The Academy of Country Music announced their nominations Thursday morning for the 47th annual ACM Awards and Kenny Chesney led all other artists with nine nominations.
Here’s a look at the categories Kenny is nominated in:
Entertainer of the Year
Jason Aldean
Kenny Chesney
Brad Paisley
Blake Shelton
Taylor Swift
Male Vocalist of the Year
Jason Aldean
Kenny Chesney
Brad Paisley
Blake Shelton
Chris Young
Album of the Year
Chief – Eric Church
Four The Record – Miranda Lambert
Hemingway’s Whiskey – Kenny Chesney
My Kinda Party – Jason Aldean
Own The Night – Lady Antebellum
Single Record of the Year
Crazy Girl – Eli Young Band
Don’t You Wanna Stay – Jason Aldean With Kelly Clarkson
Red Solo Cup – Toby Keith
Tomorrow – Chris Young
You And Tequila – Kenny Chesney Featuring Grace Potter
Song of the Year
Crazy Girl – Eli Young Band
Home – Dierks Bentley
Just A Kiss – Lady Antebellum
Threaten Me With Heaven – Vince Gill
You And Tequila – Kenny Chesney Featuring Grace Potter
Vocal Event of the Year
Country Boy – Aaron Lewis Featuring George Jones & Charlie Daniels
Don’t You Wanna Stay – Jason Aldean With Kelly Clarkson
Old Alabama – Brad Paisley Featuring Alabama
Remind Me – Brad Paisley Duet With Carrie Underwood
You And Tequila – Kenny Chesney Featuring Grace Potter
Entertainer of the Year will once again be determined by fan voting. Fans can begin voting at the ACM website for Entertainer of the Year on March 19th.
The 47th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards, hosted by Blake Shelton and Reba McEntire, will take place on Sunday, April 1, at 8 p.m. ET, and will air on CBS.
Lionel Richie has a new duets album coming out, and Kenny Chesney pairs up with the music legend on one of the tracks:
Richie fully expected Kenny Chesney to pick the good-timing ‘All Night Long’ to cover, so he was stunned when Kenny expressed his admiration for the ballad ‘My Love.’ Chesney’s adoration was so ardent, “he drunk dialed me at 2:00 AM and said he was going to sing the song to me,” Lionel recalls. He added that Kenny’s mom, who Kenny claimed had never attended one of his recording sessions before, dropped by to hear her baby sing with Lionel.
The album, titled Tuskegee, will be released in March. Pre-order now at Amazon.
Chesney will also duet with Richie at an ACM special the day after the ACM Awards are held. The program will be broadcast at a later date. Read more.
The Academy of Country Music wants you to help them announce the ACM nominees this year.
Co-host Reba McEntire explains:
Here are the rules:
SUBMISSIONS GUIDELINES: Post a video response to this video saying your favorite entertainer’s name. You must first give consent for the Academy to use your video by saying “I am submitting this video for the ACM digital press conference. And the nominees for the ACM Entertainer of the Year are…(insert name here)!!!” All videos must be submitted by Wednesday January 25th 5:00pm ET/ 2:00pm PT. If you are recording your video from a cell phone we ask that you shoot horizontally.
Join us on our Facebook (facebook.com/AcademyOfCountryMusic) and Twitter (@ACMawards), Thursday January 26 at 9:30am ET/ 6:30am to see if you made the cut. Please speak clearly, and have FUN!
To post as video response: Log in, click on the text comment box below the video, and then “Create a video response.”
As you know, Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw will hit the road together this summer for the Brothers of the Sun Tour. When it was first rumored back in the fall, it was also rumored that Tim and Kenny might record a song together. Country Weekly has more:
It’s possible but not set in stone, Kenny told reporters Jan. 17 at the Grammy nominees party in Nashville. Kenny noted that he and Tim would like to cut a tune together, but added, “We haven’t found the song yet.”
With a joking smile, Kenny said, “We might do a bluegrass thing. We may do some version of [Kenny's recent hit] ‘You and Tequila.’ No, really, I just don’t know yet.”
Some of the biggest stars in music were at the Loews Vanderbilt Hotel Tuesday in Nashville to celebrate their Grammy nominations for the 54th annual all-genre music awards show:
Kenny Chesney walked the red carpet into the party with Matraca Berg and Deana Carter, co-writers for his 2011 hit with Grace Potter “You and Tequila,” which is nominated for best country song and landed Chesney and Potter a nomination for best country duo/group performance.
“I had lived with Matraca’s demo of it for a while,” Chesney said. “I felt like it was a brilliantly written song they came up with. I was so proud to sing it and to have Grace sing it with me. Songs like that just don’t come around every day, they just don’t. I’m really excited I’m the guy that gets to sing that song for the rest of my life.”
“We are, too,” the writers chimed in.
See how Chesney and the others fare when the Grammy Awards air live from Los Angeles 7 p.m. Feb. 12 on CBS.
Broadcast Newsroom reports that Kenny Chesney has been on the Caribbean island St Barths recording new material:
Country music legend Kenny Chesney is recording and mixing new material at Ocean Way St. Barths, the recording studio at the famed Eden Rock resort in the heart of the Caribbean.
Chesney is working with producer and songwriter Buddy Cannon (Riba McEntire, George Jones, George Strait) on his first album since 2010′s hit “Hemingway’s Whiskey.”
Chesney’s road manager, Malchijah Bailey, remarked, “The time we spent mixing at the studio was great. Anytime you can work all day, walk out of the studio and be greeted by an amazing beach, makes you feel like it’s not work. The vibe was awesome, and kept us all in good musical spirits.”
Kenny Chesney will participate in a star-studded concert special with Lionel Richie the day after the ACM Awards:
ACM Presents: Lionel Richie and Friends – A Lifetime Of Hits, is an all-star concert special to be taped Monday, April 2 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena to air later on CBS. This country collaboration with the legendary Lionel Richie, featuring duets from his upcoming album Tuskeegee, will include some of Richie’s greatest hits performed by Jason Aldean, The Band Perry, Kenny Chesney, Lady Antebellum, Martina McBride, Rascal Flatts, Kenny Rogers and many more. Ticket sales will benefit ACM Lifting Lives, which works to improve lives through music.
Chesney did a similar event in 2010 for Brooks and Dunn.
A release date has not yet been set for Richie’s Tuskegee album, but you can pre-order now at Amazon.com. Chesney and Richie sing “My Love” on the album.
The ACM Awards will air live Sunday, April 1st. Nominations have not yet been announced.
After taking a one year break from touring, Kenny Chesney came back with a vengeance in 2011.
Here’s our annual look back at the year.
January
The New Year got off to a great start for fans as Kenny Chesney announced over 40 Goin’ Coastal tour dates
Kenny Chesney logged his 21st number one hit when “Somewhere With You” topped the Billboard charts
After the first Gillette Stadium show sold out in 8 minutes, Kenny added a second show at the NFL venue
February
Chesney earns five ACM nominations
The Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame names Kenny the Tennessean of the Year
“Live a Little” is released as the next single
Chesney produces and releases another football documentary, this one on Condredge Holloway. Kenny premiers the film in Knoxville and makes appearances on ESPN to promote it
Kenny joins Jimmy Buffett in Palm Beach, Florida at a fundraiser for the Everglades
March
In a partnership with Costa Del Mar, Kenny launches his own sunglass line
The Goin’ Coastal Tour kicks off in West Palm Beach, Florida on March 17th
While on tour in Florida, Kenny visited the Phillies at Spring Training
On March 26th, Kenny celebrated his 43rd birthday
April
Chesney earns a Billboard Music Award nomination for Top Country Artist
“Live a Little” hits number one, giving Kenny his 22nd number one hit
The CMT Music Awards nominates Kenny in two categories: Video of the Year and Male Video of the Year for “The Boys of Fall”
May
After Tuscaloosa, AL is hit by a tornado, Kenny donates the proceeds of his May 25th show there to the relief efforts
Country legend George Jones stuns Kenny when he comes out on stage during his Lexington show
Chesney makes a surprise appearance at Jimmy Buffett’s Nashville show
June
“You and Tequila” is released to radio and the official music video hits the airwaves
At the annual Billboard summit, Kenny sits for a Q&A
Kenny performs on the Today Show. Grace Potter joins him on “You and Tequila”
July
Kenny’s health and fitness is profiled in Men’s Health
Bret Michaels joins Kenny on stage at his Cincinnati show
Chesney plays three shows at Red Rocks Amphithteater outside of Denver
The theme song for the new ESPN series “Rise Up” is penned by Kenny
While in town to play a show at the Meadowlands, Kenny drops in on the Jets training camp
At a Grace Potter show in Vermont, Kenny makes a surprise appearance
Hurricane Irene forces Kenny to move his second Gillette Stadium show from Sunday to Friday
While in Boston, Kenny visits the Boston College football team
September
The Country Music Association nominates Kenny in three categories
Kenny makes a surprise appearance at another Grace Potter show… this one at the Ryman
A few days later, Kenny makes a surprise appearance at Taylor Swift’s Nashville show
Hemingway’s Whiskey goes platinum
Kenny is one of the headliners at the iHeartRadio Festival in Las Vegas
October
“There Goes My Life” is featured in a State Farm commercial
Kenny releases “Reality” as his next single
Chesney is one of the performs at the Bill Clinton Foundation: Decade of Difference Concert
November
Kenny and Grace Potter take home the CMA Award for Music Video of the Year
Chesney wins Top Package at Billboard Touring Awards
The 2012 Brothers of the Sun Tour is announced, featuring Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw at stadiums across the country
Sammy Hagar hosts a birthday bash every year in Cabo and Kenny Chesney is usually in attendance. Hagar posted a 30-minute video from the event that features Kenny and several others.