Kenny Chesney has revealed plans to release his first-ever book, HEART LIFE MUSIC, which will tell the story of his journey from a small-town dreamer in Luttrell, Tennessee, to dominating the biggest stages across the country with record-breaking crowds. The country music icon shared the exciting news with fans on Thursday (Feb. 6).
Kenny Chesney Announces His First Book, HEART LIFE MUSIC
The book will chronicle Chesney’s life and rise in country music, from being raised by a single mother and extended family in East Tennessee to pursuing and living out his musical dreams. His life was mostly centered around sports, church, community and the music he found everywhere.
After high school football ended, Chesney knew there was something more. A guitar he received as a gift in his freshman year, along with the influence of East Tennessee State University’s Old Time Music and Bluegrass program, sparked a passion for music that no one saw coming. He went from playing for tips to struggling to break into the music industry before finally finding success.
“This is not my memoir, but something far better,” Chesney stated in a press release. “It is almost a love letter to people who shaped and inspired me, the fans who’ve been there from tiny bars, radio stations who believed when nobody else did, a team who just kept coming back, legends who gave me wisdom and opportunities and all the friends who’ve been there along the way. To me, that’s where the music came from – and this is the story of how it turned into the soundtrack for the way No Shoes Nation lives their lives, too.”
In HEART LIFE MUSIC, Chesney also reflects on the early days of his career, performing in bars on Nashville’s Lower Broadway, and details his experience of being signed to a prominent rock record label alongside bands like Widespread Panic, Col. Bruce Hampton & the Aquarium Rescue Unit, and Gov’t Mule — a label with no country music department.
Despite challenges and moments of doubt, Chesney powered through with determination to overcome every obstacle in his path. His decision to make music for himself and his fans opened a new chapter in his career, resulting in nine No. 1 Billboard 200 album debuts, 17 No. 1 Country album debuts, 8.6 billion on-demand streams, and over 1 billion on-demand video streams.
“Never say never, or you might find yourself doing that very thing…”
“I always said I’d never write a book,” he admitted in a statement. “Too many things happened almost to be believed, let alone lived, but I realized with the world moving in such fast forward motion, too much of what made Nashville, the music business and our lives great would be lost to the churn of the next click. To have been in a room as a kid writing with Dean Dillon, have Sean Payton call an NFL press conference to announce he’s drafting me to the Saints, be in Tuff Gong Studios with Aston ‘Family Man’ Barrett and Alvin ‘Seeco’ Patterson or on a private plane with George Jones after opening for him defies logic. So, for everyone in No Shoes Nation, I realized: you deserved to share the magic.”
According to the book’s official synopsis, HEART LIFE MUSIC “explores the quest to find himself as an artist and a man, as well as a sense of home anywhere there’s an ocean. These are the stories of the unlikely game changer who became the sound of coming of age in the 21st century, made friends with his heroes, rocked stadiums, and founded a No Shoes Nation.”
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HEART LIFE MUSIC Arrives November 4
The newly-announced project celebrates Chesney’s iconic journey, his unmatched connection with fans, and his ability to create music that speaks to the soul. Whether you’re a fan of him or his music or just curious about the journey behind No Shoes Nation, this book will be a must-read.
HEART LIFE MUSIC was co-written by Chesney alongside his longtime friend and collaborator Holly Gleason and will be released via William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, on November 4th, 2025.
The book is available now for preorder on all platforms, including Amazon, Apple Books, Barnes & Nobles, Bookshop, Books-A-Millions, Google Play and more.
