Kenny Chesney Honored By RIAA For 105 Million Certifications
Pictured (L-R): Jackie Jones, RIAA SVP, Artist & Industry Relations, Kenny Chesney and Michele Ballantyne, RIAA COO/President. Photo: Jill Trunnell
Kenny Chesney recently celebrated 105 million units certified from the Recording Industry Association of America, including 22 new certifications.
“These kinds of numbers almost don’t exist,” says Chesney of the feat. “Who counts that high? But seeing all the discs and the size of the plaque, it hits you how big this really is. What I know is what I hear when the band and I are on stage. You can tell when you hear people cheering and singing these songs with every bit of joy they’ve got, this isn’t just a song they like, these songs are something that hits them in the heart. To me, even more than Platinum or Gold, it’s the sound of those voices that tells me how much this music means.”
Among the new certifications are “American Kids” and “You and Tequila” featuring Grace Potter, which earned five-times and four-times Platinum status, respectively. Five songs—“Summertime,” “When The Sun Goes Down” featuring Uncle Kracker, “Come Over,” “Don’t Blink” and “Get Along”—received triple-Platinum certification, joining previous triple-Platinum certified hit “Somewhere With You.”
“I Go Back,” “No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems,” “All The Pretty Girls,” “The Good Stuff” and “The Boys of Fall” join previous double-Platinums “There Goes My Life,” “Setting The World on Fire” featuring P!nk and “She Thinks My Tractor’s Sexy,” not to mention five new Platinum certifications and three new Gold certifications, contributing to his overall total of 51 RIAA-certified singles.
“Buddy [Cannon] and I have really tried to push what we were doing in terms of the songs and how we recorded them; I wanted to say the stuff people never said for kids like me—and find the sweet spot where melody and lyric reflect each other in a way that made each song even more than any one moment,” adds Chesney. “I wanted songs that I hoped would always be true.”
