Kenny Chesney: Living in Fast Forward Exhibit Coming To Country Music Hall Of Fame

Official Announcement | Published: Jun 16, 2026 1:14 PM EDT

(CMHOF) The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum will explore the life and career of Kenny Chesney in a new exhibition, Kenny Chesney: Living in Fast Forward, presented by Blue Chair Bay Rum. The exhibit will chronicle Chesney's path to stardom, from his early years playing in his university's bluegrass band to becoming one of the top touring acts of this century. The exhibit, which will be open from July 23, 2026, until June 2027, is included with museum admission.

"Kenny Chesney's creative vision and intense drive to continue raising the bar has helped him reach staggering commercial and artistic highs," said Kyle Young, chief executive officer of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. "He has broken almost as many records as he has made, and his work is far from done. Through his distinctive sound and dynamic live show, he continues to expand country music's audience, its perception and its sound."

"When you're so busy living life - literally in fast forward - you rarely pause to think about all the miles traveled, the faces you've met along the way," offered Kenny Chesney, who Billboard named the Country Artist of the Century. "Trying to decide what things to send to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum that represent a whole lot of dreams, living, songs, the work and things you don't dare imagine was as hard as anything I've ever done. But in the end, I feel like every piece of who I am is represented - and I hope that for someone who's thinking about chasing their own crazy dreams, this may be the spark to get them on their way."

The exhibit will include instruments, memorabilia, manuscripts, awards, photographs and more. Examples of items to be displayed include:

The varsity jacket and jersey Chesney wore while he was a member of the Gibbs High School Eagles football team in the mid-1980s. He began playing Pee Wee football when he was five, and the sport has remained constant in his life.

The Fender Concord acoustic guitar Chesney played throughout college at East Tennessee State University and after he moved to Nashville in the early 1990s. Country artists and songwriters he encountered along the way signed the instrument - including Kent Blazy, Whitey Shafer, Karen Staley, Sheb Wooley and Country Music Hall of Fame members Dean Dillon, Harlan Howard and Porter Wagoner.

The cassette tape on which Chesney recorded a demo of "When She Calls Me Baby" on June 1, 1992. Co-written with Rick Williamson, the song was re-recorded for Chesney's debut album, In My Wildest Deams, released in 1994.

The weathered wicker rocking chair that provided the inspiration for Chesney to write "Old Blue Chair" after waking up on the beach as the sun rose over Peter Bay on St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands. The song was first released on his 2004 quintuple Platinum album, When the Sun Goes Down, and reappeared on his next more intimate singer-songwriter project, Be as You Are (Songs from an Old Blue Chair). The chair was prominently featured on the front and back cover of the later CD and in the 2005 music video for "Old Blue Chair."

A handwritten Nashville Number System chord chart for "You and Tequila" that was used in the studio when Chesney recorded the song in 2010. Featuring guest vocals by Grace Potter, it was released as a single from Chesney's album Hemingway's Whiskey and went to #3 on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart. The Grammy-nominated "You and Tequila" was co-written by Matraca Berg and Deana Carter and first recorded by Carter in 2003.

A life-size, plastic replica of the 235-pound blue marlin Chesney landed while fishing in the Virgin Islands North Drop in 2003. After having the fish mounted, he named it "Marley" in honor of reggae legend Bob Marley. The fish became an iconic tour mascot, displayed onstage as a reminder to Chesney and his road family not to take life too seriously. Nicknamed "Marley 2," this replica washed away from Chesney's home during the 2010 Nashville flood but was found several miles downstream in the Cumberland River and returned to him largely intact.

The No Shoes Nation tank top and Diesel Safado jeans Chesney wore when he performed at Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts, on August 26, 2022.

The Atwood pinto palm leaf hat that Chesney wore on the cover of his 2024 album, Born.

The football Gillette Stadium presented to Chesney to commemorate his three sold-out shows at the Foxborough, Massachusetts venue, on August 23-25, 2025. Chesney has cultivated a close relationship with the nearby city of Boston, connecting with New Englanders who share his passions for music and sports.

A Gibson Custom Shop Les Paul LPR-8 electric guitar autographed by two of Chesney's musical heroes: guitarist and singer-songwriter Steve Miller of the Steve Miller Band, and Sammy Hagar, former lead vocalist for the rock band Van Halen, signed during his 2008 Poets & Pirates concert at San Francisco's AT&T Park. Get tickets and more details here

Public Programs: In support of the exhibition, the museum will host related public and family programming including: Interview: Buddy Cannon - Saturday, July 25, at 2:30 p.m.

Buddy Cannon will participate in an interview about his life and career in the museum's Ford Theater. Cannon began his career playing bass for Bob Luman and Mel Tillis before shifting his focus to composing. He then started producing in the 1990s and has worked with Kenny Chesney on 17 albums, including the multi-platinum No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems (2002). The interview will be hosted by the museum's Jon Freeman and feature photos, video clips and recordings.