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KENNY CHESNEY
EVERYWHERE WE GO

It's time.

It's time for Kenny Chesney to be taken seriously. It's time for people to realize that he's not just some new singer who strolled into town yesterday. He's a bonafide star - and Kenny Chesney is here with his fifth album, Everywhere We Go, to prove it.

"The first 3 albums that I did, I really think I was just a part of a bunch of guys out there making records," muses the 30 year old East Tennessee native. "Don't get me wrong, I'm very proud of those records. They were good for me not only because of where I was at that time in my career, but they have ultimately brought me to the point where I am now. Looking back though, I don't necessarily think I had defined my own sound. But with time and consistency, slowly but surely, I've been able to separate myself from that bunch and build a career as opposed to just having some songs out there that do well and that's it."

Building a career since his 1993 Capricorn debut In My Wildest Dreams, Kenny has really picked up the pace the last two times around. Those two albums, Me and You and I Will Stand have surged past the coveted Gold (500,000 copies) sales mark, spurred on by the No. 1 singles "When I Close My Eyes," "That's Why I'm Here," and "She's Got It All" - which stayed at the top of the charts for 3 weeks.

"I felt like I had to step up this time around. This album is a lot gutsier. It's much more tempo oriented than anything I've ever done before. I'm very proud of the fact that there's not a boring moment on it and there's no overall theme. As far as I'm concerned, there are 11 different songs on here and 11 different themes. I'm having some fun, I'm crying a little bit, I'm feeling good and I'm feeling bad - all the way through the album.

"I feel like my voice has grown a lot in the past couple of years and I really wanted to capture that. It's gotten a lot higher, deeper, and wider - I don't quite know how to explain it, but it has.

That higher, wider, deeper range of Kenny's signature voice is what makes Everywhere We Go hands down his best effort yet. Couple Kenny's vocals with the top-notch songs, and you've got an album that could very well launch Kenny into superstardom.

With the album starting off with a song like "What I Need To Do," you know you're in for a different kind of ride. A mid-tempo, earthy kind of feel, this song is a far cry from some of Kenny's previous hits.

Later in the album, Kenny is joined by country legend Randy Travis on the song "Baptism." This song tells the story of how some folks go about this life changing ceremonial process, opting to be baptized in a river as opposed to church. And truth be told, along with being a song, this is a tradition that is still very much alive in some parts of the country today.

Real life stories. Real life songs. That's what Kenny Chesney is all about.

"Personally, I'm really drawn to the song 'What I Need To Do' and another one called 'California.’ I love the fact that these are just different kind of grooves for me. Most of the songs that I've ever had have either been really uptempo or really slow ballads. There was no gray area, and I didn't want to do that again.

‘What I Need To Do' is a gutsy, edgy, country mid-tempo record that I love, and I'm very proud of what the song says. 'California' is a song that I don't even know if I'II ever have as a single, but I just love it. It's one of those different kind of songs for me. It's a little edgier, yet it's still very much country. As for the topic of the song, without really coming out and saying it, it's about a girl who was sexually abused by her father. She leaves, goes to California and never looks back. That kind of thing is heavy.

Though Kenny has had huge success with lyrically poignant songs, including 1998's smash "That's Why I'm Here" on his last album, it's not something that he searches for. While hits are important and vital to any artist's career, Kenny doesn't spend his time specifically seeking out made-for-radio hits.

"I just look for songs that people can sink their teeth into. One very important side of the creative process is looking for those things that people are going to be able to live with and remember. There are some songs that I hear that have definite hit potential, but they're the kind of songs that nobody is going to remember after it makes its run on the charts. Then there are certain songs I hear that I just know are going to be around for a long time. Those are the kind of songs I look for.

Consistency is the key to staying power in this business and true to form, Kenny's trademark ballads are back, and stronger this time than ever. "You Had Me From Hello," which Kenny co-wrote with Skip Ewing, is as close as you can come in this business to an undeniable radio smash. Not because it was written for radio, but because it was written from the heart.

This is the kind of love song that we've come to know, love, and almost expect from Kenny Chesney. While he's left no doubt in anyone's mind who's ever seen him live over the years or listened to any one of his albums entirely, Kenny can kick it up with the best of them. Even still, when it comes to ballads, point blank, the man can SING!

"That song was written from a very personal experience to fit the line which came from the movie Jerry Maguire. I think a lot of people have been in love and gotten hurt and decided that they weren't going to love again. Then one day, they meet somebody and decide that maybe they will. That's what that song is all about. It talks about how that love was so intense that it tore down every wall he built around his heart."

Everywhere We Go was produced by Buddy Cannon and Norro Wilson, who also produced I Will Stand. With the team of Buddy and Norro, Kenny seems to have found his niche in producers.

"Buddy, Norro and I have a great relationship, both working and personally. They've got a great ear for songs and by complimenting each other, my album benefits from that. Both of these guys are the biggest perfectionists I know and they won't allow me to settle for anything less. Buddy's more of a technical perfectionist, while Norro on the other hand, goes for the feeling. He could care less if it's technically right, he just wants the feeling to be there. It's a good thing too, because sometimes the feeling wasn't so easy to find. Kenny recorded Everywhere We Go over a one year span, cutting the album in three and four song intervals in between road commitments.

"There are some real pros and cons to recording that way. One nice thing is you can look for songs throughout the whole year and not just in the three month span when you're recording. But on the other hand, there were some times where I didn't feel as focused. The other times that I've done albums, I've gone into the studio and for three months straight, did nothing but my record. This time, going from the studio to the road to the studio to the road - it got really hectic. But that's what good producers do, they get you through it and Buddy and Norro did. And through it all, I truly believe that I have come out of it with the best record that I've ever done.

In addition to continuing his streak of hits and sales, Kenny is looking for Everywhere We Go to finally be the album that enables him to make the break to headlining his own tour. With the momentum he has built for himself over his last two albums, Kenny has been teetering on that undefined line between headlining star and top-notch opening act. He will also entertain some of the biggest audiences of his career when he performs as part of the "George Strait County Music Festival" this spring along with Tim McGraw and the Dixie Chicks.

Even still, that didn't change the way he approached the new album. He didn't go looking for "headliner" material. He didn't select songs around what he could do to them with a big light show on stage. Truth be told, he doesn't see this as a do-or-die situation or feel as though his career, both past and present, hangs solely on this album. Does it weigh heavily on all of the above - yes, without a doubt. But as far as Kenny is concerned, it's not all going to be won or lost on this roll of the dice.

It was merely time to go to work - the same way he always has.

"I think every record is kind of a make or break for any artist, whether they're on a successful streak or still trying to make it, but I didn't feel any added pressure because of where I am in my career. The only pressure I felt was really wanting to cut a great record. I put a lot of pressure on myself, but at no time did I ever consider that if we don't do a great one here then it's all over.

Since moving to Nashville in 1991, Kenny has built the solid foundation that his career stands on today. He has slowly, but consistently, taken steps to progress his career with each new album. His singles have performed a little better with every one he releases. Each of his albums have steadily outsold its predecessor. His fan base grows with each passing day. That is how you build a career.

Plugging away in the early part of the decade, Kenny was not having much success securing work with local publishing companies. Instead, he landed a steady gig playing at a Nashville honky tonk called the Turf. While it sounds great, the Turf wasn't exactly an attraction.

"Once the tourist season was over, the majority of the people in there were good ol' boys, drunks, and prostitutes. It was tough there, but I always felt safe. People treated me good and a lot of those people became my friends. The only problem was after eight months, I began to realize that nobody was gonna come walkin' in there and discover ol' Kenny Chesney. So I quit and took a job parking cars.

One friend that Kenny made, Clay Bradley, head of publisher/writer relations at BMI, helped him land his first songwriting contract with Acuff-Rose Publishing. A year or so later, a writer's showcase led to a recording contract with the now defunct Capricorn Records country division. But before Capricorn closed its doors, Kenny put out one impressive debut album in 1993. Though it didn't garner much success, selling only 100,000 copies, it was enough to turn the head of Joe Galante, Chairman of the RCA Label Group, who not only offered Chesney a recording contract, but bought his Capricorn masters.

His BNA debut, 1995's AII I Need To Know, charted 3 hit singles--two Top 5's and a Top 20--but again experienced only lukewarm success at retail. His next album, Me And You, didn't really even take off until the tail end of its run when the singles "Me And You" and "When I Close My Eyes" went back-to-back up the charts to No. 2 and No. 1, respectively.

Early on, other acts making their debuts around the same time as Kenny may have appeared to be on the fast track to stardom with more hits and more record sales, but time proved they did not have the staying power that Kenny has created.

Today, Kenny is still here recording albums. Now considered by many to be in country music's upper echelon of artists, Kenny is standing on the brink of superstardom and doing better than ever. As for a lot of those artists who did so well early on, many have either worn out or gone away completely.

"The saying goes take off like a rocket, fizzle like a rocket," says Kenny. "I wanted to take off like a rocket so bad I could taste it, and at the time, I was the most frustrated artist in the world. But now, I'm very thankful for the path that my career has taken. I've learned something new at every level and there's a lot to learn about having a career as an artist. I wouldn't trade where I'm at right now or where I'm going with anybody in Nashville.

biography courtesy of BNA records
Street Date: March 2, 1999

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