Category: Festivals

It’s hard to believe, given his record-breaking sales and countless accolades, but Kenny Chesney’s career path was not always smooth sailing.

“We all get caught up in the idea of, ‘We want this now,’ and I was no different,” Kenny recalls to Billboard of his anxious early days in the business. “I had a few hit records, and there were other people having hit records and they were getting paid $2500 more than I was getting paid … I remember talking to [my manager] Dale Morris going, ‘Why are we doing this? Why are we doing that? Why isn’t this happening?’ That mentality was one of the reasons that we’re doing what we’re doing today. That taught me patience and that everybody is in this together, and we’re going to take this and make it wonderful and not just live for the moment. Dale called it: ‘We’re betting on what’s to come, not what’s right now.’ And that’s hard. When you’re a kid, you want it all right now.”

Kenny soon channeled his energy into making his live show “something special.” “Whether it worked or whether it didn’t, I was going to do it,” he said. “It wasn’t safe and it wasn’t probably the smartest thing to do, but it was the smartest thing to do for me. I got a taste of the George Strait stadium tours and I was going to do whatever it takes.”

For my complete writeup, visit The Boot.

As Kenny Chesney’s first headlining tour progressed, he became more and more intrigued watching his fans tailgate before his show. One day, in 2002, he decided to join them.

“It started purely out of boredom. There are only so many hours you can sit on the bus and watch TV or play basketball or whatever we do to pass the time before we go out onstage,” Kenny admits to Billboard.

“One day we were playing the Amphitheater in Pittsburgh, and it was about halfway through my first year of headlining. My bus was parked on this hill, and I could see all the tailgaters and everybody out there. It was this whole other world out there, so I said, ‘I’m gonna go out there in the middle of it and see it!”

For the complete writeup, visit The Boot.

A country icon, George Strait has millions of admirers, none bigger than Kenny Chesney. In Nashville for Billboard’s Country Music Summit last week, Kenny expressed his respect for King George. The Tennessee native also explained how he found his own path and unique style in country music.

“Like a lot of people did, and I was guilty of it, George Strait was the guy who was the model that everybody at the time, and still today, wanted to be like. They wanted to emulate him,” Kenny said. “As much as I love him and respect him, the moment that I quit trying to be him was the moment my life changed.”

Kenny explained that soon after he started being himself onstage, he became more honest in his songwriting.

For the complete article, visit The Boot.

While it’s normally a given that celebrities are never on time, Carrie Underwood proves this stereotype wrong. In Nashville for Billboard’s Country Music Summit last week, Carrie gave credit to her parents for her work ethic.

“I honestly thank my awesome parents,” said Carrie. “It actually frightens people when I’m on time.”

She went on to explain that during awards shows she takes many by surprise with her punctuality.

For the complete writeup, visit The Boot.

Carrie Underwood’s mega-hits ‘Before He Cheats,’ ‘Cowboy Casanova’ and ‘Last Name’ don’t exactly showcase her softer side. Songs about guys who’ve done her wrong, each track is powerful and in-your-face, a part of the country superstar’s repertoire that grabs the fan’s attention right away.

“I’ve never been one for mushy songs ever. I just don’t do mush,” said Carrie during a Q&A session at the Billboard Country Music Summit in Nashville this week. “I can do mad. I can do sassy. I can do high heels and sparkles.”

Carrie admits that she’s not as good at sappy songs, nor at letting herself open up to people. However, she says her husband, Nashville Predators hockey player Mike Fisher, has helped her become more sentimental.

For the complete article, visit The Boot.

Brad Paisley is one of Carrie Underwood’s best friends, so it was only a matter of time before the two collaborated on a song. However, the process took longer than both expected. Carrie recently explained just how ‘Remind Me’ came about and why Brad’s ‘Waitin’ on a Woman’ may not be about the person you think.

In Nashville for the Billboard Country Music Summit, Carrie revealed that doing a song together had been on the radar of the two superstars for a while, but she doesn’t like to force things. “We’re not gonna sing ‘Yankee Doodle Dandy’ just because we both know it and we need to sing together. We both wanted to do this.”

Once Brad pushed back the release date of his album, ‘This Is Country Music,’ the two were finally able to set up a time to meet.

For the complete article, visit The Boot.