‘Catch of the Day’ – Kenny Chesney [Audio]

Today's catch of the day comes to us from a four time winner of both the AMA and the CMA Entertainer of the year awards. It comes from an artist who year in and year out has one of the top selling tours in country music; an artist who has seen 13 of his 14 studio albums certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America, selling over 37 million albums worldwide.

Kenny Chesney is pretty popular.

Chesney was born in Knoxville, TN, March 26, 1968 and raised in near-by Corryton, TN. He graduated from Gibbs High School and then headed off to East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, earning his degree in advertising. Along the way, he picked up his first guitar, which he called "The Terminor" and taught himself to play. He recorded his first album while still in college, selling over 1000 copies in the clubs he was playing in around the Johnson City area, using the money he made from the recording to buy himself a new guitar.

In 1992, Chesney was introduced to Troy Tomlinson, the head of Opryland Music Group. Chesney played a five song audition for Tomlinson and left the audition with a songwirter's contract in hand. An appearance the following year led to a recording contract with Capricorn Record's newly opened coutnry division. Chesney recorded one album for Capricorn, 1994's In My Wildest Dreams, which produced two singles which cracked the charts, "Whatever It Takes" (#59) and "Tin Man" (#70). A third single, "Somebody's Callin'" failed to chart. To date, In My Wildest Dreams is Chesney's only album that has failed to sell more than one million copies, selling slightly more than 10,000 copies before Capricorn Records closed up shop in Nashville.

Chesney began his streak of platinum albums after signing with BNA Records in 1995. His first album for BNA, "All I Need To Know", landed Chesney his first two top-10 singles, "Fall In Love" and the title track in '95; Kenny was off and running and hasn't looked back since, scoring 14 platinum albums, 34 top-10 singles and 25 number 1 hits.

Along the way Chesney has captured four consecutive Academy of Country Music Entertainer of the Year awards (2002 to 2005) and for Entertainer of the Year awards from the Country Music Association (2002 and 2004-2006). His 2007 Flip-Flop Summer Tour was the highest-grossing tour of any genre for that year.

Chesney's latest album, The Big Revival, was released in September of last year and has already produced three number ones: "American Kids", "Til Its Gone" and his second duet with rocker Grace Potter, "Wild Child". The fourth single from the project is our spotlight today. Kenny Chesney and "Save It For A Rainy Day" Is our Catch of the Day, new music you haven't heard, but you'll want to hear it again.