KENNY CHESNEY HAD DOUBTS EARLY IN CAREER

Although you can't tell now, there once was a time when Kenny Chesney didn't know whether or not he would make it in the music business.

Back in 1991, when he first came to Nashville, he admits that he was unsettled.

"When I came to town, I was really intimidated," says Chesney in an interview. "I remember going to Douglas Corner one night when I heard Buddy Cannon, Dean Dillon and some other people play... I sat and listened to those guys and I thought, 'I don't know if I can do this.' "

Also having doubts were Kenny's family and friends -- they figured he'd give it a try but would eventually end up back in his hometown in East Tennessee.

"In college, I got a degree in advertising and marketing," he says. "If I'd gone back home, I guess I'd have been a bad advertising salesman or something."

In a way, Kenny's still a salesman -- but a good one. His most recent effort, "No Shirt, No Shoes, No Problems" has sold 1 million copies so far.

• November 8, 2002

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