SEC football fans are some of the most dedicated in the business. Country music singer Kenny Chesney is no exception, saying he refuses to tour in the fall because of football.
Speaking on The Paul Finebaum Show, Chesney talked about his history with the sport. “I remember me and my grandfather sitting on his front porch listening to Tennessee football, and that was something that we did…Where we grew up, we didn’t have a pro allegiance to anyone. It was all Tennessee football and Tennessee sports, and that’s all we had. And when you grow up in a town that leans on its sports programs like I did it’s really special.”
Sufficed to say, football was important to the Tennessee native. While his passion is obvious, he takes it a step further saying he doesn’t work during football season.
“We always end our tour right before football season because I refuse to work in football season for two reasons: I want to watch the games, and I don’t want to compete with SEC football. There’s no way I’m gonna do it.”
“So we always end at the end of August and then we always go on vacation for a week, and then I tell everybody I’ll see them in the spring when we start back,” Chesney concludes.
Though he notes in the same interview how his fandom impacted his career, it doesn’t seem like anything can hold a candle to football.
Kenny Chesney Serving as Executive Producer for Upcoming SEC Documentary ‘More Than a Voice’
On the subject of Kenny Chesney loving football, he recently announced his excitement at being involved in a new sports documentary. Last Tuesday, Chesney stated he would be an executive producer for the upcoming SEC documentary, More Than a Voice.
More Than a Voice airs tomorrow and is a 90-minute documentary highlighting iconic SEC college football announcers. With the SEC being around since the 1930s, radio was the only way to follow what happened in games. As college sports increased in popularity and appeared on television, announcers became a crucial part of the experience.
After making the announcement, Chesney explained why it’s so important to him.
“It was important for me to be a part of this film, because John Ward was such a big part of my life growing up and loving sports in east Tennessee. With his voice and his words, he painted a picture of Tennessee football that captured my imagination and the imaginations of so many.”
Chesney clearly adores Ward, saying meeting him was a life highlight. “Meeting him was one of the highlights of my life – and I’m thrilled to be a small part of this film that sheds light on his genius and so many of the other voices who have made the Southeastern Conference really special.”
More Than a Voice premieres tomorrow as part of the 11th season of SEC Storied. You can watch it at 7 p.m. ET on SEC Network.
