Kenny Chesney: Living in Fast Forward

Kenny Chesney is the subject of a new exhibition, Living in Fast Forward, at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in downtown Nashville. It opened July 23, 2026, and runs through June 20, 2027, so you've got plenty of time to catch it.

The exhibit follows Chesney's path to stardom, starting with his early years playing in his university's bluegrass band and moving through to his time as one of the biggest touring acts of the century across any genre—Billboard has billed him as the Country Artist of the Century. He grew up in Luttrell, Tennessee, and graduated from East Tennessee State University in December 1990 before moving to Nashville, where he landed a publishing deal with Acuff-Rose after writing "The Tin Man."

Since then, he's sold over 105 million RIAA-certified units and landed more than 30 number ones. He won ACM and CMA Entertainer of the Year four times each between 2004 and 2008, and he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in October. He also co-founded Hey Now Records, and his 2002 album No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems became one of the era's defining country releases.

On display are personal artifacts from along the way: his Gibbs High School football jersey, the Fender Concord acoustic he played through college, the 1992 demo cassette of "When She Calls Me Baby," and the blue marlin he caught in 2003, which he named "Marley."

The exhibition is presented by Blue Chair Bay Rum. Admission is included with museum entry, and it's free for members. If you're around on Saturday, July 25, there's an interview with Buddy Cannon at 2:30 PM in the museum's Ford Theater.