ArizonaRealCountry.com 33 May 2018 • Chesney was born on March 26, 1968, in Knoxville, Tennessee, at St. Mary’s Medical Center and was raised in Luttrell, which is also the hometown of country star Chet Atkins and is of English and Irish descent. He is the son of David Chesney, a former elementary school teacher, and Karen Chandler, a hair stylist in the Knoxville area. Chesney has one sibling, a younger half-sister named Jennifer Chandler. His middle name is Arnold and he hates his middle name. The most influential people in his life were grandparents and his family. As a boy, he listened to country and bluegrass music along with his friends, but his own dreams were of becoming a star athlete—maybe a baseball player—rather than a country singer. By the time he reached high school, his family had moved to Knoxville, and Chesney became serious about football (he was a wide receiver), but his 5’8” frame caused him to turn to music during high school instead. He and a friend joined the local choir and were inspired by the choir director’s enthusiasm for melody and vocal harmony. In 1986, Chesney graduated from Gibbs High School. • As a student at East Tennessee State University, Chesney performed at small venues near campus for $5 an hour and free enchiladas. Obviously, he is now getting paid a lot better than that since he can fill stadiums with his fans. He is a brother of the Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity. Kenny became serious about a music career during his college years, after receiving a guitar as a gift and joining the university’s bluegrass band. His major was advertising. After graduation in 1990, he headed to Nashville and performed at several local clubs. He became the resident performer at The Turf, a honky-tonk bar in the city’s historic district. In 1989, he recorded a self-released demo album at the Classic Recording Studio in Bristol, Virginia. He sold 1,000 copies while performing at the local clubs in Johnson City and used the money from album sales to help buy himself a new guitar. • In 1992, the head of writer relations at BMI, Clay Bradley, recommended Chesney to his friend at Opryland Music Group, Troy Tomlinson, by saying: “I met this kid today from East Tennessee. He’s a good singer, a good songwriter, and more than anything, I think you’re going to really like him as a person. For the audition for Tomlinson, Chesney performed five songs. His first album, In My Wildest Dreams, was released in 1993 and sold 100,000 copies • Kenny admits to the bad habit of biting his nails, something he’s not been able to quit since childhood. He dislikes bar soap, prefers a good body wash and sometimes showers up to three times a day because he can’t stand to be sticky. He is a clean freak. He has no permanent tattoos. Kenny started balding in his late teens. He hates it when fans with long fingernails grab his hand too hard and squeeze. He shuns social media. Kenny has a dog Goldendoodle named Pancho. He owns a tractor and a 60’ Sea Ray yacht. His favorite vacation destination is the Caribbean. His favorite book is The Firm by John Grisham and his favorite TV show is Friends. • If he could sit down with one person, living or dead, Chesney would select late author Ernest Hemingway in order to pick his brain on topics such as creativity, love, loss, and life. His favorite musicians are Conway Twitty, Keith Whitley, Ricky Skaggs, George Jones, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and James Taylor. If he could have recorded a duet with anyone, he would have chosen Keith Whitley or Conway Twitty. • Chesney is a huge football fan. He likes to watch ESPN when he has time. Kenny has contributed to many charitable causes including working with the V Foundation founded by basketball coach Jim Valvano. He is a die-hard fan of the Boston Red Sox and the Tennessee Titans and has participated in workouts with the New Orleans Saints and created a song for ESPN’s college football coverage. In 1998, Chesney recorded a limited-edition single titled “Touchdown Tennessee”. The single was a tribute to John Ward, a former broadcaster for the University of Tennessee Volunteers’ football team. Kenny was honored as Tennessean of the Year by the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame in February 2011. • Chesney actually could be dead if bad planning hadn’t worked out in his favor. He was supposed to be right between the twin towers on 911. He could have easily been killed in the World Trade Center bombing. His video “Tin Man” was supposed be filmed at this time, but they couldn’t get their equipment together and it had to get pushed back. This video actually never got made. • Chesney and good friend Tim McGraw were arrested after Chesney mounted a policeman’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. They went to trial the following year but were acquitted on all charges - 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. • Kenny penned the 1999 tune “You Had Me from Hello” after watching Renee Zellweger’s performance in the 1996 film Jerry Maguire. Six years later, in 2005, Chesney and Zellweger surprised the world with a quickie wedding on the resort island, St. John, in the U.S. Virgin Islands and an even quicker annulment just four months later. The wedding ceremony lasted 15 minutes. He shared that he didn’t really know what it was like to be married. • Chesney has sold more than 30 million albums worldwide. 13 of his albums have been certified gold or platinum by the RIAA. He was named Entertainer of the Year by the Country Music Association in 2004, 2006, 2007 and 2008. In 2002 he was the ACM Award-winner for Best Male Vocalist. In 2004 he was the CMA Award- winner for Album of the Year and won the Entertainer of the Year Award at the Academy of Country Music Awards on May 17, 2005. • To stay in shape for his performances Kenny he works out with a trainer and keeps a strict diet. His typical day’s menu includes lots of carrot sticks and egg whites. He is fanatical about his health and fitness but Sundays are off. Kenny likes biking because he says it helps him take his mind off of everything. He is known for his chiseled arms and abs. When Kenny wants a break from his extremely healthy diet, he opts for a plain grilled cheese sandwich with extra salt. He even wrote a song about it called ‘Red Wine and Grilled Cheese.’ • The worst part for him while being on the road is that he doesn’t get to see his family and friends as often as he would like. The best part for him while on the road is that he gets to see the world and play his music for his fans. Chesney has won the Billboard Touring Award for Top Package Tour five consecutive years between 2005 and 2009, and again in 2011. He was named No. 8 on Billboard’s Top Touring Artists of the Decade. His stadium tours in the 2000s reached more than 9 million fans and were documented in the 2010 theatrical concert film Kenny Chesney: Summer in 3D. Just the Facts KENNY CHESNEY In 1992, the head of writer relations at BMI, Clay Bradley, recommended Chesney to his friend at Opryland Music Group, Troy Tomlinson, by saying: “I met this kid today from East Tennessee. He’s a good singer, a good songwriter, and more than anything, I think you’re going to really like him as a person.” For the audition for Tomlinson, Chesney performed five songs. His first album, In My Wildest Dreams, was released in 1993 and sold 100,000 copies. To stay in shape for his performances Kenny he works out with a trainer and keeps a strict diet. His typical day’s menu includes lots of carrot sticks and egg whites. He is fanatical about his health and fitness but Sundays are off. Kenny likes biking because he says it helps him take his mind off of everything. He is known for his chiseled arms and abs. When Kenny wants a break from his extremely healthy diet, he opts for a plain grilled cheese sandwich with extra salt. He even wrote a song about it called ‘Red Wine and Grilled Cheese.’ Real Country Legends 96.3 is pleased to welcome Kenny Chesney to Chase Field on Saturday, June 23rd.