Greg Kot of the Chicago Tribune has one of the best articles/interviews on Kenny Chesney in some time: “Kenny Chesney: The making of a franchise in a cowboy hat”

He grew up hustling in Luttrell, Tenn., outside Knoxville, the son of a hairdresser mother and a schoolteacher father. His parents divorced when he was young, and his mother remarried to a construction worker. He describes a humble life that revolved around “friends, family, school, church … and girls.” He was one of 135 students in his 1986 high school graduating class

“We were lower-middle class and everyone I knew was — we didn’t know there was anything different,” he says in his tour bus a few hours before the show. “I have this theory … this is a bit of curveball, but people who are really good kissers never have anything given to them. People who can’t kiss had everything given to them. I guess what I’m trying to say is, I’m a helluva kisser.”

Do yourself a favor and read the full article here.

Kenny Chesney is not just the hottest act in country music, he’s also one of the most powerful celebrities according to Forbes. In their annual Celebrity 100 List, Forbes shows Chesney at #31 with earnings of 65 million. That puts him just above Jay-Z and below Tyler Perry.

Country star released 11th studio album, Lucky Old Sun, last October to lukewarm sales. Who cares? Chesney’s real money is made on the road: He sold 1 million concert tickets in 2008, grossing $72 million. Caribbean-loving crooner’s bottom line is buoyed by endorsement deals with Corona, MasterCard. Often spotted tailgating with fans.

Here are the other country artists that made the list:

42. Rascal Flatts – 60 million
59. Toby Keith – 52 million
69. Taylor Swift – 18 million
75. Carrie Underwood – 14 million

Topping the list this year is Angelina Jolie, followed by Oprah, Madonna, Beyonce, and Tiger Woods. See the full list here.

The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review has an article up on Kenny’s tour. In it they interview Miranda Lambert and Sugarland and ask them what it’s like to be on the hottest tour of the year.

“It’s truly an honor to be asked to play on Kenny’s tour — I mean, he’s Kenny Chesney!” Miranda Lambert, one of Saturday’s performers, says in an e-mail.

“I’ve always admired who he is as an artist and performer, and being out on the road with him, I get to see his live show every night,” writes the young country singer from East Texas. She is “beyond excited” about her upcoming third album, which is due out in September; actually, even that might be an understatement, she says.

Sugarland was also gracious in their praise for Kenny:

“I think you learn a lot; you learn a lot about yourself and about the art of entertaining,” Bush says, referring to the package tour with Chesney. “Kenny … does that, and he does it very, very well.”

Performing at a giant venue like a sports stadium helps Bush and Nettles prepare for the day when they might headline such a concert.

“I know we really want to do that,” Bush says. “To do it, you really have to hone your muscles. You don’t just run a marathon … you have to get out and train.”

Sugarland is alternating between touring alone and with Chesney. Both performing options have their benefits, says Bush, who says he loves the Chesney tour.

“What Kenny has done is that he’s created a little bit of a Lollapalooza — a touring festival that’s going to be a lot of fun,” Bush says. “I think that’s an amazing feat. I applaud him for his mentorship, and his wisdom and brilliance.”

Kicks 101.5 FM in Atlanta snagged an exclusive interview with Kenny Chesney when he was in town yesterday for a Sun City Carnival Tour stop at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater.

Click here to watch

(hat tip to Matt for passing this along)

We are still looking for the set list from last night’s show in Atlanta. If you have it, please e-mail it to us. Thanks!

Jeffrey Lee Puckett of the Louisville Courier-Journal has a great article on Kenny Chesney and his ride to stardom:

Chesney has fond memories of Cardinal Stadium. In 1999, he was fourth on the bill for a massive George Strait tour that stopped in Louisville. It was a turning point in his career, Chesney said.

“That was where I got my first taste of this, you know,” he said, meaning stardom. “I wasn’t necessarily brand-new, ’cause I’ve been doing this since ’93, but that was my first taste of the big time, and I got to see how it worked. That’s where I first learned how to dream pretty big, to be honest with you, in that environment.

“It was an awesome thing to shoot for, never knowing that my life would turn out like it did. I realized that there was more to it, that if you worked really hard, and you recorded a bunch of great songs, and, more importantly, if you were able to connect in a certain way, that great things could happen to you — not just good things.”

Read the entire article here.

Kenny performs live at Papa Johns Cardinal Stadium in Louisville on Saturday. View the full tour schedule.

Kenny Chesney has made People Magazine’s list of “Country’s Hottest Guys”. The ‘Country Special’ hits newstands today. Chesney is on the list along with 11 others – including Tim McGraw, Keith Urban, Brad Paisley and Blake Shelton.

Also, tune in to People Country on CMT for behind-the-scenes footage May 15 at 1:30 p.m.

Valerie Nome of OK! Magazine recently interviewed Kenny Chesney about life on the road:

“The great thing about my life and my job is no two days are ever the same,” the 41-year-old country crooner tells me. “The only thing’s that the same is that catering is at 12 and 5. Other than that, no two days are ever the same, other than I do have the meet-and-greet every night at 7:00. All the stuff inbetween is different every single day. It breaks up the monotony. I’m in a different city every day, I’m surrounded by a different crowd every night.”

He continues, “My day is usually spent working out, trying to write a song, maybe doing an interview or two, killing time, playing basketball, listening to music and trying to get my mind ready and into a place where I’m supposed to really go through and do what I’m supposed to do or what I’m there to do. When 9:00 rolls around, put on a great show.”

Read the entire article here.

According to Forbes magazine, Kenny Chesney is the highest-earning country music artist over the past year with 65 million dollars:

Kenny Chesney tops the list of the highest-earning country stars over the last year, according to Forbes magazine. The publication calculated concert grosses, merchandise revenue, album sales and income from endorsement and licensing deals since June 2008, and the totals include projected earnings through May 2009. Chesney was trailed by Rascal Flatts ($60 million), Toby Keith ($52 million), Taylor Swift ($18 million), Brooks & Dunn and Tim McGraw ($16 million each), Brad Paisley ($15 million), Sugarland and Carrie Underwood ($14 million each) and Alan Jackson ($12 million).

In an interview with The Boot, Kenny Chesney discusses what he said to Carrie Underwood when it was announced that she won:

[Chesney] gave this year’s winner, Carrie Underwood, a big hug before she took the stage to accept the night’s biggest honor, and the two exchanged several words. We were nosy and asked Kenny just what it was he said to Carrie.

“I told her that I loved her, that I was proud of her. I told her to enjoy it and take it in,” he revealed. “I know what it means to stand in that spot, and not everybody gets to stand in that spot. What happened to her is historic, and it’s hard to get there. I’ve been fortunate enough to stand up there four times, and I may be able to stand up there again. But if I don’t, I’m very excited that my life has turned out the way it has!”

(hat tip to Beth for passing this along!)