As Kenny Chesney prepares to officially be inducted as a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame later this year, his friends and peers Old Dominion have words of praise for their fellow country star.
“He definitely is deserving of that, for sure,” Old Dominion’s Matthew Ramsey recently told Billboard. “The guy has successfully reinvented himself and successfully chosen songs and written songs that have touched the fabric of people’s lives in this country and this world.”
The musical ties between Chesney and Old Dominion stretch back to the beginnings of Old Dominion’s musical journey. The group’s Ramsey and Brad Tursi are writers on Chesney’s 2015 hit “Save It for a Rainy Day.” Old Dominion also opened shows for Chesney early on, while the group and Chesney have collaborated on the song “Beer With My Friends.”
Since releasing his debut album in 1994, Chesney has earned 33 No. 1s on Billboard‘s Country Airplay chart, earned four CMA entertainer of the year trophies and four ACM entertainer of the year trophies, and headlined massive stadium tours. Chesney continues adding to his creative endeavors this year. His upcoming book, Heart Life Music, written with author/journalist Holly Gleason, is due Nov. 4. Earlier this year, Chesney became the first country artist to play the Las Vegas Sphere.
Ramsey added of Chesney, “I think you see how seriously he still takes it, his career and what message he wants to put out there. It’s inspiring and it definitely sets a certain standard to how you care for your career. He’s also one of those artists that it’s not just the music — you have people like Jimmy Buffett, these artists that create a complete environment. When you show up to that show, you’re transported to a different place. You don’t sell out football stadiums unless you do that, and he’s done that to a degree that not many artists have done.”
Chesney will be inducted as a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame alongside music executive/producer/musician Tony Brown and late country music singer-songwriter June Carter Cash.
Old Dominion recently released their sixth studio album Barbara and just announced their own upcoming stint in Vegas, when they perform at PH Live at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino Dec. 5-6 for the show Barbara. Hits. Vegas.