Songwriter first, high impact performer second, Kenny Chesney may have to move “author” higher on the list of how he defines himself. After Heart Life Music debuted at No. 1 on the New York Times Hardcover Nonfiction and Combined Print & E-Book Nonfiction lists – where it remained for almost two months – it was clear the East Tennessee superstar’s “love letter to the journey” resonated with readers, music fans and people who have dreams of their own
With Barnes & Noble naming Heart Life Music to their Best Biographies & Memoirs of 2025 list, Wall Street Journal called it “an emphatic success,” and Salvation South raved, “it comes from the joy of living Kenny Chesney embodies, his bone-deep conviction that it ain’t no sin to be glad you’re alive.” As Newsweek declared it “grounded, grateful and faithful, in pursuit of the simple joys in life, living largely by the mantra of his memoir, Heart Life Music,” Garden & Gun proffered “at the heart, the book is a meditation on the power of music and creativity” before naming it one of their Best Books of 2025.
And now William Morrow, celebrating 100 years of publishing, has added Chesney’s heartfelt recounting of a kid raised well beyond the city lights, besotted by sports and on fire with country, bluegrass and rock music, who realized an impossible dream. Noting the vast expanse of their history, William Morrow selected 100 books published since 1926 to recognize the depth and quality of their imprint.
“All I did was try to honor the people, places and moments that helped me build something I could’ve never dreamed,” Chesney says of the honor. “Whether it was Jack Tottle taking a kid who just wanted to learn Doc Watson-style playing to Russia as part of the ETSU Bluegrass Band, Alabama blowing my mind landing in a helicopter to play near my house who took me out on tour with them when I was starting out or Troy Tomlinson, who heard something in my early songs, especially ‘The Tin Man’ and gave me my first publishing deal, they were all isolated things that brought me to where I am.
“I had no idea so many people would see their own journey in mine, live some moments that are hard to believe happen. Kind of like being in this list alongside so many incredible books. This was definitely something I would’ve never guessed or imagined, but am so honored for all the people in the book who made this story something worth reading.”
Posting “To mark the anniversary, William Morrow presents a curated list of 100 books drawn from its catalog that reflect the imprint’s editorial range and contribution to American publishing,” the storied publisher recognized books by John Irving, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Ray Bradbury, Margaret Mead, Elmore Leonard, Bill Bryson, Agatha Christie, Jodi Picoult, J.R.R. Tolkien, David Halberstam, and Alice Waters, as well as Marley & Me, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, and Freakonomics.
With Publishers Weekly proclaiming it “one for the road” and American Songwriter citing its “sense of immense respect, admiration and awe,” Heart Life Music continues finding readers beyond the obvious country music fans. While finishing mixes for what will be his 20th studio recording and dialing in production details for his second Sphere residency later this spring/summer, Chesney took time to travel to Louisiana for the New Orleans Book Festival at Tulane University.
Billed as “Mardi Gras for the Mind,” Chesney closed the storied college’s fieldhouse stage, following friend Anderson Cooper and Dax Shepard in conversation. As he says, “When you find yourself talking to the man who invented the worldwide web, Sir Tim Berners-Lee, General David Petraeus, historian Walter Isaacson or Ken Burns, you realize how many worlds books can bring together. It’s fantastic to see people who are so curious about the world, and I loved being part of it.”
Having gone from East Tennessee State University to Boston, Philadelphia, New Jersey, New York City, Chicago, Nashville, Los Angeles, Key West and Tampa, Chesney has taken Heart Life Music to the people. On the verge of getting back to playing music for No Shoes Nation, this honor and appearance was one more moment to celebrate a “map to making dreams come true.”
