Kenny Chesney is one of the upcoming inductees into the Country Music Hall of Fame. The country music superstar will be inducted later this year, alongside June Carter Cash and producer Tony Brown.
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For Chesney, it's far more than he ever dared to dream for himself.
"The beauty of this music is that, even though it tells some pretty strong truth, country music runs on dreams," Chesney said, according to a press statement. "For me, this is beyond a dream. I keep thinking I'm gonna wake up on my couch back at [East Tennessee State University]. But standing here, this is more than real, it's surreal. I couldn't be more thankful or humble."
Even while playing in college, with hopes of someday having some success in country music, Chesney admits he never predicted becoming part of the Country Music Hall of Fame.
"That's just something you don't dare to imagine," Chesney said. "I would never have even thought about being here, because it's almost too much. Just walking past so many of these bronzes, realizing how many are friends or whose music I've listened to my whole life, this is an honor that extends beyond anything my heart would dare think."
What Kenny Chesney Said During His Acceptance Speech
Chesney's induction was announced by fellow Country Music Hall of Fame member, Vince Gill. But it is another country music act that became the unexpected beginning for Chesney's legendary career.
"It doesn't seem like it was that long ago that I was a kid in East Tennessee," Chesney admitted, recalling going to see Alabama with his mother and stepfather, in a field about ten miles from his house. "I couldn't believe that they were going to play right down the road from my house. I went to that show, and something happened to me that night.
"There was a fire lit," he continued. "Something happened in my soul that set me on this path. If you'd have told that kid that night, on a hot summer night in East Tennessee that this was going to happen, I would have told you that you were crazy."
Chesney's induction, into the Modern Era, will take place at the Medallion Ceremony this fall. Chesney's Live at Sphere Las Vegas residency kicks off in May.
