“I Think We’re Going to Be Friends”: Kenny Chesney on Meeting Willie Nelson at a Nashville After-Party

While appearing on the One by Willlie podcast, Kenny Chesney reflects on the heartwarming moment he crossed paths with Willie Nelson at an industry party at the CMA Awards.

The duo, of course, would go on to record an array of duets, including the enchantingly laid-back ‘That Lucky Old Sun’, the breezy, herbally-infused ‘Worry B Gone’ and the playful, tropically-tinged ‘Coconut Tree’. After Willie was so impressed by how well their voices complemented one another on ‘That Lucky Old Sun’, he asked Chesney and Buddy Cannon if they'd like to produce his next album.

That project would end up being Moment of Forever, a record that remains a revered part of Willie's dizzyingly expansive catalogue, as well as a body of work that Chesney regularly cites a hugely proud moment, as he got to work with one of his idols.

While chatting to the One By Willie host, John Spring, Chesney underlines that he can't remember for certain how he first met Willie, but he believes it was at a CMA Awards after-party. He recalls how Willie was being swarmed by fans asking for photos.

Chesney fondly remembers, “This is before I knew how witty Willie was. I mean, he's always got a joke for you, you know? And it was after the CMA Awards. You know how they have these parties after the CMA Awards and everybody goes to it, and everybody wants a little bit of your time. And...I found myself at the bar. They have this big bar in the middle of a room - and I found myself standing beside Willie”.

He goes on, “I was trying to get a beer and he, I don't know what he was trying to, you know...what he was drinking, but I was trying to get something to drink. And Willie was trying to order something, but everybody kept wanting to come up and take a picture with him. And I had never...I think this might be the first time I met Willie”.

Chesney then recalls the quip Willie shared as he tried to make his way to the bar, “He looks at me and kind of taps me on the shoulder and he goes, ‘It sure is hard to drink in here’”.

The ‘Take Her Home’ hitmaker shares that he got a sense from that moment that they were going to get along just fine, “And I went, ‘Well...I think we're going to be friends’”.

Elsewhere in the conversation, Chesney pays tribute to how Willie's version of ‘That Lucky Old Sun’ ended up becoming a formative song for him, making it all the more moving and meaningful when he decided to record his own version with Willie in 2008.

Although not necessarily the partnership that would first spring to mind when you think of the most famous and decorated in country music, Chesney and Willie's friendship is one that has always felt sincere - a quality that radiates through their duets.

Rather than teaming up for a radio-friendly, commercial song, on every occasion Chesney has either decided to re-record one of Willie's classics as an homage of sorts, or he's opted for a more light-hearted and undeniably fun choice, like ‘Coconut Tree’.

It's an approach Chesney has explored throughout his career, such as when he released a revamped duet version of Mac McAnally's ‘Down the Road’ with vocals from Mac. This joins his Willie duets as some of the most under-rated gems in his discography.

Chesney might have become synonymous over the years with the famously beachside, sun-soaked persona of songs like ‘Summertime’, ‘Pirate Flag’ and ‘Save It For a Rainy Day’.

But the care and consideration with which he approached his Willie collaborations and, crucially, the production role with Cannon on Moment of Forever, highlights how he's always, above all else, been a student of brilliant country music. And how special it must be to know that he, with his glittering array of No. 1s and accolades, has now become an integral, defining part of the country music story.

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