Kenny Chesney was born in Knoxville, Tennessee and raised in Luttrell, Tennessee.
Chesney seems to be vaguely Christian. He got his first guitar for Christmas,[1] so even if his family wasn't religious, they were non-religious in a Christian way.
Aside from saying that "Southern girls are God's gift to the entire male population,"[2] his songs offer more clues to his potential religious leanings than any interviews do. Although we can't assume that all of his songs are autobiographical, the many references to Christianity in them lead me to believe that he is at least moderately religious. In fact, they make him sound Baptist.
In the song "I Go Back," the narrator refers to his childhood when he says,
So I go back to a pew, preacher, and a choir/ Singin' 'bout God, brimstone, and fire/ And the smell of Sunday chicken after church[3]
And, although he didn't write it, Chesney recorded a song called "Baptism" in which a man recalls his baptism in a river as a young boy:
This road is long and dusty, sometimes the soul must be cleansed/ And I long to feel that water, rushin' over me again[4]
Regardless of his current religious leanings, it seems like Chesney was either raised in the church, or was around it enough for it to be an important tool in his songwriting and recordings.
Come on, y'all, let's just have a good time.
Chesney doesn't think which side of the political spectrum he's on should interfere with how people enjoy his music. Talking about how he tries to keep politics out of his shows, he said,
Politics is one of the few things I have left in my life to keep personal, so I really make an effort to do that.[5]
But when it really gets down to it, Chesney's pretty Republican. He says he voted for Republican John McCain in 2008, and that he doesn't agree with Obama's tax plan:
When Obama talks about raising taxes on the rich, he's looking at me. He's wearing a Kenny Chesney T-shirt.[6]
Chesney says he's liberal in some ways, and at least one site claimed he was pro-choice,[7] but his song "There Goes My Life" is frequently applauded as a pro-life anthem.[8] Although not explicitly about abortion, its message is that even though it might be scary, having a kid could be the best thing to happen to you.[9]
And he seemed unenthusiastic when asked about what he does to reduce his impact on the environment. About how there's a lot of information out there about how to "go green," he said:
I think I'm one of those overwhelmed people. There are so many conflicting messages, and you get so unsure about what's right, what isn't.[10]
Overall, even though he says he's liberal about some things, Chesney seem pretty conservative to me. But whether you're driving your Prius or your Chevy to one of his shows, don't let that influence how much you enjoy yourself.
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