Kenny Chesney facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Kenny Chesney
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Chesney performing in 2007
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Kenneth Arnold Chesney
March 26, 1968 Luttrell, Tennessee, U.S.
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| Education | East Tennessee State University (BA) |
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| Years active | 1993–present |
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Kenneth Arnold Chesney (born March 26, 1968) is an American country singer who has sold over 30 million albums around the world. He released his first album, In My Wildest Dreams, in 1994 and has made 19 more since then. Many of his songs have become huge hits, with 27 of them reaching the top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Chesney is one of the most popular touring country artists in the United States. He has won many major awards, including twelve from the Country Music Association and eleven from the Academy of Country Music Awards. He was named Entertainer of the Year four times by both organizations.
On March 25, 2025, Chesney was named a member-elect to the Country Music Hall of Fame, and his formal induction took place later that year.
Contents
Early Life and First Guitar
Kenny Chesney was born on March 26, 1968, in Knoxville, Tennessee. He grew up in the small town of Luttrell with his parents and his younger sister, Jennifer. In high school, he played baseball and football. For Christmas one year, he received his first guitar, which he named "The Terminor." He taught himself how to play it.
After graduating from high school in 1986, Chesney went to East Tennessee State University. There, he studied advertising and joined the ETSU Bluegrass Program. In 1989, he recorded his first demo album and sold 1,000 copies at local clubs. He used the money he earned to buy a new guitar.
After graduating from college in 1990, Chesney moved to Nashville, Tennessee, to follow his dream of becoming a musician. He performed at local clubs and eventually became a regular performer at a honky-tonk bar called The Turf.
Music Career and Rise to Fame
In 1992, Chesney's talent was noticed, and he earned a contract as a songwriter. A year later, he signed with Capricorn Records and released his first album, In My Wildest Dreams, in 1994. The album had two singles that made it onto the country music charts.
Signing with a Major Label
In 1995, Chesney signed with BNA Records and released his second album, All I Need to Know. Two songs from this album, "Fall in Love" and the title track, became Top 10 hits. His next album, Me and You (1996), was his first to be certified gold, meaning it sold over 500,000 copies.
In 1997, the Academy of Country Music named Chesney the New Male Vocalist of the Year. His fourth album, I Will Stand, came out that same year and featured his first number-one hit, "She's Got It All".
Becoming a Superstar
Chesney's 1999 album, Everywhere We Go, was his first to be certified platinum for selling over a million copies. It included two number-one hits: "How Forever Feels" and "You Had Me from Hello". This album marked a shift in his style to the more pop and rock-influenced country sound he is known for today.
His 2002 album, No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems, was a massive success. The song "The Good Stuff" spent seven weeks at number one and was named the top country song of 2002 by Billboard.
In 2004, Chesney released When the Sun Goes Down. The album won the CMA award for Album of the Year, and Chesney was named Entertainer of the Year for the first time.
Major Albums and Tours
Throughout the 2000s, Chesney continued to release hit albums and sell out stadiums on his tours. He became known for his high-energy live shows and his "gulf and western" sound, which blends country music with island and rock influences.
Poets & Pirates Tour Injury
During a concert in 2008, Chesney injured his foot when it got caught in a stage lift. Despite having several crushed bones, he finished the show and did not cancel any tour dates, showing his dedication to his fans.
No Shoes Nation
On August 25, 2012, at a concert in Foxborough, Massachusetts, Chesney named his fan club "No Shoes Nation." The name was inspired by his hit song "No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problem." The symbol for No Shoes Nation is a skull and crossbones flag. He even has his own Sirius XM radio channel called No Shoes Radio.
Recent Music
Chesney has continued to release popular albums, including The Big Revival (2014), Cosmic Hallelujah (2016), and Here and Now (2020). His 2020 album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart, becoming his 16th top 10 album.
Personal Life and Charity Work
On May 9, 2005, Chesney married actress Renée Zellweger. The marriage was very brief, and they received an annulment just four months later.
Chesney is also known for his charity work. In 2017, his home on the island of Saint John, U.S. Virgin Islands was destroyed by Hurricane Irma. In response, he created the Love for Love City foundation to help victims of the hurricane. He donated all the money from his album Songs for the Saints to the fund.
Tours
Chesney has won the Billboard Touring Award for Top Package Tour many times. His tours are known for their fun, festival-like atmosphere.
- Headlining Tours
- I Will Stand Tour (1998)
- Everywhere We Go Tour (1999)
- No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems Tour (2002)
- Guitars, Tiki Bars and a Whole Lotta Love Tour (2004)
- The Road and The Radio Tour (2006)
- Flip-Flop Summer Tour (2007)
- Poets and Pirates Tour (2008)
- Sun City Carnival Tour (2009)
- No Shoes Nation Tour (2013)
- The Big Revival Tour (2015)
- Spread the Love Tour (2016)
- Trip Around the Sun Tour (2018)
- Songs for the Saints Tour (2019)
- Here and Now Tour (2022)
- I Go Back Tour (2023)
- Co-headlining Tours
- Goin' Coastal Tour (with the Zac Brown Band) (2011)
- Brothers of the Sun Tour (with Tim McGraw) (2012)
- Sun Goes Down Tour (with Zac Brown Band) (2024)
Discography
Studio albums
- In My Wildest Dreams (1994)
- All I Need to Know (1995)
- Me and You (1996)
- I Will Stand (1997)
- Everywhere We Go (1999)
- No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems (2002)
- All I Want for Christmas Is a Real Good Tan (2003)
- When the Sun Goes Down (2004)
- Be as You Are (Songs from an Old Blue Chair) (2005)
- The Road and the Radio (2005)
- Just Who I Am: Poets & Pirates (2007)
- Lucky Old Sun (2008)
- Hemingway's Whiskey (2010)
- Welcome to the Fishbowl (2012)
- Life on a Rock (2013)
- The Big Revival (2014)
- Cosmic Hallelujah (2016)
- Songs for the Saints (2018)
- Here and Now (2020)
- Born (2024)
Images for kids
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Kenny Chesney's Poets and Pirates tour bus in 2008
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Kenny Chesney during a performance in Jacksonville, Florida on August 30, 2008
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See also
In Spanish: Kenny Chesney para niños
- List of best-selling music artists
- List of highest-grossing live music artists
