 Neo-honky tonker
Mark Chesnutt parlayed a solid grounding in classic country into
chart-topping stardom during the '90s. Born in Beaumont, TX, in 1963,
Mark Chesnutt grew up listening to his father's extensive country-record
collection (Bob Chesnutt had been a locally popular singer who never hit it big,
and thus worked as a used-car salesman).
Mark Chesnutt learned both guitar and drums, and made his professional singing
debut with his father's band at age 15 on the local club scene. He even dropped
out of high school for a time to pursue music, but later reconsidered and got
his diploma; meanwhile, his father began taking him to Nashville for recording
sessions. During the '80s,
Mark Chesnutt released singles on local labels like the San Antonio-based Axbar
(where he also issued a full album, Doing My Country Thing) and the
Houston-based Cherry. He also served as the house headliner at the Beaumont club
Cutter's, where his band often featured future star
Tracy Byrd. After around a decade of dues-paying, positive word-of-mouth
finally helped
Mark Chesnutt land a record deal with MCA.
Mark Chesnutt's debut album, Too Cold at Home, was released in 1990, and the
title track became his first hit, climbing into the country Top Five. With a
style that blended
George Jones,
Merle Haggard, and
Bob Wills,
Mark Chesnutt went on to score four more Top Ten hits from the album: the number
one "Brother Jukebox," "Blame It on Texas," "Your Love Is a Miracle," and
"Broken Promise Land." By the time that string ran out,
Mark Chesnutt had finished his follow-up, 1992's Longnecks & Short Stories. It
gave him four more Top Five singles in "Bubba Shot the Jukebox" (one of
Mark Chesnutt's signature songs), "Old Flames Have New Names," the chart-topping
"I'll Think of Something," and "Ol' Country."
Mark Chesnutt kept his hit-machine status going on 1993's Almost Goodbye, which
gave him three more chart-toppers in the title track, "It Sure Is Monday," and
"I Just Wanted You to Know." 1994's What a Way to Live offered the number one "Gonna
Get a Life" and the number two "Goin' Through the Big D."
For 1995's Wings, MCA briefly resurrected its Decca country imprint and made
Mark Chesnutt the flagship artist; while the album wasn't the hit factory of its
predecessors, many critics dubbed it one of
Mark Chesnutt's most eclectic and consistent sets. Seeking to restore his
commercial momentum, MCA issued Greatest Hits in 1996, and the new song "It's a
Little Too Late" went all the way to number one. 1997's Thank God for Believers
found
Mark Chesnutt back on MCA Nashville, and produced a number two hit in the title
cut. For 1999's I Don't Want to Miss a Thing,
Mark Chesnutt flirted with crossover material, namely the titular
Diane Warren ballad that became a big hit for
Aerosmith. Praised by many critics for its relative subtlety,
Mark Chesnutt's version topped the country charts for a month, and even reached
the pop Top 20. Despite that success, the album's other singles didn't perform
as well, and his 2000 follow-up album Lost in the Feeling was something of a
flop in comparison to his past work.
Mark Chesnutt and MCA subsequently parted ways, and he signed with Columbia for
2002's Mark Chesnutt, which sold decently but didn't quite mark a return to past
glories. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide
Contact Grabow for more information or to book
Mark Chesnutt for your next corporate or private event.
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