Ask
Kenny Chesney if he envisioned his future as a country superstar
growing up, and chances are he’ll say no. The former
high school football star graduated and headed to college,
where he majored in marketing. It was only then that the
flame was sparked, and Chesney found himself enthralled
with music.
His
career in music had humble beginnings. When he received
a guitar as a Christmas present, Chesney immediately started
teaching himself how to play, and before long, he was good
enough to win a spot in a bluegrass band at his university.
He naturally segued into writing his own lyrics which he
tested out before local audiences. Eventually, he was able
to save enough money to lay down tracks for his first album,
which sold a modest 1,000 copies. Upon graduation in 1991,
Chesney headed for the heart of the country music industry.
Once in Nashville, the country crooner performed wherever
he could and in 1993, he finally scored a recording deal
with Capricorn Records. His debut album, “My Wildest
Dreams,” appeared that same year.
While
the album sold a modest 100,000 copies, Chesney had little
support from his record label. In fact, the label closed
its country music division, leaving Chesney out in the cold.
It wasn’t long before Chesney found a new home with
RCA Records. His sophomore follow-up, “All I Need
To Know,” was released in 1995 and gave Chesney his
first hit singles with “All I Need To Know”
and “Fall In Love.”
However,
Chesney hit pay dirt with his 1996 album, “Me and
You.” In addition to being certified gold status,
the album featured two more hit singles “Me and You”
and “When I Close My Eyes.” He duplicated his
success, down to the gold certification, with the 1997 album
“I Will Stand.”
Chesney’s
star was certainly on the rise, and his star status was
sealed with 1999’s “Everywhere We Go.”
The album produced the hit singles “You Had Me From
Hello,” “How Forever Feels,” and “What
I Need To Do.” Chesney’s 1999 effort went on
to sell more than two million copies. By this point, the
country crooner was bona fide star, and Kenny Chesney tickets
were at a premium nationwide.
To
date, Chesney has released numerous albums, with his latest
“The Road and the Radio” making its debut in
2004.
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