Celebrating his influential 30-plus-year career in the country music industry, next month, the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum will introduce their latest exhibition honoring Kenny Chesney.
Presented in partnership with the “American Kids” singer’s Blue Chair Bay Rum, the ‘Living in Fast Forward’ addition will display a range of items displaying Chesney’s “path to stardom, from his early years playing in his university’s bluegrass band to becoming one of the top touring acts of this century.” Officially opening its doors on July 23, regular admission museum-goers will be able to view the exhibit throughout June 2027.
Recently inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame just this past October, Chesney lent a hand in selecting which items to send to the museum to represent his dreams and how they have come into fruition over the years through his work and songs. He shares, “In the end, I feel like every piece of who I am is represented – and I hope that for someone who’s thinking about chasing their own crazy dreams, this may be the spark to get them on their way.”
As promised, fans will get the opportunity to witness articles from the Tennessee natives’ youth, including his varsity jacket and jersey from Gibbes High School Eagles football team, and even his Pee Wee football from age 5. Pieces of his musical lineage will also be on display, including the Fender acoustic guitar he played throughout college and the cassette tape he recorded his first demo of “When She Calls Me Baby,” dated June 1, 1992, which was later re-recorded and included on his 1994 debut album.
Other pieces to explore include the “weathered wicker rocking chair” that inspired “Old Blue Chair,” the palm leaf hat he wore on the cover of his most recent 2024 album Born, and a very special electric guitar autographed by none other than Chesney’s musical inspirations: Steve Miller of the Steve Miller Band and Sammy Hagar, former lead singer of Van Halen.
Kicking off the exhibition’s first few days open to the public, long-time bass player Buddy Cannon, who started producing in the ’90s and worked closely with Chesney on 17 albums, will sit down for an interview at the museum’s Ford theater on July 25 at 2:30. And of course, the CMHOF also has a 56-song-long playlist available to stream that spans all of Chesney’s career defining hits.