Photo of Kenny Chesney
Photo: LawrenceFung · CC BY 2.0

Solo Artist

Kenny Chesney

Active1994-present
OriginKnoxville, Tennessee
Albums12
Tracks136

Most frequent collaborator: Buddy Cannon  ·  135 tracks

CountryCountry PopBeach Country
20%
Authorship
Singer / Performer

Holds writing credit on 27 of 136 tracks

Does Kenny Chesney write his own songs?

Partly. Kenny Chesney co-writes some of his songs but records many hits from outside Nashville songwriters, so his catalog mixes his own credits with a rotating cast of professional writers. He co-wrote songs like 'Summertime' and 'American Kids,' while other hits such as 'The Good Stuff' and 'There Goes My Life' came from outside writers.

By the Numbers

12
Studio Albums
136
Tracks Credited
20%
Self-Written
30 million albums
Records Sold
32
Years Active
175
Collaborators

Authorship Breakdown 27 / 136 self-written

Who wrote the songs?

Across all 136 tracks: how many Kenny Chesney wrote alone, how many they co-wrote, and how many were written by others. The bracket marks every track they hold any writing credit on.

Kenny Chesney has a writing credit20%
3%
17%
80%
Sole author4tracks3%
Co-written23tracks17%
Outside writers109tracks80%

Role Fingerprint how they contribute

Lyricist Performer Composer Producer
Kenny Chesney's roles across the catalogue

Share of all 136 tracks where they are personally credited, by role.

Lyricist (words)20%
Composer (music)20%
Producer83%
Performer100%

Authorship Over Time writing credit per album

Kenny Chesney's writing credit per album, in release order. Hover any bar for the album.

avg 20%
0%
18%
17%
36%
18%
0%
45%
9%
25%
36%
17%
17%
1996Me and You
1999Everywhere We Go
2002No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems
2004When the Sun Goes Down
2005The Road and the Radio
2007Just Who I Am: Poets & Pirates
2008Lucky Old Sun
2010Hemingway's Whiskey
2012Welcome to the Fishbowl
2014The Big Revival
2016Cosmic Hallelujah
2020Here and Now
Early · 18% written
Mid · 18% written
Late · 23% written

Authorship by Decade track-weighted

9%
1990s
Me and You, Everywhere We Go
23%
2000s
No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems, When the Sun Goes Down +3 more
22%
2010s
Hemingway's Whiskey, Welcome to the Fishbowl +2 more
17%
2020s
Here and Now

Authorship Spectrum pure performer to complete author

Where Kenny Chesney sits on the scale from a pure performer (0%, sings songs written by others) to a complete author (100%, writes everything). The bright marker is their catalogue authorship score, plotted against other artists on the site.

Kenny Chesney
Other artists on the site

Reference artists spread across the scale, closest by genre and era.

Elvis Presley1%
George Strait11%
Carrie Underwood43%
Dolly Parton59%
Kesha77%
Shania Twain88%
Diplo100%
20%Kenny Chesney
Pure Performer0%
Songwriter~50%
Complete Author100%

Who Really Wrote the Hits signature songs

Me and You
Me and You
Written by Skip Ewing, Ray Herndon, Donald Ralph Ewing
Outside writers
When I Close My Eyes
Me and You
Written by Nettie Musick, Mark Alan Springer
Outside writers
How Forever Feels
Everywhere We Go
Written by Wendell Mobley, Tony Mullins
Outside writers
She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy
Everywhere We Go
Written by Paul Overstreet, Jim Collins
Outside writers
You Had Me from Hello
Everywhere We Go
Written by Kenny Chesney, Skip Ewing, Kenneth Arnold Chesney, Donald Ralph Ewing
Co-wrote
Young
No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems
Written by Craig Wiseman, Naoise Sheridan, Steve McEwan
Outside writers
The Good Stuff
No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems
Written by Craig Wiseman, Jim Collins
Outside writers
A Lot of Things Different
No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems
Written by Bill Anderson, Dean Dillon, James William Anderson III
Outside writers
When the Sun Goes Down
When the Sun Goes Down
Written by Brett James, Brett James Cornelius
Outside writers
There Goes My Life
When the Sun Goes Down
Written by Neil Thrasher, Wendell Mobley
Outside writers
I Go Back
When the Sun Goes Down
Written by Kenny Chesney, Kenneth Arnold Chesney
Wrote it
Who You'd Be Today
The Road and the Radio
Written by Bill Luther, Aimee Mayo
Outside writers
Living in Fast Forward
The Road and the Radio
Written by David Lee Murphy, Rivers Rutherford
Outside writers
Summertime
The Road and the Radio
Written by Craig Wiseman, Steve McEwan
Outside writers
Never Wanted Nothing More
Just Who I Am: Poets & Pirates
Written by Ronnie Bowman, Chris Stapleton, Christopher Alvin Stapleton
Outside writers
Don't Blink
Just Who I Am: Poets & Pirates
Written by Casey Beathard, Chris Wallin
Outside writers
Shiftwork
Just Who I Am: Poets & Pirates
Written by Troy Jones
Outside writers
Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven
Lucky Old Sun
Written by Jim Collins, Marty Dodson
Outside writers
Down the Road
Lucky Old Sun
Written by Mac McAnally, Lyman Corbitt McAnally Jr.
Outside writers
The Boys of Fall
Hemingway's Whiskey
Written by Casey Beathard, Dave Turnbull
Outside writers
Somewhere with You
Hemingway's Whiskey
Written by J. T. Harding, Shane McAnally
Outside writers
You and Tequila
Hemingway's Whiskey
Written by Matraca Berg, Deana Carter
Outside writers
Come Over
Welcome to the Fishbowl
Written by Sam Hunt, Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne
Outside writers
Feel Like a Rock Star
Welcome to the Fishbowl
Written by Rodney Clawson, Chris Tompkins
Outside writers
El Cerrito Place
Welcome to the Fishbowl
Written by Keith Gattis
Outside writers
American Kids
The Big Revival
Written by Rodney Clawson, Shane McAnally, Luke Laird
Outside writers
Til It's Gone
The Big Revival
Written by Rodney Clawson, David Lee Murphy, Jimmy Yeary
Outside writers
Wild Child
The Big Revival
Written by Kenny Chesney, Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne, Kenneth Arnold Chesney
Co-wrote
Noise
Cosmic Hallelujah
Written by Kenny Chesney, Shane McAnally, Jon Nite, Ross Copperman, Kenneth Arnold Chesney
Co-wrote
Setting the World on Fire
Cosmic Hallelujah
Written by Ross Copperman, Matt Jenkins, Josh Osborne
Outside writers
All the Pretty Girls
Cosmic Hallelujah
Written by Nicolle Galyon, Tommy Lee James, Josh Osborne
Outside writers
Here and Now
Here and Now
Written by Craig Wiseman, David Garcia, David Lee Murphy
Outside writers
Happy Does
Here and Now
Written by Brad Clawson, Brock Berryhill, Greylan James, Jamie Paulin
Outside writers
Knowing You
Here and Now
Written by Adam James, Brett James, Kat Higgins, Brett James Cornelius
Outside writers

Discography 12 albums

Coverage so far focuses on 12 of Kenny Chesney's most significant and most-searched studio albums, with full per-track credits and enrichment: Me and You (1996), Everywhere We Go (1999), No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems (2002), When the Sun Goes Down (2004), The Road and the Radio (2005), Just Who I Am: Poets & Pirates (2007), Lucky Old Sun (2008), Hemingway's Whiskey (2010), Welcome to the Fishbowl (2012), The Big Revival (2014), Cosmic Hallelujah (2016), and Here and Now (2020). The rest of his roughly 20-album studio catalog is not yet covered, including In My Wildest Dreams (1994), All I Need to Know (1995), I Will Stand (1997), All I Want for Christmas Is a Real Good Tan (2003), Be as You Are (2005), Life on a Rock (2013), Songs for the Saints (2018), Born (2024), and Silver Sands Marina (2026).

Collaborator Network who they worked with most

Kenny Chesney136 tracks
BC135 NW34 RC17 DL12 BJ11 BJ11

Bubble size = tracks worked on together. BC Buddy Cannon · NW Norro Wilson · RC Ross Copperman · DL David Lee Murphy · BJ Brett James · BJ Brett James Cornelius

The Writers & Producers Behind Kenny Chesney 6 key collaborators

BC
Buddy Cannon
Producer
Me and You / Everywhere We Go / No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems / When the Sun Goes Down135 tracks
NW
Norro Wilson
Producer
Me and You / Everywhere We Go / No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems34 tracks
RC
Ross Copperman
Songwriter & Producer
The Big Revival / Cosmic Hallelujah / Here and Now17 tracks
DL
David Lee Murphy
Songwriter
The Road and the Radio / Just Who I Am: Poets & Pirates / Hemingway's Whiskey / The Big Revival12 tracks
BJ
Brett James
Songwriter
Everywhere We Go / When the Sun Goes Down / The Road and the Radio / Just Who I Am: Poets & Pirates11 tracks
BJ
Brett James Cornelius
Songwriter
Everywhere We Go / When the Sun Goes Down / The Road and the Radio / Just Who I Am: Poets & Pirates11 tracks

The Authorship Story

Data Insight

Kenny Chesney sits in the middle of the authorship scale: he co-wrote a real share of his catalog, frequently with Dean Dillon, Skip Ewing, Brett James, and Casey Beathard, but he also leans heavily on professional Nashville writers. On most albums his name appears on a handful of tracks rather than all of them, so the lyricist column mixes his credits with rooms of outside writers. The composer column uses legal names, including his own birth name Kenneth Arnold Chesney, which separates his personal writing from the songs he chose to record.

Quick Facts

  • Fan baseHis 'No Shoes Nation' fans, named after his 2002 hit
  • StyleBeach-and-island 'Gulf and Western' country
  • Entertainer of the YearFour CMA wins and four straight ACM wins (2005-2008)
  • TouringThe highest-grossing live country music artist of all time
  • Records sold30 million albums worldwide
  • Studio albumsMore than twenty, with the DB covering Me and You (1996) to Here and Now (2020)

Creative Fingerprint

A part-writer, part-song-finder: Kenny Chesney co-writes some of his material but records many songs from Nashville's top writers, so his catalog mixes his own name with a rotating cast of outside authors.

The Story

Kenny Chesney is an American country singer-songwriter and one of the best-selling touring acts in the genre's history. After signing with Capricorn and then BNA Records in the early 1990s, he broke through in the late decade with hits like 'How Forever Feels' and 'She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy,' then built a beach-leaning brand of country anthems that filled stadiums through the 2000s and beyond. He records a mix of his own co-writes and outside Nashville material: he co-writes a meaningful share of his songs, often with partners like Dean Dillon, Skip Ewing, Brett James, and Casey Beathard, while many tracks come from professional Nashville songwriters. That balance places him in the middle of the authorship scale, a singer who is both a writer and a strong interpreter of others' work. He is a multiple Entertainer of the Year winner from both the CMA and ACM.

Awards & Recognition

CMA Entertainer of the Year (four-time winner)
ACM Entertainer of the Year four years in a row (2005-2008)
The highest-grossing live country music artist of all time

Frequently Asked Questions Kenny Chesney

Does Kenny Chesney write his own songs?
Partly. Kenny Chesney co-writes some of his songs but records many hits from outside Nashville songwriters, so his catalog mixes his own credits with a rotating cast of professional writers. He co-wrote songs like 'Summertime' and 'American Kids,' while other hits such as 'The Good Stuff' and 'There Goes My Life' came from outside writers.
What is No Shoes Nation?
No Shoes Nation is the name for Kenny Chesney's devoted fan base, taken from his 2002 hit 'No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems.' It reflects his beach-and-island country image and the massive stadium crowds that made him country's top touring act.
Who wrote 'There Goes My Life'?
'There Goes My Life' was written by Neil Thrasher and Wendell Mobley, not by Kenny Chesney. His 2003 recording from When the Sun Goes Down became one of his signature story-song hits and a number-one single.
What are Kenny Chesney's biggest hits?
His signature songs include 'How Forever Feels,' 'The Good Stuff,' 'When the Sun Goes Down,' 'Summertime,' 'There Goes My Life,' and 'American Kids.' Many lean into his breezy, beach-country sound.
How many records has Kenny Chesney sold?
Kenny Chesney has sold 30 million albums worldwide. He is also the highest-grossing live country music artist of all time, known for filling stadiums with his No Shoes Nation fans.
How many Entertainer of the Year awards has Kenny Chesney won?
Kenny Chesney has won the CMA Entertainer of the Year four times and the ACM Entertainer of the Year four years in a row from 2005 to 2008. Those honors reflect his dominance as a live act in the 2000s.
How many albums has Kenny Chesney released?
Kenny Chesney has released more than twenty studio albums since the mid-1990s, and this catalog covers Me and You (1996) through Here and Now (2020). His commercial peak spanned the 2000s with albums like When the Sun Goes Down and The Road and the Radio.
Who wrote 'Summertime'?
'Summertime' was written by Craig Wiseman and Steve McEwan for Kenny Chesney's 2005 album The Road and the Radio. The upbeat seasonal anthem became one of his signature summer hits.

Sources

Wikipedia: Kenny Chesney discography Wikipedia: Kenny Chesney No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems - Wikipedia