Kenny Chesney, Country Music Hall Of Famer?

I have some thoughts.

It was just announced that Kenny Chesney will be joining the Country Music Hall of Fame. This is fantastic news. First of all, it is always good when someone gets entry to a Hall of Fame when they are alive. In baseball, it is an unfortunate reality that many stars don't get that acclaim until after their deaths when some movement gets stirred up in recognition. That's a bittersweet feeling. Thankfully, this is occurring not only when he is alive, but arguably when Kenny Chesney is still operating, if not at the peak of his powers, but at a robust level. He is still charting, selling out tours, and wildly popular. A great feeling for him and his fans.

Hopefully, this can bring light to younger fans about the existence and importance of the Country Music Hall of Fame. Chesney gave a wonderful speech upon the announcement that he was receiving this honor, striking a deeply appreciative tone, reflecting on those who came before him, shouting out some of the pioneers of the genre, his East Tennessee country music counterparts, and crediting those who helped him along the way.

"You don’t dare dream of being in the Country Music Hall of Fame, alongside legends including George Jones, Willie Nelson, Alabama, even Dean Dillon....

...But hearing the news I’d been voted into the Hall, I can honestly say beyond my wildest dreams, it’s an honor that defies words…

...My dream started on the shoulders of the dreams of George Jones. It was built on the shoulders of the dreams of the group Alabama, Conway Twitty, and Doc Watson, who I spent a whole summer trying to figure out how to play ‘Deep River Blues’ with Doc’s finger style pickin’ guitar....

...My grandparents lived on the same street that Chet Atkins grew up on. I rode my bicycle past that property all the time. To know that I’m going in with Dolly Parton is a huge deal for me...

….and also, I don’t have a brother in life, but if I did, it would be Dean Dillon. Dean Dillon and I have written a lot of songs. I’ve looked up to Dean my whole creative life.”

All of this is fantastic. And I, for one, am very happy. See, I'm actually a big fan of Kenny Chesney. Let me explain.

A few years ago, I decided I was going to listen to every single Kenny Chesney album. Even though my taste lies more traditional, understanding the biggest artists of our times felt like a good use of time. I was additionally curious about his appeal. I knocked it out in about a month. It was pretty intense. Over that period, I did the same with Books and Dunn and a handful of other artists. What I discovered fascinated me. Been a fan ever since.

There's a certain irony to my enjoyment of Kenny Chesney. After all, I don't consider his music very country, nor does generally rank high based on most criteria for evaluating songs. He has a thin, nearly out of tune vocal. The arrangements tend towards the bland Overton window of contemporaneous Nashville pop country, and his beach shtick is very overdone at this point. Yet, In spite of, at times, being the poster child for much in music that I malign, Kenny Chesney is emblematic of a number of the things I love about country music.

Part of the interest is my curiosity surrounding how Chesney has capably reinvented himself many times over. Smoothly transitioning one’s art and fanbase to new eras and epochs of consumer trends and taste can be difficult. And yet, Chesney nailed this. He came up as a young, slightly pop-curious, neo-traditional hat act. His first couple albums feature a smooth-cheeked, mulleted, raw and rootsy fella with a nice yelping vocal out of East Tennessee. We're talking about a guy who covered Keith Whitley (I Want My Rib Back), put out a double fiddle led, honky-tonk banger of a song called "Paris, Tennessee," a stone cold country ballad that my brain immediately thought was a long lost Vince Gill mid-90s job called "The Tin Man." Some great quality stuff. Ooh, before I forget, go listen to this mostly forgotten, should have been smash hit. In a just world, this would have been the next Friends in Low Places type song along anthem.

And then, along with the industry, he smoothly managed from the neo-traditional mid-90s into the late-90s we-still-have-fiddles-but-with-a-healthy-slapping-of-pop-sheen-over-everything sound that was in vogue. That’s when he really found his first success. The first trademark big hits were “She’s Got It All”, “How Forever Feels”, and of course, as was necessary in the 90s, the requisite novelty hit of "I Think My Tractor's Sexy." For most artists, managing one transition and experiment success in the new format would be the apex of someone’s career. Most acts struggle to shift their signature sound more than one time. Especially if there’s some number one hits as the result of this particular style. There is no particular reason why Chesney should have been any different than other hitmakers of the smooth pop Y2K crowd. Lonestar, Mark Willis, Andy Griggs and others all faded by the mid 00s as tastes changed once more. Acts like Clay Walker and Tracy Byrd who came up with Chesney in the mid 90s, were quickly pushed to the veteran circuit. But for Chesney, this wasn’t even the beginning. The signature sound and image that he is associated with wasn’t even on the scene yet.

The mid 00’s was when the shift into the Kenny Chesney that is more familiar to people's ears occurs; Beach Country, country Jimmy Buffet etc. As we've traced so far, this was actually his third era. It is difficult to shift into a new persona every few years. It is even more difficult to convince audiences that they are hearing an authentic representation of the artist when the changes happen so frequently. This change, and how Chesney managed it, is what fascinated me so much. Mind you, the changes aren’t done yet. 2010s Kenny is a whole ‘nother animal.

Part of why this shift went over smoothly was because this new era was never as single-mindedly beachy as people think it was. Looking back at a lot of his hits at the moment and plenty of the album cuts, we see he was covering Bill Anderson and doing John Mellencamp tributes aside from the Jimmy Buffett-inspired stuff. There was variety and connective tissue to the older iterations of Chesney. That helps. But, of course the line between an artist “selling out” and diversifying their output is a thin, perhaps nonexistent one. Chesney managed to get audiences on his side with catchy and fun music that had an overwhelming sense of genuine delight and sincerity in the beach lifestyle. This resonated. Note that I don’t say authentic. That is on purpose. Put a pin in it, we’ll get back to this word soon.

The year is now 2005. A seasoned veteran of the ten year town, Chesney is now at, or near his commercial peak. Less than one year prior, his album When the Sun Goes Down was a mega 5x Platinum smash. Coming off of this record setting run, my favorite Kenny Chesney record was released. Long time readers already know what I’m talking about. It’s 2005’s "Be As You Are". Kenny Chesney was a commercial powerhouse. He could do whatever he wanted. That's the benefit of creating smash hits. And he decided to put out a thematic record, an ode to the beach lifestyle that this Tennessee-born kid discovered. An oasis of peace. The break, the vacation. An entire album dedicated to this exclusive theme.

Metacritic shows mixed reviews. Some would criticize it as being too long or single note. I firmly disagree and think it's utterly fantastic. This album may be dedicated to the same beach music that the past two records and the following three pulled from, but the critics miss the crucial point of appeal. Chesney's own personal connection to the beach lifestyle is only a small part of what gets discussed. That’s the starting point. But it expands from there to all of the varying relationships people have with the beach. Chesney extols the beach, not just for what it does for him, but what it means to others. Guitars and Tiki Bars hones in on the escapist drive that the average commuter feels every dreary day stuck in traffic. Boston traces the story of a Massachusetts based girl who escapes to the Caribbean to discover herself. And yes, Sherry’s Living In Paradise.

On Be As You Are, Chesney hones in on the beach as an ideal and, far more impressively, traces its applications to all sorts of different people, putting himself in the shoes of so many others. This album distills the artistry of Kenny Chesney into its most potent package, clarifying the appeal and it opened my eyes to understand his discography.

This album is a masterpiece in understanding the human spirit. Chesney humanizes both himself and his audience. Hearing this record unlocked the core of what Kenny Chesney represents, why it is so unique, and why he is such a natural fit for the country music genre. Chesney puts himself into others' stories in a manner that is certainly paralleled, but infrequently replicated, especially in this modern authenticity-driven age. Is it authentic? In a sense, no. These are not his stories. But in another sense, with authentic being used as a synonym for sincere, it very much is.

From its earliest days, country musicians sincerely told stories of others, putting an empathetic lens to view the world through the eyes of other characters. The tuxedo-clad Tennessee Ernie Ford snapping his fingers and solemnly pontificating about the oppressed life of a miner functions as a sincere and earnest commentary same as a song discussing bourgeois domesticity like "There Goes My Life," a classic from the nomadic Chesney. A standout song, even though it lacks personal lived experience, a hallmark for our authenticity obsessed age. Yes, Chesney's own personal lack of marital and parental experience matter not a lick in this emotional rendition surrounding the wide range of emotion that surround the lifetime of a parent. This deeply emotive presentation, hewn by understanding and empathy, immediately jumps out of the speakers and burrows its way into your heart. Even if he sings a bit off pitch, it just adds to the charm. This is the emotional core of country music.

And then, even as he transitioned away from the beach stuff in the 2010’s, this fundamental core of Chesney’s perspective holds true. He's gotten a bit more melancholy and mellow. Very reflective. His past couple of records have actually been quite solid. Probably better. Elder statesmen suits him well. Still perfectly capable of throwing it down and creating monster smash anthems, but leaning in a wiser sedate direction. The lead off single for his most recent record, Take Her Home is an imperfect but easily digestible example of Chesney’s approach in recent years.

Throughout his entire discography, his vocal limitations are apparent. The necessity for trend-chasing exists. Overblown production is not uncommon. But that emotive tissue underlying his persona and perspective that he brings is the constant. And that, I think, speaks wonders about what country music is. No, Chesney did not fit into a framework of standard country music. But he is undoubtedly country modifier music, whether that's beach country, or country rock, or pop country. Although certainly possessing East Tennessee country bona fides,he does not merely rely on the cultural connection to create his country fusion, as in solely, "he wears a cowboy hat with his beach clothing". Instead, he takes something fundamental about the emotive process of country music, and fuses that with the personal touch of other genres. The authentic expression he finds in Caribbean-styled instruments gets merged into this country-pop-rock synthesis all with the aim, at least in its best moments, of telling people's stories. This is why Kenny Chesney is worthy of admission into the Country Music Hall of Fame, same as other pop country legends like Glen Campbell or Ronnie Milsap. Kenny Chesney is now a Country Music Hall Of Fame artist, fitting in perfectly with the other pop country acts who understood that emotive root of what country music stood for, and conveyed that in their unique and inimitable ways with passion that was evident for the fans, that ultimately people connected to.

“I always felt that country music told a lot of truth, and it’s fueled by a lot of dreams … I had a really big dream. I can promise you, I did not see this coming...

…I just wanted to record and write songs that reflected the lives of a lot of people that came to our shows. I just wanted to spread as much positivity and love and positive energy as I possibly could. Standing up here, I know it's not a dream, it's real, and it feels surreal. I just wanna say thank you. This is beautiful.”

Thanks for reading,

Joe