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Kenny Chesney - Biography
| 07-07-2006 20:39 | 0 reaction(s) | add reply |
Kenny Chesney was born March 26, 1968, in Knoxville,
Tenn., and raised in nearby Luttrell. He attended college at
East Tennessee State in Johnson City and became a fixture
in the area's venues, including Chuckie's Trading Post and
Quarterback's Barbecue. "The scene up there then was
mostly blues, rock and folk," he recalls. "I was about the
only one doing George Jones and Hank Jr. I got to where I
had a pretty good following."
An awakening of sorts came when he went into the Classic
Recording Studio in Bristol, Va. Backed by several musicians
he knew from college (who are now the core of Alison
Krauss' band), he recorded an album's worth of songs he'd
written. When he pressed up a thousand copies, sold them all
at his shows and made enough to buy a new Martin guitar,
he realized he was onto something. A month after graduating
from college with a degree in advertising, he headed down I
-40 west to Nashville in early 1991.
The going was slow the first couple of years. He made the
rounds of the publishing companies without much success.
He went to see the only person he knew in the business,
producer Kyle Lehning, who told him, "You've definitely got
something, but it ain't there yet." The only steady gig he
could find playing music was in a down and dirty honky-tonk
called the Turf. This was on Nashville's storied Lower
Broadway before the area was gentrified. In 1992, the head
of publisher/writer relations at BMI set up an audition with
Opryland Music Group. Chesney came out of the audition
with a songwriter's contract.
A year or so later, an appearance at a songwriter's
showcase led to a contract with Capricorn Records, which
had recently started a country division. He'd had only a
couple of modest chart singles when the label closed its
Nashville office. But one of his 1994 singles, a song he wrote
called "The Tin Man," stirred considerable interest up and
down the Row, despite making it only to No. 70 on Billboard's
country singles chart.
RCA's Joe Galante put in a call and not only offered
Chesney a contract but also to buy the masters of his
Capricorn album. Galante signed Chesney to RCA's affiliated
label, BNA Records. His Capricorn album sold only about
100,000 units, but All I Need to Know (1995), his debut BNA
disc, more than tripled that figure. Me and You (1996) was
certified gold, I Will Stand (1997) was certified platinum and
Everywhere We Go (1999) was certified double platinum.
Chesney also made headlines in 2000, when he hopped on
a police officer's horse at a fair in New York state. Chesney
said he had permission, but when the officer tried to pull him
off, touring pal Tim McGraw blocked the policeman's efforts.
Both men were acquitted for their alleged crimes -- Chesney
for disorderly conduct, McGraw for obstructing governmental
administration and resisting arrest. The publicity was
priceless, as Chesney found himself with his highest media
exposure to date.
His Greatest Hits (2001) reminded listeners of Chesney's
consistent track record at country radio, selling more than 3
million copies. No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems (2002)
catapulted him into the big leagues and played up his
fascination with the islands. "The Good Stuff" and "Young"
were massive country hits, and he continues to sell out
arenas across the country. Along with a hugely successful
tour in 2003, Chesney headlined a concert at Neyland
Stadium in Knoxville, filmed a behind-the-scenes DVD, and
released the holiday album All I Want for Christmas is a Real
Good Tan.
Biography submitted by: shire_30121 |
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