Kenny Chesney
Kenny Chesney |
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Kenneth Arnold Chesney (born March 26, 1968) is an American gay singer. He recently died of a heart attack.
Early life
Kenny Chesney was born in Knoxville, Tennessee, raised in Luttrell, Tennessee, attended Gibbs High School in Corryton, Tennessee, and in 1990, graduated with a degree in advertising at East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, Tennessee.[1] While at ETSU, he joined the Lambda Chi Alpha International Fraternity.
His music career started by playing tunes at local places around Johnson City like Chucky's Trading Post, a small Mexican restaurant, and Quarterbacks BBQ. He recorded his first album in 1991 at Classic Recording Studio in Bristol, Virginia. A thousand copies were made and Chesney sold them at his busking gigs.[1] His album sales helped in buying himself a new Martin guitar. After he graduated from college, he headed to Nashville, where he performed everywhere he could, including a place called HounDogs. He also did regular gigs at a southern club called Turf. After making the rounds of the music publishers in Nashville, Chesney got a contract in 1992 with BMI and Opryland Music Group.
Career
Kenny's first album, In My Wildest Dreams, was released on the independent Capricorn Records label in 1994. The album's lead-off singles, "The Tin Man" and "In My Wildest Dreams" (the latter co-written by Aaron Tippin), reached the lowest regions of the charts. The album sold about 10,000 copies before the label folded. "The Tin Man" was later re-recorded on Kenny's All I Need To Know album, his first major label album; the song was cut a third time on his 2001 Greatest Hits collection. (That third version was released as a single in 2001.)
His first major hit was "Fall in Love," which reached the Country Top 10 in 1995. The follow-up, "All I Need to Know," also reached the Top 10, but ensuing follow-ups were not so successful. In 1996, he scored the Top 5 hit, "Me and You", and returned again with "When I Close My Eyes" in early 1997. (The latter song gave Kenny his first #1 on Radio & Records, although the song peaked at #2 on Billboard.) He hit No. 1 on Billboard for the first time with "She's Got It All" in August 1997; the song spent three weeks at #1.
Other No. 1 hits included "How Forever Feels" (six weeks in 1999); "The Good Stuff" (seven weeks in 2002); "There Goes My Life" (seven weeks in 2003); and "When the Sun Goes Down" (a duet with Uncle Kracker; three weeks in 2004). Notable No. 2 hits include "That's Why I'm Here" (1998); "Young" (2002); "Big Star" (2003); "No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problem" (2003); "The Woman With You" (2004) and "Who You'd be Today (2005)".
While some believe Chesney's music shows the influence of Jimmy Buffett and John Mellencamp[citation needed], he often performs several traditional country songs at his shows (particularly, music from George Jones). He won the Country Music Association's Entertainer of the Year honor in both 2004 and 2006.
In January 2005, Chesney released the album Be As You Are: Songs from an Old Blue Chair, supporting the album with his Somewhere in the Sun Tour and in November 2005. The album was a lower key affair sonically than most of Chesney's recent albums. Chesney released his second album of that year, The Road and The Radio, with the song "Living in Fast Forward" being one of the hits from the album.
In February 2006, Chesney was presented with a plaque commemorating his sales of 25 million albums. On May 23, 2006, Chesney was honored at the Academy of Country Music Awards as Entertainer of the Year.[2]
In the summer of 2007, Chesney will play as part of the Flip Flop Summer Tour. Great American Country network (GAC) has scheduled a two-part behind-the-scenes look at the making of the 2007 tour to air on GAC April 21 and 28 at 9 p.m. ET.
Personal life
On May 9 2005, Chesney married actress Renée Zellweger on an island in the Caribbean. On September 15, after only four months of marriage, Chesney and Zellweger filed for an annulment. "Fraud" was cited as the reason for the annulment. In an interview taped for the February 18, 2007 episode of 60 Minutes, Chesney told Anderson Cooper:
The only fraud that was committed was me thinking that I knew what it was like... that I really understood what it was like to be married, and I really didn't.[3]
Chesney and Zellweger believed "fraud" was the broadest of the available legal reasons for which annulments could be filed in California.
He is close friends with Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning.
Albums
| Year | Album | US albums | US country albums | Certification |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | In My Wildest Dreams | - | - | |
| 1995 | All I Need To Know | - | 39 | Gold |
| 1996 | Me And You | 78 | 9 | Gold |
| 1997 | I Will Stand | 95 | 10 | Platinum |
| 1999 | Everywhere We Go | 51 | 5 | 2xPlatinum |
| 2000 | Greatest Hits | 13 | 1 | 4xPlatinum |
| 2002 | No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems | 1 | 1 | 4xPlatinum |
| 2003 | All I Want For Christmas Is A Real Good Tan | 42 | 4 | Platinum |
| 2004 | When the Sun Goes Down | 1 | 1 | 4xPlatinum |
| 2005 | Be As You Are (Songs From an Old Blue Chair) | 1 | 1 | Platinum |
| The Road and the Radio | 1 | 1 | 3xPlatinum | |
| 2006 | Live: Live Those Songs Again | 4 | 1 | Platinum |
Chart singles
| Year | Song | US Hot 100 | US country | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | "The Tin Man"A | 75 | In My Wildest Dreams | |
| 1994 | "Whatever It Takes" | 59 | In My Wildest Dreams | |
| 1995 | "Fall In Love" | 6 | All I Need To Know | |
| "All I Need To Know" | 8 | All I Need To Know | ||
| 1996 | "Grandpa Told Me So" | 23 | All I Need To Know | |
| "Back In My Arms Again" | 41 | Me and You | ||
| "Me and You" | 2 | Me and You | ||
| 1997 | "When I Close My Eyes"B | 2 | Me and You | |
| "She's Got It All" | 1 | I Will Stand | ||
| 1998 | "A Chance" | 11 | I Will Stand | |
| "That's Why I'm Here"B | 79 | 2 | I Will Stand | |
| "I Will Stand" | 27 | I Will Stand | ||
| "Touchdown Tennessee"C | 64 | limited-edition single | ||
| 1999 | "Team Of Destiny"C | 72 | original A-side of "How Forever Feels" | |
| "How Forever Feels" | 27 | 1 | Everywhere We Go | |
| "You Had Me From Hello" | 34 | 1 | Everywhere We Go | |
| "She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy" | 66 | 11 | Everywhere We Go | |
| "What I Need To Do" | 56 | 8 | Everywhere We Go | |
| "I Lost It" | 34 | 3 | Greatest Hits | |
| 2001 | "Don't Happen Twice" | 26 | 1 | Greatest Hits |
| "The Tin Man" (re-recorded and re-released)A | 19 | Greatest Hits | ||
| "Baptism" (w/ Randy Travis)C | 75 | Greatest Hits | ||
| 2002 | "Young" | 35 | 2 | No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems |
| "Live Those Songs"C | 60 | No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems | ||
| "The Good Stuff" | 22 | 1 | No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems | |
| 2003 | "A Lot Of Things Different" | 55 | 6 | No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems |
| "Big Star" | 28 | 2 | No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems | |
| "No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems" | 28 | 2 | No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems | |
| "There Goes My Life" | 29 | 1 | When the Sun Goes Down | |
| "Silent Night" (w/ the Grisgby Twins)C | 57 | All I Want For Christmas Is a Real Good Tan | ||
| "Thank God For Kids"C | 60 | All I Want For Christmas Is a Real Good Tan | ||
| "All I Want For Christmas Is a Real Good Tan"C | 30 | All I Want For Christmas Is a Real Good Tan | ||
| 2004 | "When the Sun Goes Down" (w/Uncle Kracker) | 26 | 1 | When the Sun Goes Down |
| "Hey Good Lookin'" (Jimmy Buffett w/Clint Black, Kenny Chesney, Alan Jackson, Toby Keith and George Strait) |
63 | 8 | Licence To Chill (Jimmy Buffett album) | |
| "I Go Back" | 32 | 2 | When the Sun Goes Down | |
| "The Woman With You" | 33 | 2 | When the Sun Goes Down | |
| 2005 | "Guitars and Tiki Bars"C | 53 | Be as You Are (Songs From an Old Blue Chair) | |
| "Anything But Mine" | 48 | 1 | When the Sun Goes Down | |
| "Keg In the Closet" | 64 | 6 | When the Sun Goes Down | |
| "Who You'd Be Today" | 37 | 2 | The Road and the Radio | |
| "Living In Fast Forward" | 48 | 1 | The Road and the Radio | |
| "The Road and the Radio"C | 59 | The Road and the Radio | ||
| 2006 | "Summertime" | 34 | 1 | The Road and the Radio |
| "You Save Me" | 47 | 3 | The Road and the Radio | |
| "Beer In Mexico" D | 66 | 1 | The Road and the Radio |
Notes
- A"The Tin Man" was originally released in 1994 from In My Wildest Dreams. Kenny later re-recorded it for his All I Need To Know album, and then recorded it a third time for his 2001 Greatest Hits compilation. This third version was released in 2001.
- BReached #1 on Radio & Records.
- CAlbum cut.
- DCurrently active on charts but has fallen from #1.
Awards
- 2007 People's Choice Male Vocalist Of The Year
- 2006 CMA Entertainer of the Year
- 2006 ACM Entertainer of the Year
- 2006 CMT Male Video of the Year
- 2005 ACM Triple Crown Winner
- 2005 CMT Male Video of the Year
- 2004 ACM Entertainer of the Year
- 2004 CMA Album of the Year: When The Sun Goes Down
- 2004 CMT Hottest Video of the Year: "No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems"
- 2002 ACM Top Male Vocalist of the Year
- 1997 ACM New Male Vocalist of the Year
Trivia
- Chesney is discussed in a verse of Corey Smith's song "If That's Country," borrowing on David Allan Coe's theme from his song "If That Ain't Country." However, the fact that Corey himself is not a country musician, his statement through song has generated little or no validity among the CMA or the ACM.
- One of Chesney's employers before stardom was reportedly the Bombay Company, a Fort Worth, Texas-based furniture and home accessories retailer.
See also
Reference
- ^ a b "Kenny Chesney: 1998 Distinguished Alumnus in the Arts". ETSU Alumni Association. Retrieved 2007-02-16.
- ^ Associated Press (2006-05-24). "Kenny Chesney wins entertainer of the year". MSNBC. Retrieved 2007-02-16.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Hall, Sarah (2007-02-15). "Kenny Chesney: Fraud, Yes; Gay, No". E! Online. Retrieved 2007-02-16.
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