Kenny Chesney Gets Own Radio Station

Kenny Chesney photo courtesy of Sony BMG Nashville.

July 25, 2008 — All-Kenny, all the time? Almost. Kenny Chesney debuts his own XM satellite radio channel beginning at noon ET on Saturday.

No Shoes Radio will remain on the system for two months, with tons of his music, as well as songs from some of his friends.

"There's a lot of hits," Kenny says, "but there are also a lot of album tracks, songs from the early part of my career, stuff from our Keg In The Closet shows and obscurities that you had to be there to hear. Anyone who knows anything about me knows how passionate I am about music, and this is a way to bring people into everything I love about songs and playing music."

Kenny will be on hand at the channel’s launch in a four-hour XM party from the parking lot at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., where he headlines his Poets & Pirates Tour Saturday with Keith Urban, Sammy Hagar, LeAnn Rimes and Gary Allan. No Shoes Radio is a hefty recognition of his artistic stature: Among the few acts who’ve previously had their own XM channels are George Strait, Coldplay, Led Zeppelin and Michael Jackson.

"I think we've become part of people's lives," Kenny observes. "The way a lot of bands were for us, we're what they're listening to when they're hanging out, when they're having fun, when they need to gear up for something. That's what music always did for me, and it's kind of mind-blowing to think that your songs could be that for someone else. So for all those fans out there, get ready for something pretty cool."

Get ready for some new music, too: The first single from Kenny’s next album is on its way. Titled "Everybody Wants To Go To Heaven," it’s officially released on Aug. 10.