Bulletins

Friends…

            I want to thank each of you personally for your part in this 4th Entertainer of the Year Award… You are not just the reason we do this, you are a lot of what makes us Entertainer of the Year. Beyond even your votes – which were critical – but the way you inspire me and the guys. We are more because you give so much… and I want to make sure you know how much I appreciate you, and how much a part of this you guys are.

            Just hearing the sounds from the parking lot when everyone’s out grilling and hanging with their friends makes me wanna get out there and rock. To be part of that kind of a good time is the reason I started going to shows, and it’s absolutely why I live to do this.

            Which is part of the confusion over my response to the change in the awards criteria. There’s a lot more to being Entertainer of the Year than what we show you… and that’s because I want the music to just be your music, your songs, your life – the way it was for me. I’ve always been a bit uncomfortable with the amount of information that gets out there about how many trucks, how we do the effects, those sorts of things… because I don’t want it to be about semis, I want what we do to be about that moment when you hear the music and we hear you.

            To me, Entertainer of the Year is about the work that goes into it. I don’t ever want you  worrying about the work; I want you living the songs… being in the moment of the music… finding your life on the radio, whether it’s something easy like “Summertime” or a song that helps you through a rough time like “I Go Back” or “There Goes My Life.”

            That was my point. Let the people who do the work, judge the work part of it… let the fans love what we do for that. And that was what I was being asked about… what a lot of people in the business were talking about… and frankly something an awful lot of artists and business people have told me they not only agree with, but something the entire media room applauded pretty resoundingly after I addressed it Sunday night.

            Sure, to make me sound ungrateful is a sexy way to spin this to drive viewers. It’s controversy, and that sells. But realistically – and based on the response in our fan forum – you know how important you are to me, how much I believe in the way we’ve all built this together. You, the fans, are the reason I keep pushing, keep striving, keep wanting to be more and better.

            When I stood on the stage and said “this means the world to me,” I meant it… because it means not only am I blessed with the best fans in the world, but you guys were willing to stand up for us and be counted. It’s not the same award… given for the same things… but knowing how much you care, how much you believe in this dream, well, that is everything.

            So please know… I love you. I believe in you – and the way you believe in this music, these nights we get to share, the way it call comes together when we’re together. There is nothing like the feeling of being out there with you guys… and I live my whole life just for those moments. Thank you for that, because in the end, that is what matters the most to me.

-Kenny

Sorry to bug you with ACM voting again, but "Entertainer of the Year" is fan voted this year, and it only takes about 30 seconds, so if you've got half a minute, hit up http://voteacm.com and grab yourself a piece of Kenny's "Entertainer of the Year" trophy.

Chesney fans, this one's up to you. 

Tune in to CBS on Sunday, May 18 at 8pm ET (7pm Nashvegas time) for the big show... the ACM Awards.

The ACM "Entertainer Of The Year" award is FAN VOTED this year.  It only takes about 30 seconds, so please hop over to voteacm.com and cast your vote for KENNY.

Let's show everyone how hardcore Chesney fans are!

-BNA Records

Poets & Pirates Soldiers On --
Titans' Doctor Gives Chesney Conditions, Greenlight for This Weekend

     Nashville, TN: After a heart-stopping mishap on the hydraulic lift being used for the entrance of Kenny Chesney's 2008 Poets & Pirates Tour's stadium shows, where his boot was lodged between the lift and the stage for nearly 40 seconds as the lift motor kept trying to push the platform up, Chesney has been given a green light - with conditions - to play his scheduled concert stops this weekend in Texas from the Tennessee Titans' sports medicine/orthopedic specialist.

     Having played his entire 100 minute plus set at Columbia, SC's Williams-Brice Stadium with a decided limp and tears in his eyes from the pain, Chesney resolved to hit that stage no matter what. After a series of tests with his own orthopedist in Nashville, it has been determined that he will be able to maintain his commitments.

     “Dr. Elrod got that the last thing I want to do is cancel shows, but also that I don't want any kind of lasting damage… because being able to hit that stage and really rock the fans is important to me,” Chesney explained after getting word that he was good to go to Austin. “He told me it's going to hurt -- though nothing could hurt worse than Saturday I don't think -- and they can give me something to deaden the pain when I get out there.

     “I also have to have a doctor standing by should something give, but I'm going to tape it up and I'm going to get out there. Hearing that crowd in Columbia this weekend, they reminded me about the power people's passion for music has. You know, the way people respond to songs… that response is every bit as powerful sometimes as the songs themselves.

     “All I know is I didn't want to disappoint anyone in Columbia, who'd been out in the parking lots since the day before… either going to the Next Big Star competition or just partying with their friends… and if they were having that kind of a party, I was gonna be there.”

     Be there he was. Though his toes sustained most of the damage -- and he is basically a hematoma from the ankle down, Chesney -- who needed two shots of morphine for pain after leaving the stage -- is optimistic that careful monitoring this weekend and paying attention to the wear and tear this week will return him to full flexibility and strength in a matter of weeks.

     “If you want to push your limits, you have to respect what the doctors tell you,” Chesney admits. “It was scary for a moment… you don't know what's happening and you just feel this pain. Once you're out of there, though, the crowd carries you -- and given how the fans in Austin, Oklahoma City and Dallas have always been to us, they're gonna bring their best and really rock us, too.”

     With 11 ACM nominations, a tour sponsorship from Corona Extra, a new single that hit the Top 10 just four weeks after its official add date and the only country tour to play stadiums, Chesney is poised to have a year to truly remember. The last thing he's gonna do is let an injury sideline him.

Kenny Chesney's Next Big Star Gets Specific Competition To Open Poets & Pirates Details, Information

    Nashville, TN: Phone calls poured into the label and his website was flooded with people looking for information and Kenny Chesney, on the brink of embarking on his 2008 Poets & Pirates Tour couldn't have been happier about the response to his Next Big Star competition. Chesney and team are looking for the most deserving local music acts and giving them the opportunity to not only open his show in their hometown, but have the shot at being the opening act for the final weekend of what promises to be the biggest tour of Chesney's 6 years of playing to over a million people each summer.

    "I didn't know what to expect," admits Chesney, who's won the Academy of Country Music and Country Music Association's Entertainer of the Year six times. "In some ways, it was a crazy idea and in others, it's a lot of work, but when I look at those fans, think about their dream and how I might get somebody doing what I was doing a few years ago a little bit closer  to it, it just seemed like the right thing. This response shows me the fans are as psyched up about it as I am."

    Chesney's Next Big Star certainly promises to be a comprehensive search for deserving young artists. Working with a local radio station in each tour market, there will be on-air, online and on-site promotions soliciting video and/or audio submissions that include at least one original song and covers by any act that is not part of their respective Poets & Pirates line-up. All contestants must be 21 years of age -- or older -- and currently without a recording contract.'

    Those submissions will be culled by the radio station to their Top 10 choices. A panel of Music Row professionals will select the Final 4 - who will each have 15 minutes to show a local club why they're "the next Big Star."  For the live competition - which will be judged by a radio personality, a venue staff member, a guest judge and audience response -- will be comprised of only original songs.

    "The song is everything," Chesney explains. "When I came to Nashville, it was to try and be a writer, to figure out how to put real life to music and my first break was getting signed to Acuff-Rose Music Publishing, where Hank Williams was once signed. I think to have that edge today, you need to write and since the Grand Prize winner gets to audition for the SONYBMG Nashville A&R team, I want the winner to have a really good shot of getting that record deal.  I'd like to think I helped somebody get about the hardest thing there is to get: a deal."

    In the first stadium markets, the Next Big Star competition will be the night before. In amphitheater and arena markets, the Next Big Star event will be a week to ten days out. Submissions for both will begin in the vicinity of three weeks out, but shall be specific to each market. Details can be found at www.kennychesney.com.

    In addition, each winner's opening set will be videotape for review by the Poets & Pirates tour producers, who will be picking the best three opening acts. From those three finalists, the SonyBMG Nashville team, along with representatives from Chesney's management team, will select the Grand Prize winner who will open the final three shows of the Poets & Pirates 2008 tour, including the opening event at the NFL Stadium in Indianapolis which is the last date of the tour.

    "I hope this gets a lot of people out to support local music," says the man who spent 14 weeks at #1 on the Country Singles chart last year alone with "Don't Blink," "Never Wanted Nothing More" and his own "Beer In Mexico." "To me, there's so much great talent everywhere that isn't able to punch through the layers… and I'm hoping a few great acts get seen, get heard, and maybe even get their shot. To me, if I can give that back to some deserving artist, then that's about all I can ask for - since I know our crowds are gonna rock like they always do."

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Kenny Chesney Has Birthday Party To Remember -- Sports Legends, Country Luminaries, Songwriters, Friends, Family Were There

    Nashville, TN: If you're gonna have a party, have a party! That has always been Kenny Chesney's motto with regards to the concerts he gives that make summer official coast-to-coast. So when it came time for his own party, you better believe they did it right!

    New York Yankee and 7-time Cy Young winner Roger Clemens was on hand, as was New England Patriot Junior Seau, NASCAR Champ Sterling Marlin, along with dear friends Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, former tourmates Jennifer Nettles and Dierks Bentley, Kellie Pickler  and stadium compatriot Kix Brooks. Also in attendance were legendary songwriters Dean Dillon and Paul Overstreet, the former penning many of George Strait's most enduring hits and the latter responsible for Chesney's breakout "She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy."

    "Looking around this room, I don't  know what to say," a visibly moved Chesney offered, looking at the 200 people in attendance. "Every one of them means so much to me, who I am and how I got here… and to see them all here, it makes me realize what a gift all the people in my life have been."

    Firebrand pianist/rabble rouser Jason D. Williams -- a former RCA labelmate and demi-regular in Knoxville -- turned in a kinetic set of rockabilly rave-ups and over-the-top showmanship, that included playing with his feet, upside down from on top of the piano and with his hands behind his back. It was as full-tilt as Chesney's own intense summer tours, and the energy level was even more pronounced by the juxtaposition of classic stylist Con Hunley who performed a few songs before Williams unleashed his barrelhouse gospel, rock'n'blues hybrid at the backroom of Nashville's Southern/Caribbean Cabana.

    "Jason has more talent than almost anybody out there -- and I figured if we're gonna get together to have fun and party, let's get somebody who knows how to set a room on fire," Chesney enthused. "Looking around, watching people watch him, it was great to be able to turn so many people onto someone I've known for years and loved."

    With two cakes -- each sporting a "4" and an "0" candle to mark the very significant year --- the mood was festive to be certain. But the present of the evening visibly impacted the songwriter from Luttrell, Tennessee who's mother, father, aunt and sister were also on hand for the party: a book of letters from various people who'd touched the musicians life, ranging from Keith Urban to Peyton Manning to Eva Longoria to photographer Glen Rose and director Shaun Silva.

    "I can tell you right now," said the almost speechless Chesney of the leather bound book tirelessly shepherded by assistant Cheryl Bevis, "I haven't even started reading this  yet, and I already know that it's my favorite birthday present ever."

    With chocolate or vanilla cake marking the end of an evening that included his BNA Records family, tour sponsors Corona Extra, managers Dale Morris and Clint Higham who were the evening's hosts, band, crew, Buddy Cannon, Norro Wilson, ASCAP head Connie Bradley and a host of people who've believed in the vision of a 5' 6" dreamer who thought playing football stadiums seemed like a reasonable way to see how big music could be, Kenny Chesney had a birthday he'll never forget -- or want to.

Kenny Shares The Dream --
A Year In The Plotting, This Year's Openers Are From Local Band Battle

     Nashville: Every night when Kenny Chesney leans into “Big Star,” the song about one girls drive to work her way up from the local karaoke bars, he thinks of his own days playing for tips with a bar stool, a cheap acoustic guitar and a fish bowl for the money. He remembers how hard it can be, and how powerful the dream is to sustain you… and he wants to make dreaming this dream a whole lot easier for the next generation of McEntires, Straits and Alabamas.
    
     “I've been thinking about how to do this for a couple years now,” Chesney says of what's being touted as the Big Star Contest to select his local opening acts in 34 markets. “People told me I was crazy… and logistically, it's taken a whole lot of people to sort out just how to do it, to be fair and to find local bands all over America who deserve the shot. I mean, I remember having a record deal and getting to open for George Jones, and what that meant.

     “If someone's come into Chucky's Trading Post - or even the Turf in Nashville - and given me the opportunity to win a shot to open for Keith Whitley, I'd've died. I don't want anybody dying, I just want to help get them a little closer to the dream.” That dream has manifested itself into more than 28 million album sales including his current Just Who I Am: Poets & Pirates album that includes the hits, “Never Wanted Nothing More,” “Don’t Blink,” and “Shiftwork.”

     The Big Star Competition means a deserving local band will not only open Chesney's Poets & Pirates 2008 Tour in their hometown, but one grand prize winner will be given a tour bus for the final weekend of the tour where they will open all three shows in Tulsa, St. Louis and Indianapolis as part of the actual tour, plus $25,000 and the opportunity to audition for SonyBMG executives, the home of Kenny’s label, BNA Records.

     Stadium shows will feature a battle of bands the night before the actual concert. Arena and auditorium concerts will have their Big Star Battle of the Bands a couple weeks out in a local club. Each winner in a market will be assigned their own tour manager, given day of show details and be the Big Star for their friends, family and hometown when the 3 consecutive and current Academy of Country Music and 3-time and reigning Country Music Association plays back where the winners come from.

     “Getting a toe hold is harder in so many ways,” Chesney says. “I had a lotta laughs along the way, but I'm amazed that I'm still here… looking back, knowing what I know now.  I mean, you want it, you hang on, you fight for it and you just keep believing. If we can give some good bands a little encouragement this summer, as well as check out some of the best undiscovered country music that's out there in the clubs, the colleges, wherever, I can't wait.”

     With the Poets & Pirates Tour - sponsored by Corona Extra -- set to kick off April 18-19 in Connecticut, summer is officially on its way. With outdoor shows, arenas and 14 stadiums, it's no wonder that Chesney and his Just Who I Am: Poets & Pirates are the ACM's leading nominee - for Entertainer, Top Male, Album, Song, Single & Video for the 5 week #1 “Don't Blink” and Vocal Event for “Shiftwork” with George Strait.

     This isn't about me,” Chesney explains, “It's about the fans, and giving'em their own piece of the dream. Being able to do this is maybe the biggest rush of all.”

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Kenny Chesney Leads Academy of Country Music Awards --
Scores 11 Nominations, including Entertainer, Album, Male, Song & Single

     Nashville: Kenny Chesney may be waist deep in rehearsals for his Poets& Pirates 2008 Tour, but that doesn't mean he and the band didn't stop and cheer when they got the news that the 3 consecutive and reigning Academy of Country Music Entertainer of the Year had led the nominations with 11 nods in every category the soft-spoken songwriter was nominated in.

     “I don't make music for awards,” Chesney said. “I have to be true to who I am, who the people who listen to this music are…but that doesn't mean I don't want to be recognized for these songs. I hope that the time Buddy and I spend on finding the songs and in the studio… that Shaun Silva and I invest in getting the videos right… the songwriters who bring me songs that make me feel like they understand everything about who I am and how I feel…. And the people who help me keep this whole thing rocking isn't lost on everyone who cares about country music.

     “At a time like this (when the nominations are read), I am blown away by the fact that the people at radio, the promoters and the Music Row folks do recognize how many people are part of what they hear and what they see. To me, Just Who I Am is a record that's shown a lot of growth and when people give us these nominations, it says we're growing in the right direction.”

     In addition to being nominated for Entertainer and Male Vocalist, Chesney's Just Who I Am: Poets & Pirates is up for Album of the Year - and it's 5 week #1 “Don't Blink” receives nods for Song, Single and Video of the Year. He also picks up a pair of nominations for Vocal Event: “Find Out Who Your Friends Are” with Tracy Lawrence and Tim McGraw and Poets & Pirates’ “Shiftwork” with George Strait. Chesney also receives nominations as a Producer for Album, Single and Vocal Event.

     “The last year really let me get deeper into the music,” Chesney says. “Aside from having another incredible year on the road, playing everywhere from football stadiums to college bars, I not only made what I think is my best album, but I got to produce a record on Willie Nelson and a bluegrass record on my band mate Tim Hensley. I think all of it makes me strive even harder at this.”

     Chesney did indeed have an amazing year. His Flip Flop Summer Tour was the #2 Tour in any genre behind the Police's Reunion Tour, and he played to over a million fans for the 6th years in a row. He spent 14 weeks at #1 on the Country Singles charts - “Don't Blink” 5 weeks, “Never Wanted Nothing More” 6 weeks and “Beer In Mexico” 3 weeks - as well as being Billboard's Top Artist/Writer having solely penned his own “Beer In Mexico” and co-written Rascal Flatts' 3 week #1 “Take Me There.”

     As Chesney readies his Poets & Pirate Tour - due to stop in 14 NFL Stadiums around the country this year, it looks like the time spent on the songs, the records, the music, the touring continues to touch people and remind them what it's all about.

     “You know,” he says quietly. “I just try to be the kinda artist I wanted to see when I was coming up. To me, if you remember who you are, sing songs that speak to that and pay attention to the fans, that's all I can hope for. Seeing those people every night, I don't think I could do anything less.”

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Pair of 5s

Kenny Chesney Hits #5 on Country Singles AND Americana Chart

            Nashville, TN: The fact that Kenny Chesney is sitting in the Top 5 with “Shiftwork,” the calypso-feeling song about working hard and playing hard, is no secret to country fans. The third single from his platinum Just Who I Am: Poets & Pirates is following the 6-week #1 “Never Wanted Nothing More” and the 5-week chart-topping “Don’t Blink” in its rise up the country radio charts.

            But Chesney’s also popped up in a rather odd place: the Americana chart, which measures singer/songwriter and roots-driven music. Moment of Forever, the Chesney/Buddy Cannon-produced Willie Nelson project, sits at #5 on their album-driven chart.

            “That’s one place I never thought I’d be,” Chesney concedes with a laugh. “But it’s an incredible feeling to see Willie moving up a chart with Steve Earle, Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, Levon Helm. He is so much the heart of American music, and just the notion of wanting to honor who he is in the studio was a pretty big task. Thankfully, it seems like this record is finding its audience…”

            Moment of Forever, with its Kris Kristofferson-penned title track, features songs from Dave Matthews, Randy Newman, Bob Dylan, Guy Clark and three Nelson originals. The product of several song meetings and a lot of late-night listening, the project was recorded south of Nashville, eliciting The New York Times to proclaim, “Moment of Forever comes close to being a concept album about facing death and loss with grace.”

            “We’re starting to gear up for another year,” Chesney says, “but looking back on the time off, and the music I got to make … whether it was Tim Hensley’s bluegrass record and hearing Patty Loveless sing in the studio with him, getting to cut a song with my really good friend George Strait and now hearing it on the radio or the hours spent talking music with Willie, I am inspired in whole new ways. It’s amazing what listening with fresh ears can do … and it’s incredible putting this year’s show together from that perspective.”

            Named Billboard’s #1 Artist/Songwriter – on the strength of his solely-penned three-week #1 “Beer In Mexico” and Rascal Flatts’ 4-week #1 “Take Me There” – Chesney knows about making music that makes people feel something. The man who is slated to play 14 NFL Stadiums as part of his Corona Extra sponsored Poets & Pirates 2008 Tour believes it’s about bringing those songs, the moments, those feelings alive with the people who come to see you – and making memories that will last for years to come.

            “In the end, music is what matters. It’s what brought me here, and it’s why I do what I do. Every time we go out, I wanna have the best show, wanna give the fans something more … and I think that was something I felt about the Willie record, too. I wanted to create something that would give his fans a different take on who he is maybe, but also really show off why he’s an artist I’ve always loved.”

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