Kenny Chesney

Kenny Chesney, Morris Management, and his representatives at AEG/TMG have confirmed today that Chesney’s scheduled concert on May 25th in Tuscaloosa, AL will go on as planned and that Chesney’s fees, as well as those of his management and booking representatives, will be donated to GiveTuscaloosa.com, a clearinghouse for local charities and social services founded specifically to address the devastating tornado that ravaged the city on April 27th.

According to Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox, “Thanks to the resilience and compassion of our community, the City of Tuscaloosa is in the process of healing. On this road to recovery, the Tuscaloosa Amphitheater plans to host Kenny Chesney on May 25th as scheduled. As we respond to one of the worst natural disasters in our state’s history, we refuse to let April 27th define our future and hosting Kenny Chesney is another step forward to a new tomorrow. On behalf of the City of Tuscaloosa, I want to thank Kenny and his team for their generosity and compassion. It is the kindness of others that will carry us through as we rebuild Tuscaloosa.”

Chesney, whose 2011 ‘Goin’ Coastal’ Tour marks his return to the US stage after taking last year off, considered postponing the date, but was convinced by Mayor Maddox that the concert would be tremendously positive to the community, both emotionally and as a fundraising boon.

“When we first heard about this tragedy we were stunned, as we have so many fans in the area and have enjoyed every visit that we’ve made there over the years,” Chesney said. “But Mayor Maddox convinced us that this is a great opportunity to bring the people of Tuscaloosa together in a positive way, and we are grateful for the opportunity to help them in this way.”

Chesney’s representatives confirmed that all fees for the artist and his band, plus all earnings for his management and booking representatives, would be contributed to GiveTuscaloosa.com.

Kenny Chesney, the superstar who has already topped 850,000 tickets on the biggest tour of the year, his 2011 Corona Presents Kenny Chesney’s “Goin’ Coastal” Tour, sold out his third night at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre in a swift ten minutes on Friday, April 22. And today, the star has achieved another milestone, his 22nd #1 Country single with the anthemic hit “Live A Little” — the third #1 in a row from his Number 1 album ‘Hemingway’s Whiskey’ (BNA).

“I’m going to keep reminding people through music that you’ve got to love life, and you’ve got to live it, and you can’t work all the time,” says Kenny. “And I look at myself in the mirror and say that every single day. And I hope to think I’m getting a little better at it. You’ve got to ‘Live A Little!’”

The Red Rocks show marks the first time Kenny’s played the famed Colorado venue, and the first time in five years he’s performed at any venue more than twice on a tour.

For the recently-added show on July 8th, Kenny has invited Grace Potter to join the bill, a new friend who duets with him on “Me and Tequila” from ‘Hemingway’s Whiskey’ (BNA).

The only artist to sell One million tickets for 8 consecutive summers, Kenny Chesney and his “Goin’ Coastal” tour have drawn excited reviews for their fun-focused, summertime party vibe. The Dallas Morning News raved of the Cowboys Stadium encore with surprise guests and covers that, “had the roof been closed at the stadium, might have blown it open.” The Wichita Eagle wrote that Chesney “allowed fans to travel somewhere tropical even if it was just for a few hours.”

Get  2011 Corona Presents Kenny Chesney’s ‘Goin’ Coastal’ Tour dates here.

Chesney and Guests at Orange Premiere

Feb. 16, the City of Knoxville, Tennessee rolled out the orange carpet for the premiere of The Color Orange: The Condredge Holloway Story. Executive Producer Kenny Chesney narrates the film which documents the life and career of University of Tennessee’s Condredge Holloway, the first starting African-American quarterback in the Southeastern Conference. As part of ESPN’s Year of the Quarterback initiative, the film will debut Sunday February 20th on ESPN at 8:00pm Eastern time.

Hundreds of guests turned out for the private screening at the historic Tennessee Theatre including many famed athletes, coaches and sports personalities. Amongst the attending University of Tennessee guests were Condredge’s Head Coach Bill Battle, National Championship Coach Phil Fulmer and current Head Coach Derek Dooley. Also in attendance were ESPN College Game Day announcer and former Ohio State quarterback Kirk Herbstreit, former Penn State quarterback and ESPN/ABC announcer Todd Blackledge, Monday Night Football commentator and Coach of the Super Bowl-winning Tampa Bay Buccaneers Jon Gruden, and ESPN/ABC announcer Brad Nessler, who moderated the Q&A panel immediately following the screening. Other celebrity guests included former UT player and current Dallas Cowboys tight end Jason Witten, former UT and NFL quarterback Pat Ryan and former UT quarterbacks Randy Sanders and Sterling Henton, UT National Championship winning quarterback Tee Martin, former UT wide receiver great Larry Seivers, Super Bowl-winning Indianapolis Colts and former UT quarterback Peyton Manning and UT’s Lester McClain, who was the first African-American football player in the SEC.

“We have a lot of my heroes, that played with Condredge, a lot of my friends that came from all across the country, different parts of the world to be here tonight because they love football, and they love Condredge,” Chesney said to the audience during his introduction of the film.

“I think we all know by now how much Condredge is loved by the amount of people in this room, and who came to see the film tonight,” he continued. “We all know Condredge is a great athlete, and know all the statistics and everything he meant to Tennessee football, but I think the thing that all of us who made this film have realized is that we got to know how great the man is behind the Orange Number 7.”

Once the screening was over, ESPN/ABC commentator Brad Nessler led a Q&A panel discussion with Condredge, Chesney, Director Shaun Silva and ESPN Executive Producer John Dahl which included comments from Peyton Manning, Tee Martin, and Coach Fulmer. Condrege and Chesney celebrated at a reception afterwards with close family and friends.

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Photo I.D. -

From left to right; Jason Witten, former UT player and current Dallas Cowboys tight end; Bailey Malchijah, Soul Shine Films; ESPN College Game Day announcer and former Ohio State quarterback Kirk Herbstreit; Shaun Silva, of Tacklebox Productions and director of The Color Orange; UT Head Coach Derek Dooley; Monday Night Football commentator and Coach of the Super Bowl-winning Tampa Bay Buccaneers Jon Gruden; Condredge Holloway; ESPN/ABC commentator Brad Nessler; Kenny Chesney; ESPN Executive Producer John Dahl; Super Bowl-winning Indianapolis Colts and former UT quarterback Peyton Manning; former Penn State quarterback and ESPN/ABC announcer Todd Blackledge; former UT and National Championship Coach Phil Fulmer; Chesney Tour Manager David Farmer,  former UT wide receiver great Larry Seivers and former UT Head Coach Bill Battle.

Kenny Chesney made the announcement via nifty press release below that he will indeed embark on a mega tour this upcoming 2011 summer.    It looks to be a good thing for country music.

What no one saw coming is the fact that he has agreed to CO-Headline his stadium shows.   Zac Brown Band will be joining Kenny at a bunch of stadium shows that are sure to be hits.

It’s already arguable that either artist could fill these stadiums… or maybe with todays economy both camps need a bit more juice to fill stadiums.  Either way it’s great for the country fan with our biggest names and a show – they say- with tickets as low as $25 buck.

Official release below:

Kenny Chesney Announces First Concerts for 2011 “Goin’ Coastal Tour”

Chesney And Zac Brown Band To Share Stage on 9 Stadium Dates

Kenny Chesney’s “fans can count on his shows to be fun, fun, fun” (LA Times), and they can prepare to see “how deep this country megastar’s talent really runs” (Chicago Tribune) as Chesney announces the first leg of what will be his biggest tour in five years. After a hiatus from the road in 2010, the 4 time CMA and 4 time ACM Entertainer of the Year will take his “Goin’ Coastal Tour” to 9 stadiums next year. Chesney was the second biggest ticket seller of the decade and the only artist in any genre to sell over a million tickets for 8 consecutive summers.

Tickets for stadium dates in nine cities will go on sale starting November 20, with additional arena and amphitheatre dates to be announced later, with more dates than any Chesney tour since 2006. Chesney will co-headline the stadium dates with Zac Brown Band, GRAMMY’s “Best New Artist” in 2010 whose latest album ‘You Get What You Give’ debuted at #1 on the Billboard top 200. Multi-GRAMMY nominee Billy Currington has secured the highly coveted support slot powered by six No. 1 Billboard country singles and the success of his fourth and latest album ‘Enjoy Yourself.’  Uncle Kracker, who sang with Chesney on the #1 country hit “When The Sun Goes Down,” will open all the stadium dates except Foxboro, MA.

The man the Associated Press calls “among the hardest charging acts on the road” is already excited about returning to the stage. “We’re going to be playing new songs and lots of old favorites, and I can already tell it’s going to be a lot of fun,” says Chesney.  ”I can’t wait to get back in front of my fans.”

“With four acts on the bill, we’ve created these shows as all-day events, and are working hard to make them affordable for our fans,” says tour promoter Louis Messina.  Chesney will make at least 7,000 tickets available at $25 at the majority of the stadium dates, with a whopping 13,922 for the March 19 Tampa show.

Chesney took a break from the road in 2010 to record his new album ‘Hemingway’s Whiskey’ (BNA Records), which entered the Billboard 200 at #1 (his sixth album to achieve that feat) and to produce “The Boys of Fall,” the documentary about high school football now available for pre-order and in Walmart beginning November 9. “I’ve always loved playing stadiums because I get to see so many of my fans at one time, but after everything I learned from the football heroes I met while making ‘The Boys of Fall,’ I’m seeing stadiums in a whole new way,” Chesney says.

Fans can buy tickets at http://www.kennychesney.com’. The Kenny Chesney Official Fan Club will be offering presale tickets for all shows on Kenny’s 2011 Tour prior to the general public on-sale.

Kenny Chesney 2011 Tour (Stadium Dates Only – co-headline with Zac Brown Band)
Sat Mar 19  - Tampa, FL – Raymond James Stadium (on sale Sat Dec 11)
Sat Apr 16 – Dallas, TX – Cowboys Stadium (on sale Sat Dec 4)
Sat Jun 4 – Washington, DC – FedEx Field – (on sale Fri Dec 3)
Sat Jun 11 – Green Bay, WI – Lambeau Field (on sale Sat Dec 11)
Sat Jun 18 – Philadelphia, PA – Lincoln Financial Field (on sale Sat Nov 20)
Sat Jul 2 – Pittsburgh, PA – Heinz Field (on sale Sat Dec 4)
Sat Jul 30 – Kansas City, MO – Arrowhead Stadium (on sale Sat Dec 4)
Sat Aug 20 – Detroit, MI – (on sale Sat Dec 4)
Sat Aug 27- Foxboro, MA – Gillette Stadium (on sale Sat Nov 20)

The tour is billed as Corona Extra presents Kenny Chesney’s Goin’ Coastal Tour, starring Kenny Chesney and Zac Brown Band.

About Crown Imports LLC:
Corona Extra and Corona Light are imported by Crown Imports LLC, a joint venture that imports, distributes and markets the Modelo portfolio and other fine beer brands across the entire U.S.

Whiskey's Cover

Kenny Chesney Scores His 20th # 1 Single With “The Boys of Fall” a country song that has personal appeal to the singer.

The New country album Hemingway’s Whiskey is On Sale Everywhere Today 9/28/10.

iTunes has listed an exclusive package called Hemingway’s Whiskey (Deluxe Edition) – Kenny Chesney

In a review of Kenny Chesney’s current single, “The Boys of Fall,” Billboard Magazine said, “When one of a musician’s passions collides with his full-time pursuit, the results are generally something special, and with his latest hit, Chesney scores big time.” That statement is undeniable this week, as “The Boys of Fall” sits atop both the Mediabase and BDS charts and Kenny Chesney is celebrating the 20th #1 single of his career. The song captures the heart of something Chesney loves so much – the moments and life lessons that high school football represents.

Though it’s been 14 years since Chesney achieved his first #1, the veteran star admits that the excitement of a having a hit single never goes away. “I was on a photo shoot in Puerto Rico when I had my first #1 record with ‘When I Close My Eyes,’” Chesney remembers. “When I heard today that ‘The Boys of Fall’ became my 20th #1, it made me very happy to know the feeling is the same.” “The Boys of Fall” is the first single from his new album, Hemingway’s Whiskey, which will be available for purchase everywhere tomorrow. Chesney will make numerous national television appearances this week in support of the new album, including tomorrow morning’s performance on Good Morning America.

Today on ESPN, Chesney will appear live on SportsCenter, Sports Nation, ESPNU, and many other shows, will tape appearances on NFL Live and CFB Live, and will do a live chat on ESPN.com. He’s always happy to talk football because, he says, “Growing up in East Tennessee, football was a way of life. In Knoxville, at the University of Tennessee, the whole town just wraps its arms around them.” Chesney, a wide receiver in high school who is now country music’s top-drawing live act and still a Volunteers fan, says, “That’s where I first learned how to work really hard – on the football field.”

Watch Kenny Chesney’s extended video for ‘”The Boys of Fall” here:

http://www.youtube.com/kennychesney
http://www.kennychesney.com/< <http://www.kennychesney.com/%3C>
http://www.facebook.com/KennyChesney
http://twitter.com/KennyChesney
http://www.myspace.com/KennyChesney

Whiskey's Cover

NASHVILLE, TN – Whether it’s an up close look at his high energy live shows with the “Summer In 3-D” movie, going behind the scenes and backstage with the “Road Case” DVD Series or keeping his ticket prices affordable, giving fans more has always been important to Kenny Chesney. That continues with a double disc CD + DVD, Deluxe Edition of Hemingway’s Whiskey on September 28. The package includes two bonus tracks and an in-depth conversation with Chesney about each of the songs. Quantities of the Deluxe Edition Version will be limited.

Of the Deluxe Edition Chesney said, “Adding a few songs is kind of the same approach we take to our shows. Every record is different, every night is different. You start feeling good and you want to do 10 extra minutes, 20 extra minutes, extra 3 hours — whatever it is. This is exactly the same. We put two extra songs and conversation on the record because there are fans that have been a part of my life for a long time and really love our music and have really invested a lot emotionally. You can call it ‘going the extra mile’ or whatever. I wanted to give them something special.”

With 30 minutes of content, the DVD includes a personal thank you from Kenny to the fans and a video cut by cut on each of the 13 tracks on the Deluxe Edition. One of those cut by cut’s is an in-studio look at the recording of “You & Tequila,” the duet with indie rocker Grace Potter. “Music is so powerful and universal,” Chesney allows. “She’s from Vermont and I’m from East Tennessee and we’d never sung together before…never even met but it just clicked.”

As the lead single “The Boys of Fall,” enters the Top 10 on the dawn of football season, it’s stirring the emotions of everyone who’s ever played, loved, coached, believed in, and rooted for the game. The song is now available at all digital retailers.

With the countdown to the release of Hemingway’s Whiskey, Chesney is excited to have new music and says, “Listening to new music is a lot of fun. I buy a lot of CDs myself…I love new music. I’ve been looking forward to sharing these songs and for everyone to see and hear what we’ve been working on for so long.”

Hemingway’s Whiskey – Deluxe Edition

1. The Boys of Fall
2. Live A Little
3. Coastal
4. You And Tequila (featuring Grace Potter)
5. Seven Days
6. Small Y’all (Duet with George Jones)
7. Where I Grew Up
8. Reality
9. Round And Round
10. Somewhere With You
11. Hemingway’s Whiskey
12. Ain’t Ever Going Back Again (Bonus Track)
13. I Didn’t Get Here Alone (Bonus Track)

Whiskey's Cover

Kenny Chesney’s ‘Hemingway’s Whiskey’ will be released September 28th on BNA Records. Its debut single, “The Boys of Fall,” is already Top 15 at country radio, ranking among the fastest-rising singles of Chesney’s career. Co-produced by Chesney, the touching full-length eight-minute video for the song featuring football superstars including Peyton Manning and Brett Favre can now be seen on video outlets, including VEVO, CMT and GAC.

The country superstar, who has sold more than 30 million albums to date, says of the anthemic song: “I learned how to work hard on the football field. I learned how to trust people on the football field. I learned humility on the football field. I learned teamwork on the football field. And all those things apply to what you do in your life. If you learn that early on, you have a chance to be really great at something — the ability to be a great friend, a great father and a great husband.”

Other standout tracks on the album include the haunting “Somewhere With You,” a song about getting over a relationship, which Chesney says “is really tough – there’s always something to remind you of a time, a place, a memory, a feeling.” “You and Tequila,” written by Matraca Berg and Deana Carter, is a duet with big-voiced rocker Grace Potter (says Chesney, “I just fell in love with her voice”); and “Coastal” is a celebration of low-key vacationing.

Then there’s the title tune, co-written by Guy Clark, Ray Stephenson and Joe Leathers, which makes Chesney think of one of his favorite books, ‘The Old Man and the Sea,’ and about the idea of sitting down with its adventurous author for a drink. “I’d like to sit with him and talk about life, because he got through a lot in his life with some regret, but with a lot of grace too. And there’s a lesson in there for everybody.”

Watch the video for “The Boys of Fall” from Kenny Chesney’s ‘Hemingway’s Whiskey’ here:

http://youtube.com/kennychesney

‘Hemingway’s Whiskey’ Tracklist
1. The Boys of Fall
2. Live A Little
3. Coastal
4. You And Tequila (featuring Grace Potter)
5. Seven Days
6. Small Y’all (Duet with George Jones)
7. Where I Grew Up
8. Reality
9. Round And Round
10. Somewhere With You
11. Hemingway’s Whiskey

Free Concert Set For CMT

update:The 90-minute CMT Presents Jimmy Buffett & Friends: Live From The Gulf Coast, originally scheduled for Thursday, July 1^st has now been rescheduled to air live and commercial-free on Sunday, July 11^th at 7PM Eastern time on CMT. Special guests are yet to be determined.  Performances will be simulcast live on Radio Margaritaville, available on Sirius Satellite Radio and XM Satellite Radio, all CMT Radio Network affiliates, and streamed live on www.CMT.com.

Jimmy Buffett has been seen on the news lately reacting to the Gulf Oil Spill. Now he’s responding with music and his pals Zac Brown and Kenny Chesney are playing along with a free concert on the Alabama coast to show support for the Gulf region.

The Alabama tourism department says the show will be July 1 on the beach at Gulf Shores.

Buffett’s website says the concert is meant to demonstrate support for the people, businesses and culture of the Gulf Coast. It will be broadcast live on CMT.

Buffett (who has a and his Coral Reefer Band will be joined in Gulf Shores by Sonny Landreth, Kenny Chesney,Zac Brown (who crossed roads with Jimmy recently)  Band, Jesse Winchester and Allen Toussaint.

In a new benefit twist a special Tshirt will be designed for the concert. It will be available online and at the show.

It’s become an annual benchmark for different industries… From down on high comes the big fat list who makes the most money from the richest magazine on newsstands- Forbes.

Country music has grown up and now has it’s own list and you may be surprised what stars have all the buzz versus what singing sensations have all the bank.

The mag wisely points out that there are over 2,000 country radio stations that send writers money for more income for artists/writers noting that eight of the ten most played artists on radio last year were country artists.    For this tracking, Forbes looks at concert box office receipts, merch and cd/download money, publishing royalties and endorsement/licensing deals.   The tracking time is between June 2009 to June 2010. We would have thought Swift would have topped things during the time frame… but maybe next year.

1. Kenny Chesney tops the list with estimated earnings of $50 million, down a bit last year’s $65 million.
2. Toby Keith $48 million
3. Taylor Swift $45 million
3. Rascal Flatts $45 million
5. Tim McGraw $30
6. Keith Urban $28
7. George Strait $25
8. Brad Paisley $22
9. Alan Jackson $15
10. Carrie Underwood $13

See The Whole Forbes Story HERE