Though Kenny Chesney took the year off from major touring, he still had a big year. From his 3D movie to his football documentary to a new album release, Kenny stayed busy.
Here’s a look back at the year. What do you think was the biggest Kenny Chesney story of the year?
January
Kenny (and Jimmy Buffett) attend the Saints – Vikings NFC Championship game. They sat in the press box
In late January, we saw the first hints that a Kenny Chesney iPhone app was coming
February
No Shoes Radio debuted “Ain’t Back Yet” in early February
Chesney attends the Super Bowl in Miami and performs at the Saints post-game celebration
Greatest Hits II is reissued with two additional tracks
A grassroots campaign begins to brew for Kenny to be the 2011 Super Bowl halftime entertainment
On February 22nd, the official Kenny Chesney iPhone app was released
March
Kenny Chesney and Steve Miller tape an episode of CMT Crossroads at the Ryman Auditorium
Chesney plays his first show of the year at Rodeo Houston on March 4th
“The Boys of Fall” music video debuts on August 2nd
Chesney announces in late August that he’ll do a full tour in 2011, playing “60-ish” shows
Kenny makes a surprise visit to Gibbs High School, his alma mater, where he talks to the football team and shows them his documentary
On August 29th, The Boys of Fall documentary debuted on ESPN
September
No Shoes Radio airs the premiere of Kenny’s new album ‘Hemingway’s Whiskey
Kenny makes several media appearances to promote the new album, including CMT Top 20 Countdown, Good Morning America, and multiple ESPN shows
On September 24th, Kenny made a surprise appearance at a pep rally at Celina High School in Texas. Celina was one of the schools featured in The Boys of Fall
Kenny’s latest album ‘Hemingway’s Whiskey’ hit stores on September 28th
“The Boys of Fall” hits number one on the singles chart, giving Kenny his 20th number one
CMT “Invitation Only” debuts, with Kenny performing some songs from his new album for the first time
Will Kenny Chesney’s latest single reach number one? There are now only three songs ahead of “Somewhere With You” on the Billboard Top Country Songs chart as it lands at #4 this week.
Taking the number one spot this week is Tim McGraw with “Felt Good on My Lips.” Only Jason Aldean’s “My Kinda Party” and Carrie Underwood’s “Mama’s Song” stand in the way for Kenny.
Preview and download “Somewhere With You” from Amazon, or get it at iTunes.
He plays for tens of thousands at a time now, but there was a time when Kenny Chesney wasn’t the star performer. In an interview with CMT Radio, Kenny describes his role during a Christmas play when he was a kid:
“I think one time I held the star, you know, and did it behind them. You know, I never did show my face. I was holding the star going through the night. That’s all I did,” CMT Radio reports. “I remember doing that one year. But all my other buddies were Joseph and Mary and all that stuff. I never did really get out on stage that much. Never really did sing in the Christmas play, and I was pretty scared to get up there then.”
Kenny Chesney’s football anthem “The Boys of Fall” has been certified Gold by the RIAA, according to Top40 Charts. It’s his 9th Gold single:
Kenny Chesney helped kick-off the football season with his tribute to the passion of the game with “The Boys of Fall,” his 20th Number One Single. Now, with the approach of the play-off’s and bowl games, “The Boys of Fall” from the Gold certified and critically acclaimed album, Hemmingway’s Whiskey also becomes Chesney’s 9th Certified Gold Single.
Not only was “The Boys of Fall” his 20th number one, it marked the 10th straight year that Kenny had a #1 country hit.
Kenny Chesney will be the very first act to take the stage at the new Tuscaloosa Amphitheater in Tuscaloosa, Alabama when it opens this Spring.
The 7,470 capacity amphitheater is blocks from the lively downtown district and sits at the end of the fabulous Riverwalk.
“Certainly this is one of the smallest venues Chesney will play on his new tour,” said Gary Weinberger of RME. “But we wanted to make a statement for the opening by booking one of the biggest, if not the biggest, touring acts in America.”
Chesney, with Uncle Kracker as the opening act, will perform at the new venue on Thursday, March 31st.
Tickets will go on sale Saturday, January 22nd at 10 am.
Jacksonville.com reports that there are rumblings of a Kenny Chesney concert there in May:
Tour insiders report that Kenny Chesney is planning a stop in Jacksonville for May 12. No word on the venue or when tickets will go on sale. Chesney is touring in the spring with the Zac Brown Band and playing several stadiums, but he is also planning some arena dates.
See all of Kenny’s announced tour dates here. There are still many more shows that will be announced.
In an interview with The Boot, Kenny Chesney lets us in on what he asked for for Christmas:
The superstar explained his mother’s annual quandary to WSIX/Nashville radio host Gerry House this morning. “Every year, my mom asks me what I want,” Kenny said. “She asked if I wanted the new George Bush book, but I already ordered it on my iPad. So I’m getting what I got last year: canned green beans. My mom and grandmother can green beans themselves. I love it, because it’s what I grew up with.”
For Christmas, the ‘Somewhere With You’ singer is headed back to where he grew up in East Tennessee, a place that a certain song takes him back to every time he hears it, if he could only remember the name of the song. “The one that is almost annoying,” he tried to recall. “It’s like on the cusp of being really great or really annoying. It’s a girl that sings it … in East Tennessee the radio station plays it all the time. Every time I hear it, no matter where I am, that’s where I go. Vince Vance and the Valiants’ ‘All I Want For Christmas is You,’ that’s it. They play it all the time when I go home.”
As 2010 comes to a close, Billboard runs the numbers on artists and their albums and singles for the year and comes up with their Year End Charts.
Here’s a look at how Kenny fared on the lists:
Top Artists: #54
This is an all-genre category, and pop sensation Lady Gage took the #1 spot. The highest ranking country artist on the list was Taylor Swift at #2. Lady Antebellum was at #4, Carrie Underwood at #23, the Zac Brown Band at #25, Jason Aldean at #36, Miranda Lambert at #40, Sugarland at #47, and just beating Kenny at #53 was Darius Rucker.
In an interview with CMT, Kenny’s “You and Tequila” duet partner Grace Potter reveals how she first met Kenny, and what it was like to work with him:
The first time Grace Potter saw Kenny Chesney in person, backstage at the 2008 Farm Aid concert, she was unfamiliar with his achievements. “Dave [Matthews] and Kenny were clowning around for like hours and hours and hours and I was witness to it, but I didn’t know who Kenny was,” she noted during a recent visit to CMT. “I just thought he was some crazy dude in a cowboy hat. I had no idea the levity of what he does and his approach to life.”
Likewise, Chesney had never met the dynamic leader of Grace Potter & the Nocturnals in person, even though he was a fan of her music. He invited her to sing a few sultry lyrics on “You and Tequila,” a song co-written by Matraca Berg and Deana Carter. After recording his part, he sent Potter the track. She called him back the next day to eagerly accept the overture — and she nailed her lines in the studio in less than 15 minutes. Chesney ultimately put the track on his new album, Hemingway’s Whiskey.
“Kenny’s really generous to other people in his duets. He seems to really give all of himself without ever making it about him. He’s very generous with the spotlight,” she says. And if the soft-spoken track catches on with Chesney’s fans, Potter just might end up being a country star.
CMT: What was it about this offer to record “You and Tequila” that made you accept it?
Potter: I was always sort of mystified and excited about the world of country music. Something about it struck me as enchanted. It’s something that’s so beyond what I do and what I grew up doing, it was like the unknown — kind of how I felt about gospel music when I first started listening to and studying gospel music. The song itself is just unbelievable. It is one of the most well-written songs. I knew it was just a demo. I knew it was kind of a one-tape wonder approach. And the second I heard that chorus, I was like “Oh, I’m in. I’m in.’”
Kenny has described your time in the studio together as “magical.” Do you agree?
It was, I think. Sometimes it clicks and sometimes it doesn’t. You can’t force something. If it’s meant to be, it happens exactly as it’s supposed to. In this case, he knew the kind of song he was dealing with. He knew that it needed to be something different. I think he understood that this wasn’t your traditional collaboration. I’m a complete unknown. In that way, I think he knew exactly what he was doing. He was like, “Let’s get this girl from Vermont who’s got nothing to do with country music, nothing to do with me, nothing to do with anything that I’ve sort of built my career around and let’s just see what happens with this really beautiful song.” And it worked.
Watch Kenny and Grace perform “You and Tequila” at the Ryman Auditorium here.
Will Kenny Chesney’s latest single reach number one? There are now only three songs ahead of 
He plays for tens of thousands at a time now, but there was a time when Kenny Chesney wasn’t the star performer. In an 
Kenny Chesney will be the very first act to 
In an interview with 
As 2010 comes to a close, Billboard runs the numbers on artists and their albums and singles for the year and comes up with their Year End Charts.
In an 
