Kenny Chesney has spent some time reflecting on his three-decade career lately. Joining the Country Music Hall of Fame last month, the “When the Sun Goes Down” crooner is gearing up for Round 2 of an already wildly successful residency at the Sphere in Las Vegas. Additionally, he released his new book, Heart Life Music, on Nov. 4. While he continues to have plenty to celebrate, Chesney admitted there was a point in his career when he considered hanging up his cowboy hat for good. Fortunately for No Shoes Nation, a particular song came along.
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By 2009, Kenny Chesney was exhausted. He’d been on the road virtually nonstop since his 1994 debut In My Wildest Dreams. The four-time Entertainer of the Year just didn’t feel that spark anymore.
“I’ve been through a lot personally, been through so much, and I just felt kind of numb,” Chesney said during a recent appearance on Country Nights Live with Bev Rainey. “I couldn’t explain it.”
With that, the six-time Grammy nominee decided to take a break from the road in 2010. And that break may very well have become permanent if it weren’t for “The Boys of Fall,” written by Casey Beathard and Dave Turnbull.
How “The Boys of Fall” Re-Ignited Kenny Chesney’s Career
The song resonated with Kenny Chesney, who played both football and baseball during his childhood in Luttrell, Tennessee. He released “The Boys of Fall” in July 2010 as the lead single from his 13th studio album, Hemingway’s Whiskey. It reached No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart.
For the “Boys of Fall” music video, Chesney decided to interview football players and coaches about what the sport meant to them. Eventually, that footage turned into a full-blown ESPN documentary featuring NFL greats Troy Aikman, Bobby Bowden, Brett Favre, Peyton Manning, and more.
“And all of a sudden I was energized, and I was back creatively, and my brain was on fire with creativity, and it took that,” said the 12-time CMA Award winner.
[RELATED: The “Childlike” Star Kenny Chesney Said “Changed His Life” During a Rainy Nashville Show]
The confluence of two of his favorite past times—music and sports—breathed new life into Chesney’s career. “It’s not that I was getting ready to quit in 2009, but I sure felt like it… You know, when you’re when you’re that numb and kind of robotic… that’s not the best way to make music and do shows. Music is not meant to be that way.”
Featured image by Monica Schipper/Getty Images
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