Kenny Chesney is going into the Country Music Hall of Fame. The East Tennessee native was announced as one of the three inductees this year, joining June Carter Cash and producer and record label executive Tony Brown.
“For me, this is beyond a dream,” Chesney says of the honor. “I keep thinking I’m gonna wake up on my couch back at [East Tennessee State University]. But standing here, this is more than real, it’s surreal. I couldn’t be more thankful or humble.”
Chesney has done far more than most country artists. But being part of the Country Music Hall of Fame, the highest achievement in country music, is far beyond Chesney’s wildest dreams.
“That’s just something you don’t dare to imagine,” Chesney says. “I would never have even thought about being here, because it’s almost too much. Just walking past so many of these bronzes, realizing how many are friends or whose music I’ve listened to my whole life, this is an honor that extends beyond anything my heart would dare think.”
During his speech at the Country Music Hall of Fame, after the news was announced, the “Just To Say We Did” singer recalled his early days in college, playing in a bluegrass band. He never imagined where his love of country music would one day take him.
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“The beauty of this music is that, even though it tells some pretty strong truth, country music runs on dreams.”
Chesney was so surprised by the news that he thought at first that someone was playing a joke on him.
“You might not think about something like this,” Chesney acknowledges. “But I have to tell you: when you hear the news, there is no feeling like it – except that moment when you realize they’re not kidding. When [CMA CEO] Sarah Trahern, Joe and Clint [Higham], my manager, came to tell me, once I realized they weren’t having some fun with me, they told me I couldn’t tell a soul. I didn’t tell my mom, my dad, or even Dale Morris, my other manager. So today, finally, makes it feel real, and man, I am grateful to be in this company.”
During his speech, the Knoxville native reflected on what it meant to be going into the Hall of Fame with Cash.
“I think it’s so ironic, because when I was in college, I played the Carter Fold a couple of times with that bluegrass band,” Chesney said. “Now, had you told that kid that was playing a slightly out-of-tune guitar, and probably not very good timing, that he was going to be in the Country Music Hall of Fame, and that he’d be inducted with June Carter, I would have told you that was an unbelievable dream. I would have told you that I’m getting ready to wake up somehow on my couch in college, and all of this was just a dream.”
Chesney, Cash and Brown will be inducted during the annual Medallion Ceremony later this year. Chesney is getting ready to kick off his Live at Sphere Las Vegas on May 22. His Heart Life Music book will be released on November 4. Keep track of updates at KennyChesney.com.