Kenny Chesney Reacts to Being Named to the Country Music Hall of Fame

Country singer Kenny Chesney is reacting to being named to the Country Hall of Fame.

“I promise you, I did not see this coming,” Chesney told the audience Tuesday at the announcement of the honorees, according to video posted by the Country Music Association to YouTube.

According to People, June Carter Cash and Elvis Presley band member Tony Brown will also be inducted into the Country Hall of Fame in 2025. According to People, June Carter Cash’s two kids accepted her award. The full video is available on YouTube.

“I know it’s not a dream,” Chesney said. “It’s real, and it feels so real.”

Kenny Chesney Recalled the Moment a ‘Fire Was Lit’ Inside Him

Getty

In the speech, Chesney talked about the moment he realized he wanted a career in music, the video shows.

“I went with my mom and my stepfather to a field about 10 miles from my house to see this group, Alabama, that was going to play,” Chesney said.

“I couldn’t believe they were going to play just right down the road from my house … Something happened to me that night. There was a fire lit. Something happened in my soul that set me on this path,” he added.

Kenny Chesney Said His Younger Self Would Never Believe the News

Getty

Chesney also said that his younger self would never have believed what the future held for him.

“If you’d have told that kid that night … that this [the Hall of Fame] was going to happen, I would’ve told you that you were crazy,” he said.

He also spoke about his pride in being from Tennessee.

“My grandparents lived on the same street that Chet Atkins grew up on,” he said. “I rode my bicycle past that property all the time. To know that I’m going in with Dolly Parton is a huge deal for me … and also, I don’t have a brother in life, but if I did, it would be Dean Dillon. Dean Dillon and I have written a lot of songs. I’ve looked up to Dean my whole creative life.”

John Carter Cash, June’s son, told People, “Everyone’s surprised when they find out that she wasn’t in. She may not have had the hits, but she touched so many people. She did so much with music.”