In the years that followed, Chesney kept busy, releasing Live: Live Those music Again in 2006 and Just Who I Am: Poets & Pirates in 2007.

Chesney’s President’s & Pinnacle Awards + 2 Wks @ #1 w P!NK

Posted on by
Kenny Chesney on Country Music News

Chesney Honored With BMI’s President’s Award Nov. 1 + the CMA’s Pinnacle Award Nov. 2   “Setting The World on Fire” Scores Second-Week Mediabase, Fourth-Week Billboard Hot Country No. 1 Nashville, Tenn. —  Kenny Chesney came to Nashville fresh out of college with a headful of dreams and a fistful of songs. He didn’t know how his adventure was going to turn out, but he intended to put his whole heart into it. Along the way, he released 17 albums, has now scored 29 No. 1s, played 135 stadiums and became the only country act on Billboard’s Top 10 Touring Acts of the Last 25 Years, helping break a lot of today’s headliners along the way. Recognizing the impact the man who released Cosmic Hallelujah on Friday has had on creativity in American pop music, both the Country Music Association and BMI are honoring his mark – creatively, and beyond – with the Pinnacle and President’s Award respectively. The Pinnacle Award has been given only twice; the President’s Award — presented across genres —  includes pop, rock, hip-hop and Latin songwriters. “These honors are a little hard to get my head around,” says Chesney. “I do what I do – keep trying to make better music, play better shows. To me, if you’re committed to songs, you’re always trying to grow and learn and figuring stuff out. It’s why every album I release, I try to keep clearing the bar the last one set – and it’s hard.” Chesney’s compulsion to always create better music that hits his audience – deemed the No Shoes Nation – in the heart has resulted in “Setting The World on Fire,” his in-the-moment-plunge-into-love song with P!NK having its second week at No. 1 on the Mediabase chart and fourth week at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, which measures airplay, streams and downloads. “Fire” is also hovering outside the Top 20 on Hot AC. With appearances on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” “Today,” “The Talk” and “The Late Late Show with James Corden,” the East Tennessee songwriter/superstar’s latest has been garnering a glowing critical response. USA Today proclaimed, “Chesney goes ‘deeper’ on new album,” while The New York Times enthused Cosmic Hallelujah is “a long, long way from Mr. Chesney’s typical arena-country ballads  about rural pleasures and island getaways” and NPR cited it for “folk’s storytelling, soul’s honesty and gospel’s spirit.” Newsday raved, “The result will fit nicely between ‘Friends in Low Places’ and ‘Keep Your Hands To Yourself.’ In other words, country perfection.” “There’s nothing better than getting new music to the fans,” Chesney says. “It’s what this whole journey was built on. From the time ‘The Tin Man’ got me signed to Acuff Rose Music and then Capricorn Records by Phil Walden, who didn’t even do country music – singing songs that showed how people like me lived has been the reason I’ve chased this dream. This week, it’s like it’s coming true in some ways… But you know me, there’s always more to Continue reading Chesney’s President’s & Pinnacle Awards + 2 Wks @ #1 w P!NK→

Kenny Chesney’s COSMIC HALLELUJAH on "Ellen," "Today," "EW" and "People"

Posted on by

Kenny Chesney Launches Cosmic Hallelujah  with multiple TV and Radio  appearances.  “Ellen,” “Today Show,” NPR, People, Entertainment Weekly 10/28 LA Times on Oct. 31; “James Corden” and “The Talk” Nov. 1  NASHVILLE, Tenn. — With USA Today already weighing in with “Kenny Chesney goes ‘deeper’ on new album,” Cosmic Hallelujah is getting ready to bow Friday, Oct. 28 – after delays for creative expansion, a No. 1 this week, a duet with rock/pop superstar P!NK “Setting the World on Fire,” and a cadre of media appearances to draw the No Shoes Nation even further into the follow-up to his four straight No. 1-yielding The Big Revival. “This record is personal to me,” says the four-time Country Music Association and four consecutive Academy of Country Music Entertainer of the Year. “It was an unusual path, but I think it took the album as a whole to new places, something I always want to do with the No Shoes Nation. If The Big Revival was ‘wake up and get back to living,’ Cosmic Hallelujah balances being aware with embracing every thrill that comes with being alive – and knowing those thrills are right in front of you, if you just pay attention. And it’s funny: the questions asked for this have been the best in my entire career.” Kicking things off with appearances on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” and a taped piece with Natalie Morales on the beach for “Today,” as well as People and Entertainment Weekly on Friday, Oct. 28, Chesney will be the subject of a major profile in Monday, Oct. 31’s Los Angeles Times, then appearances on “James Corden” and “The Talk” on Tuesday, Nov. 1. For the always reticent songwriter/superstar from East Tennessee, the opportunity to talk about the energy he rode into the studio while recording four additional songs for Cosmic Hallelujah has yielded some of his most insightful media yet. “Jesus And Elvis” bows on NPR’s prestigious “All Songs Considered” today. The Hayes Carll/Allison Moorer/Matraca Berg song celebrates LaLa’s Little Nugget in Austin, Texas, but it’s really about those places that are sanctuaries for real life in all our lives. Besides the front page-teased Life cover feature in USA Today, New York’s Newsday called it, “country perfection,”  The Boston Globe deemed it “a love song to another person and to the idea of getting away…working from a larger sonic palette, one that incorporates ideas from stadium-rockers with whom he shares dressing rooms and the rollicking Nashville bars that still loom large in country’s imagination.” “I made a really good record with Some Town, Somewhere,” marvels the man who’s headlined 135 major stadiums, “and it was a core sample of the No Shoes Nation. But between that being-in-the-moment charge of ‘Setting The World On Fire’ with P!NK – and she’s so electric and amazing – finally finding a place for ‘Coach,’ and a few new songs, Cosmic Hallelujah turned into this top-of-the-rollercoaster kind of throw-your-hands-up-and-embrace-every-awesome moment life hands you kind of song cycle.” With a lyric video for “Rich Continue reading Kenny Chesney’s COSMIC HALLELUJAH on "Ellen," "Today," "EW" and "People"→

Kenny Chesney Sets Radio on Fire: P!NK Duet Arrives 7/28

Posted on by
Kenny Chesney on Country Music News

KENNY CHESNEY SETS COUNTRY RADIO ON FIRE JULY 28  “Setting The World On Fire” with P!NK to be Cosmic Hallelujah’s Second Single. Having just dropped a new title – Cosmic Hallelujah – for his upcoming album, Kenny Chesney continues ratcheting up the excitement by releasing “Setting The World On Fire” to country radio on July 28 at 5 p.m. ET. The duet, with triple Grammy-winning P!NK, captures the combustive euphoria of being on the brink of love – and was recorded in part at Rick Rubin’s Malibu studio. With a tumbling guitar part, clean percussion and pillowy synth pads, the mid-tempo song builds and recedes, featuring a stand-out electric guitar solo from Kenny Greenberg. Invoking the dazzle of being lost in the heart of Saturday night: lipstick on mirrors, philosophical conversations strewn across hours, bands on the speakers matching the name on your t-shirt, “Setting The World On Fire” is the wonder of how sweet and enervating falling into love can be. “You can’t conjure a song that captures that feeling of being on the brink like this does,” Chesney sa ys. “The lyrics are a perfect way of saying it, but when you feel that melody rise, the arrangement picking up momentum – it’s bigger than you are, and all you want to do is throw yourself against the night. Then when P!NK comes in, well, that just brings this (song) to life.” Having made the decision to delay the follow-up to The Big Revival – with its four straight No. 1s, including the Grammy-nominated “American Kids,” “Wild Child” with Grace Potter and the life-affirming, three-week chart-topper “Save It For A Rainy Day,” Chesney’s hope s of having “Setting The World On Fire” as his next single were realized. For the 8-time Entertainer of the Year, it’s a song that embodies the very best part of what summer holds. “With the Spread the Love Tour in full force,” the man The Wall Street Journal calls “The King of the Road” says, “I wanted a song that packs all that joy, all that fun, all the energy that love is made of. When I heard ‘Setting The World On Fire,’ I knew it was exactly the song I’d been looking for. Like ‘Somewhere With You,’ there’s a n urgency, but this one is ‘in’ the moment – and what a moment it is!” Given Chesney’s history of unlikely – and often chart-topping – duets with Dave Matthews (“I’m Alive”), the Wailers (“Spread The Love”), Mac McAnally (“Down The Road”), Grace Potter (“You & Tequila,” “Wild Child”) and six weeks at No. 1 with Uncle Kracker (“When The Sun Goes Down”),  teaming with P!NK continues his longstanding tradition of seeking the best collaborators in modern music. “To me, great songs are great songs regardless of genre – and the core of being alive is the same no matter where you are,” Chesney says. “That rush of realizing there’s something going on here… You’re really clicking with someone… Or even just one Continue reading Kenny Chesney Sets Radio on Fire: P!NK Duet Arrives 7/28→

Kenny Chesney’s COSMIC HALLELUJAH: 10/28 Release Gets New Title

Posted on by
Kenny Chesney on Country Music News

KENNY CHESNEY’S COSMIC HALLELUJAH OCT. 28 Follow Up to Big Revival Changes Street Date, Changes Title Kenny Chesney’s creative roll over the last few months defies conventional business wisdom, but it seems to be igniting a whole other spark in the songwriter-superstar from East Tennessee. After writing, recording and releasing “Noise” in a matter of 11 days – and delaying the follow-up to his acclaimed The Big Revival until October 28 to accommodate “Setting the World On Fire,” featuring pop superstar P!NK – the 8-time Entertainer of the Year went on Good Morning America and surprised hosts Ginger Zee and Jesse Palmer with a brand new title for his forthcoming album: Cosmic Hallelujah. “The more I listened, the more these songs’ energy– especially ‘Setting The World On Fire’ – took hold,” Chesney said. “Some Town Somewhere is a great title, and it’s every single one of us. But then there’s how the album f its together, and even expands on what the last album did. So, I could go with what was already in place, or I could grab the title that felt the most right. “In the end, these album titles are around for a very long time. I really try to have titles that give people a sense of what the music is, and what the album is all about. There sure is a lot of Some Town Somewhere for sure, but really when I pulled back and listened: these songs are all about taking The Big Revival to the next level; that level is Cosmic Hallelujah.” Juxtaposing the reality in which we live with the power we have over how we react to it, and creating joy in the frenzy gives Cosmic Hallelujah its charge. With “Noise” capturing the world so many are caught up in through information addiction, tech dependence and fear-based/sensation-driven media, Chesney seeks to harness the urgency of striving and white noise overload; at the same time, the man The Los Angeles heralded as “The People’s Superstar” has balanced the album with the notion of working hard and unwinding to maintain one’s balance. Our relationships, moments and laughter, that’s what gives life – and music — its meaning. “You can go so caught up in all of the rushing, the racing around,” Chesney allows. “Or you can use all that momentum and repel against it, use its energy to experience the rush of being absolutely in the moment. For everyone in the No Shoes Nation, when I look out, that’s what I see: people who’re so completely alive, everything coming off them is like a giant cosmic hallelujah!” The new title was news to Chesney’s team. For the increasingly in-the-moment performer, whose S pread the Love 2016 Tour hits 14 major stadiums, that flash of immediacy’s driving his most recent creative endeavor. “The longer you do this, the more you appreciate inspiration when it’s genuine,” Chesney says. “Making records, I have to compete with all the amazing songs I’ve already cut, and every time Continue reading Kenny Chesney’s COSMIC HALLELUJAH: 10/28 Release Gets New Title→

Kenny Chesney Finds SOME TOWN SOMEWHERE July 8; New CD Builds on "Noise"

Posted on by
Kenny Chesney on Country Music News

Kenny Chesney’s Some Town Somewhere Lands July 8 Follow Up To The Big Revival Looks at the World, Life + Yes, Love Nashville, Tenn. (April 1, 2016) – With “Noise,” the propulsive look at sonic overload and hyper connectivity, hitting the charts with an unprecedented 146 reporting radio stations, Kenny Chesney struck a nerve about the white noise overwhelming our daily lives. Look for the 8-time Entertainer of the Year to consider the state of the world we live in, resetting reality, drinking, dreams, love and yes, escape when he releases Some Town Somewhere July 8. “In some ways, this record is more me than anything I’ve done,” Chesney says. “You get into my head, my heart and the way so much of what’s going on around all of us hits me. Taken as a whole, this is a record about seizing life in all its forms: the moments you wish wouldn’t end, the times that make you rethink your priorities, the simple stuff that gives us balance, a few characters at the bar and the hope that it’s all worth doing.” Drawing on some of his favorite writers – Shane McAnally (“Somewhere With You,” “American Kids”), Josh Osborne (“Wild Child,” “Come Over”), David Lee Murphy (“Pirate Flag,” “Living In Fast Forward”), Ross Copperman (“Pirate Flag”) and Matraca Berg (“You & Tequila”) – as well as Oscar nominee Allison Moorer, Americana Awards winner Hayes Carll and Texas singer/songwriter John Ed Baumann, Some Town Somewhere is as musically progressive as The Big Revival without loosing the East Tennessee songwriter’s roots. A strong melodic sense permeates, along with a handful of wistful ballads and a few feel good songs with some meat on their bones. “Every time I go into the studio, I think it’s important to bring people into your world – and maybe give them back a piece of their own world in the process. So much is happening so fast, we get caught up and forget some of the best stuff is what we’re rushing through,” says the man deemed “The People’s Superstar” by The Los Angeles Times. “I’ve had some of the very best songs, songs that really meant something to people and we went interesting places musically. But that sets the bar higher every time. I don’t want to repeat — and I want to grow as an artist. It’s a lot harder than you’d think.” Again co-producing with Buddy Cannon, Some Town Somewhere was recorded in Los Angeles and Nashville, Tenn. Though no Grace Potter, there will be some very special guests – including Moorer on the song she co-wrote. Covering a vast stylistic plane, Chesney used many of the core players from The Big Revival – and its four consecutive No. 1 singles — to maintain the aggression and create an energy that took the songs to more intense places. “When you’re in the studio, the chemistry the band has can have as much impact on the way the songs turn out as anything,” Chesney Continue reading Kenny Chesney Finds SOME TOWN SOMEWHERE July 8; New CD Builds on "Noise"→

Kenny Chesney Gets His Own Radio Station! No Shoes Radio Moves to SiriusXM April 12

Posted on by
Kenny Chesney on Country Music News

No Shoes Radio Moves to SiriusXM April 12 Kenny Chesney’s Station Moves After Eight Years Online NASHVILLE, Tenn. (March 29, 2016) – When Kenny Chesney began No Shoes Radio in 2008, it was a way to deepen the music experience he shared with the already hardcore No Shoes Nation. Culled largely from his iPod, the music mix blurred lines between reggae and rock, country and bluegrass, demos and live records, while unearthing performances people had never heard and offering a behind the scenes glimpse of Chesney’s world. After almost nine years of being on the road, on the bus, in the studio, the islands and places you’d never imagine, No Shoes Radio is packing up its non-playlist and moving to SiriusXM on April 12. For longtime listeners, it is the chance to have No Shoes Radio in the car and to enjoy the songwriter/superstar from East Tennessee along with Bruce Springsteen, Willie Nelson and Tom Petty’s c hannels. “Anyone who knows me knows how passionate I am about music,” Chesney said. “No Shoes Radio started, in part, because of people asking what some of the songs we played between sets at our shows were. I’ve always believed people listen to everything. I know I do, and I think the people of the No Shoes Nation are a lot like me. They’ve been listening to No Shoes Radio for the last eight years, and they’ve let me know they like it.” “So, for people who love music as much as I do, not only do they get No Shoes Radio, they get all the other deep dive channels that SiriusXM has to offer, too. Willie’s Roadhouse, the Petty and Springsteen channels and so much more. And they can listen in their car with great quality sound.” No Shoes Radio will go live on SiriusXM April 1 2. To celebrate the move, Chesney will play one of his storied, small club shows at the Stone Pony in Asbury Park, N.J.– which will be broadcast live – on May 12. “I love to grow and learn and expand,” said the man The Wall Street Journal calls “The King of the Road” of his new alliance. “I think you can always be better, smarter and find new ways to do things. For No Shoes Radio, which was a labor of love, we’re taking it into a whole new room – and who knows what might happen? And to celebrate, I figure we should do what we all love: make some music!” As “Noise,” Chesney’s lead single from an album arriving some time this summer, lands at radio this week, it’s a good time for the eight-time Entertainer of the Year. Having just played a Keg in the Keys show at Sloppy Joe’s in Key West on March 21, he’s gearing up to kick off his Spread the Love Tour April 23 at Auburn’s Jordan-Hare Stadium with Miranda Lambert, Sam Hunt and Old Dominion. Between 15 stadiums, arena and amphitheater dates and a brand new Continue reading Kenny Chesney Gets His Own Radio Station! No Shoes Radio Moves to SiriusXM April 12→

Kenny Taps A Keg in the Keys; Sloppy Joe’s Latest Pop-Up Bar Show

Posted on by

Kenny Chesney Taps Another Keg Sloppy Joe’ s in Key West Was Site of Surprise Show  KEY WEST, Fla. (Monday, March 21, 2016) – Word started to spread Friday: a keg show at Key West’s iconic Sloppy Joe’s March 21. Fans stood in line all night long, and by 6 a.m. Duval Street was blocked off for what local officials knew would be an overflow crowd that would shut the street down. By the time “Mas Tequila” rolled at 5:02, the fans were primed and ready as Kenny Chesney and band swung into “Beer In Mexico” with a vengeance. A quick tumble down and through a blazing “Til It’s Gone,” a lilting “Summertime” and a reggae-undertowed “Pirate Flag” got the party off to a musically robust start with the crowd singing along as loud as the man The Los Angeles Times called “The People’s Superstar.” Arms aloft, giant smile on his face, Chesney welcomed the so-far-beyond-capacity crowd with a witness about how much these keg shows mean. “We’ve been off, and we’re getting to know each other again,” Chesney proclaimed. “Nothing gets us as in the mood to go out and play music for you all summer long quite like coming down to the Florida Keys and doing this show: old songs, new songs, we may even make up some songs before the night is over.” Before it was over the night included Eric Church sitting in for several songs, including “Springsteen,” “Drink In My Hand” and a stripped down, Chesney-requested “Mr. Misunderstood.” Old Dominion’s Matthew Ramsey joined the eight-time Entertainer of the Year for The Big Revival’s three-week No. 1, “Save It For A Rainy Day,” which he co-wrote. In addition, Chesney and band covered a plethora of artists they revere: the Kinks’ “You Really Got Me,” Willie Nelson’s “Whiskey River,” John Mellencamp’s “Hurts So Good,” Stevie Ray Vaughan’s “Pride & Joy,” George Strait’s “The Fireman” and “Carried Away,” a double-time version of Alabama’s “Dixieland Delight” featuring Jon Conley on fiddle and a jubilant culmination of the Eagles’ “Take It Easy.” From a young girl on her mother’s hip to NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt Jr., NFL players to 4th Generation Conchs, an eclectic audience turned out for the (un)official kick-off of Chesney’s tour. Dressed in a sleeveless green Boston t-shirt, the night – which lasted more than three hours – felt as good to the East Tennessean as it did to the crowd. “There is nothing after several months off,” Chesney said after the show. “Like coming together, hitting a bar and just playing ’til we wanna drop, to remember every single thing you love about music: how it feels, what it means, the way it charges people up. There is no feeling like it, and to do it with friends, fans and the No Shoes Nation, well, it tells me it’s time to get out there and start rocking America.” Chesney’s Spread the Love Tour kicks off April 23, where it will be the first concert at Auburn’s Jordan-Hare Stadium. Continue reading Kenny Taps A Keg in the Keys; Sloppy Joe’s Latest Pop-Up Bar Show→

Kenny Chesney Hits Creative Vein; In-Studio to Follow BIG REVIVAL

Posted on by

KENNY CHESNEY RETURNS TO STUDIO After 1.3 Million Fans Played To in 2015, It’s Back To Music! Nashville, Tenn. (March 7, 2016) —  “You have to take time to live and breathe, to fill up your tanks to be creative,” says multi-platinum country songwriter/vocalist Kenny Chesney. “Otherwise, you’re just on a treadmill churning out what you’ve already done… Who needs that? For me, especially after the success of The Big Revival, I want to move the music, the songs, the discussion forward!” Having hit a nerve with the GRAMMY-nominated “American Kids,” the triple rhythm, double hook song that celebrated America’s freewheeling nature, and “Wild Child,” which embraced the free spirit of women instead of the short shorts, The Big Revival was a CMA Album of the Year nominee that spawned four straight No.1s. Chesney felt like he’d set the bar for what his music can be. To that end, Chesney has spent the last several months writing and seeking songs in Austin, the islands, and the road. He’s also joined with longtime co-producer Buddy Cannon (Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard) in the studio in Los Angeles and Nashville. “There’s a moment you feel a record grab hold, and take shape,” Chesney says. “You can have great songs and not have an album. You can have a killer record that won’t move people on the radio. The ide a is to balance both, then hopefully create something that does both, that also says something as a whole. I think we’re on our way.” Drawing on David Lee Murphy (“Living In Fast Forward,” “Pirate Flag”), Josh Osborne (“Wild Child,” “Come Over,” the GRAMMY-winning “Merry Go ‘Round”) and Shane McAnally (“Somewhere With You,” “American Kids,” “Come Over”) Chesney has also mined Matraca Berg (“You & Tequila”), the Oscar-nominee Allison Moorer and Americana Artist of the Year nominee Hayes Carll, as well as a few surprises. “There are a few writers who get me, who get my life and my soul,” Chesney says. “And I was lucky enough to have time to write with them. But I also got to hear a lot of great songs, some different writers, so there was a lot of music this time to draw from and be inspired by.” “When we came off the road and I listened back to The Big Revival, all I could think was, ‘Man, we covered a lot of ground, went pretty cool, as well as new places musically,’” continues the man who’s notched 28 No. 1s. “I knew we couldn’t repeat, but I also wanted to find more new ways and new things to record!” Kenny Chesney has created trends instead of following them since his breakthrough No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems and When the Sun Goes Down. Always seeking something fun that didn’t sacrifice innovation, he’s teamed with Dave Matthews, Uncle Kracker, the Wailers and Grace Potter on a series of outside the lines No. 1s. Look for new music sometime this spring.

Kenny Chesney 2016: Tour Inspired by No Shoes Nation!

Posted on by

Kenny Chesney Says Fans Driving 2016 Production – Inspired by The Big Revival, No Shoes Nation Defines Live Show NASHVILLE, Tenn. (December 31, 2015) — After only 57 dates, albeit 23 stadiums, Kenny Chesney found himself the only country artist making Billboard’s Top 5 Touring Acts of 2015 – alongside Taylor Swift, One Direction, U2 and the Rolling Stones. Of course as the only country artist on Billboard’s Top 10 Touring Acts of the Last 25 Years, that shouldn’t be surprising when considering the man who began headlining NFL Stadiums in 2005 – and what makes him always among the Top 5 tours every year is one thing: the fans. “What people don’t see about these tours,” the 8-time Entertainer of the Year says, “is when they’re coming into the stadium that last month, we’re already thinking about how we’re going to rock the fans, really take them new places next year. Between the lights, the entrance, the stage, the videos, I work with one of the most incredible teams to find ways to really give the No Shoes Nation the kind of night that really makes their summer what they want it to be.” Beyond the dollars, Chesney’s Big Revival 2015 tour played to the third highest number of fans – 1,335,022 – after list-topper Swift’s 1,982,076 for 71 shows and #2 One Directions’ 2,337,938 for 80 shows. He believes the key to continuing to attract those numbers is really taking in what the fans give him and the band, and always reflecting that back. “This year, the No Shoes Nation was at a whole new level in terms of the energy they threw at us,” says the songwriter from East Tennessee. “Every night when the screen would drop, when they’d hear the music, they almost knocked us back a few feet. That’s powerful – and we found ourselves talking about it after the shows a lot of nights. “It spoke pretty loudly to me as we were looking at renderings, thinking about the tricks. Because in the end, it was the music and the moment they were responding to – not the flying, not the lasers, not the videos, but the songs. So when we got to decision-making we all realized: what the No Shoes Nation really wants is… the music.” Pausing, he continues, “So this year, we are as lean as we’ve ever been! The stage is clean. Nobody’s flying. The sound is building on last year’s incredible system – and the lights are going to be really focused on making the music stand out. I want as little between me and the fans as possible, and I think we’ve managed to achieve that in a really good way. It’s going to be more intense than ever, but it’s going to be about the songs, the band, the moment and the energy we give each other. This is going to be a year to remember… and we’ve not played the first note.” Hailed as “Two parts Mick Jagger, one part Bruce Springsteen and one part Billy Graham” by The Dallas Morning News, Chesney’s Big Revival broke nine records this summer – including several of his own – including 120,206 over two Continue reading Kenny Chesney 2016: Tour Inspired by No Shoes Nation!→

Kenny Chesney Hits Billboard’s Top 5 2015 Tours

Posted on by

Kenny Chesney Joins Billboard’s Top 5 2015 Tours as Only Country Act Along w Taylor Swift, 1-D, U2 & the Stones NEW YORK, N.Y. – (Dec. 15, 2015) – When Kenny Chesney took his 2015 The Big Revival Tour on the road, he wanted to rock as many people as humanly possible. With just 57 dates, albeit 23 stadiums, the man The Wall Street Journal called “The King of the Road” was the only country act making Billboard’s Top 5 Touring Acts of 2015 – alongside Taylor Swift, One Direction, U2 and the Rolling Stones. Beyond the dollars, Chesney played to the third highest number of fans – 1,335,022 – after list-topper Swift’s 1,982,076 for 71 shows and No. 2 One Direction’s 2,337,938 for 80 shows. Summer after summer, the 4-time Country Music Association and 4-time Academy of Country Music Entertainer of the Year remains focused on rocking the No Shoes Nation for all they’re worth. “Every year when we hit the road, I’m trying to figure out how to bring it harder, play more music and make it a night the people who live their lives in the songs will remember,” says the high-impact songwriter who’s sold in excess of a million tickets each of his 13 headlining tours since 2002. “We’ve been doing this enough years, that you know you have to really bring it to just compete with what you’ve already done. And it’s about the music you’re making now, as well as the ability to bring it when you hit the stage every night.” Hailed as “Two parts Mick Jagger, one part Bruce Springsteen and one part Billy Graham” by The Dallas Morning News, Chesney’s The Big Revival broke nine records this summer – including several of his own – one being 120,206 fans over two nights at Gillette Stadium, marking his 12th and 13th show at the home of the New England Patriots. “People want to rock, to have a good time and forget their problems,” Chesney explains. “But they’re not looking to mindlessly spend the night. They come to remember the moments that mattered to them – and maybe make a few more memories in the process – and I’ve been lucky that my songs have reflected how the No Shoes Nation lives their lives on every level.” Having a new record that yielded four consecutive No. 1’s doesn’t hurt. In addition to the GRAMMY- and CMA-nominated, multiple-week No. 1 “American Kids,” he had “Til It’s Gone,” the CMA Musical Event nominee “Wild Child” with Grace Potter and the three week chart-topper “Save It for a Rainy Day,” all songs that show his creative fire matches his unrelenting passion for his near legendary live shows. The Big Revival also is the eighth time Chesney has won Top Package at Billboard’s annual Touring Awards. The man, who has brought Keith Urban, Carrie Underwood, Lady Antebellum, Rascal Flatts, Zac Brown Band and Dierks Bentley out with him, tapped Jason Aldean, Eric Church, Brantley Gilbert, Old Dominion, Cole Continue reading Kenny Chesney Hits Billboard’s Top 5 2015 Tours→