“Mark Chesnutt gave honky-tonk music back its soul,” noted music critic
Robert K. Oermann. “When Chesnutt appeared on an arid musical landscape
back in 1990, I dubbed him the hillbilly messiah,” Oermann confirmed. “I still
feel that way today and I’ll feel that way decades from now.”
He did this without ever having to permanently
leave his hometown of Beaumont, TX. Sure,
he came to Nashville to make records and play the
game, but he stayed rooted in Texas. “I quit my
day job when I was seventeen and started
playing the clubs. I was working seven nights
a week, making a real good living.
My daddy [Bob Chesnutt] was a musician
in his younger days. He ran with George Jones
and he saw George was hardly ever at home to raise his
kids. Daddy gave it up to raise a family. He said, ‘Son,
if you move to Nashville, you won’t be able to make a
living in the clubs. There are too many people trying
to make it. You’ll have to get a day job and your music
will take a back seat.’” So Mark stayed in southeast Texas, where he planted his honky-tonk roots.
Songs from the “Outlaw” era are part of his heritage. Waylon Jennings, Willie
Nelson and Kris Kristofferson, along with song crafters like Billy Joe Shaver and
Guy Clark, all hailed from Texas. When Willie and Waylon declared their
independence and staked their claim in the country music scene, both returned
home to the Lone Star state.
Mark Chesnutt celebrated his
first LP release in 1988. Twelve
others followed, accompanied
by a collection of greatest hits
compilations. Chesnutt’s rule of
recording remains: “I only
record when I feel like I have
something to say.” OUTLAW is
no exception. Contemporary
fads and trends aside, Chesnutt
continues to pay tribute to the
songs that “brought him to the
dance”—the songs he played
when he first became a
musician. His consistency to
remain true to his rule speaks
volumes resounding his
confidence and surefootedness
that he’s not over-awed to lend
his vocal talents to the original
recordings. Chesnutt is the star
of country music’s last golden
era paying tribute to the era
before and…he continues to
shine.
Twenty years later, Mark Chesnutt carries the torch in the footsteps of George Jones and
Waylon Jennings to bring music from the Texas honky-tonks right to the country music
fan’s door with his latest CD release, OUTLAW (Saguaro Road Records). OUTLAW features
re-recordings of some of Chesnutt’s personal heroes and life-long friends, including Shaver,
Kristofferson, Willie and Waylon. The product of producer Pete Anderson (Dwight
Yoakam/Michelle Shocked/Tanya Tucker), OUTLAW is a true-denim-blue Mark Chesnuttbranded
musical composition.
A first-time endeavor with producer Pete Anderson, Mark admits he’s been a personal fan
of Anderson. “All the guitar players I knew wanted to be Pete Anderson! It’s still hard to
believe I got to record an album with him. We made our record the old-fashioned way. I
showed up late at night and we’d work all night until the songs were recorded or the beer
was gone.”
Mark Chesnutt History
Chesnutt got his start in the honky-tonks of Beaumont, Texas, learning from his father, Bob
Chesnutt, a singer, record collector, and major fan of classic country music. Playing alongside his
dad, Mark embraced his father’s influence one set at a time and to begin making a name for
himself. Mark sang covers by Lefty Frizzell, Merle Haggard, George Jones and Waylon Jennings
to develop his unmatched crowd-pleasing rapport and his authentic country style.
Bob Chesnutt often traveled to Nashville to record and to broaden his exposure. He began taking
Mark along to record when he was just 17. After nearly a decade of recording on regional labels,
word got out about this young country vocalist. Music Row
executives came to hear Mark on his own Texas turf and
recognized the depth of Mark Chesnutt’s raw talent. In 1989,
he was signed to MCA Nashville and his list of accolades tells
the rest of his story. With the release of his first single “Too
Cold At Home,” Mark established himself as one of country’s
most authentic and talented vocalists. He won the CMA
Horizon Award attracting the attention of country legend [and
Mark’s greatest mentor] George Jones, who introduced him as
“A boy from Beaumont, Texas who is the real deal.”
That recognition and initial success opened the door to offer
Mark his chance of a lifetime, to do what he loved most—sing
country music for country fans; this time, on a national level.”
The first couple years it was non-stop,” Mark says. “I can
remember one time during a tour, I didn’t step foot on the front
porch for ten months, with exception of a day or a day-and-ahalf,
then, it was right back out again.”
Mark’s dedication paid off. He devel oped a true blue fan base. Fans, he confides, “are the reason
for my success.” His fans helped his records to climb the charts one right after the other making
him one of Billboard’s Ten Most-Played Radio Artists of the ‘90’s. Mark’s singles were some the
decade’s most memorable; from the fun tempo “Bubba Shot The Jukebox” to emotional ballad “I’ll
Think Of Something.” Mark is easily identified for his string of hits including “Brother Jukebox,”
“Blame It On Texas,” “Old Flames Have New Names,” “Old Country,” “It Sure Is Monday,”
“Almost Goodbye,” “I Just Wanted You To Know,” “Going Through The Big D,” “It’s A Little Too
Late,” “Gonna Get A Life,” and one of his biggest, “I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing;” a song that held
its position at the top of the charts for four consecutive weeks.
Of all the recorded highlights Chesnutt has enjoyed, they take a back seat to his first love; Mark
Chesnutt lives to perform on stage. “I just make records because I want people to come see my
show,” he says with a grin. “Recording music for folks to just listen to music is great,” he says, “but
I’ve got to be out there on stage making it.” Fans who have seen him perform agree. Known as one
of the industry’s hardest-working concert performers, maintaining a hefty tour schedule and steady
presence in front of his fans, Mark’s dedication to deliver live music is unsurpassed. Mark has been
on the road since 1990. Whether you hear Mark Chesnutt with a new release on the radio, or see
his face on the cover of a new CD, folks can always find Mark doing what he was born to do:
playing. “The clubs and honky tonks are home for me; it’s comfortable and I’m always with
friends,” says Chesnutt.
