Heart Life Music: A New York Times Bestselling Memoir from the Beloved Country Music Star

by Kenny Chesney, Holly Gleason

Heart Life Music shares the stories of a kid from small town East Tennessee with a dream fueled by the sports and music around him. When high school football came to an end, he knew there must be something more. In college, Kenny Chesney found himself on a barstool with a guitar and an unexpected connection between people, life, and songs. His heart caught fire. With Nashville’s vibrant creative scene, characters, legends, and places now long gone from the city he encountered in those early days, Chesney explores the quest to find himself as an artist and a man, as well as a sense of home anywhere there’s an ocean. These are the stories of the unlikely game changer who became the sound of coming of age in the 21st century, made friends with his heroes, rocked stadiums, and founded a No Shoes Nation.

Genres: Nonfiction, Audiobook, Memoir, Biography, Music, Pop Culture, Biography Memoir

352 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 4, 2025

About the author

Kenneth Arnold (Kenny) Chesney is an American country music artist. Since 1993, Chesney has recorded 13 albums, 11 of which have been certified gold or higher by the RIAA. He has also produced more than 30 Top Ten singles on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs charts, 17 of which reached Number One. In addition, Chesney has received six Academy of Country Music (ACM) awards (including four consecutive Entertainer of the Year Awards from 2005 to 2008), as well as six Country Music Association (CMA) awards. Chesney is also one of the most popular touring acts in country music, regularly selling out the venues at which he performs; his 2007 Flip-Flop Summer Tour was the highest-grossing country road trip of 2007.

Reviews

[Amanda ~lilacsandliterature · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 rounded up. Kenny I love ya but this was…mediocre at best. I don’t know him any better than before I read this and it was disjointed and some of the stories made no sense. If you’re looking for a deeply personal memoir this ain’t it. Just strictly his music career.

[Meryl · Rating 1 out of 5]

Love Kenny but good gracious this is dull. Like reading a Wikipedia page. Just tell us what happened with Renee!

[Ashley]

I LOVE Kenny Chesney. he was my very first concert in 2003 and I've seen him live 5 times since. I LOVE him lol. but this was....umm kinda boring. there wasnt really anything I didnt already know. I wanted the hot tea. what happened in NYC with Tim? what happened with Renee? what about all the other girlfriends? who were all the songs about? still absolutely no mention in this or on social media about the passing of TK. this was strictly his career and of course, i gobbled it up. but, it was definitely not what I expected. and honestly it was hard to follow at times. he jumped from one thing to another, sometimes in the same sentence. I'll be holding out for that tell-all book he mentioned in the acknowledgements.

[Christin · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don’t normally write reviews because I rarely give reviews this low to anything. I love Kenny, but this book was beyond boring. Remember when he rode off on that police horse in New York and Tim McGraw and him got arrested? Remember when he married Renee Zellweger? Apparently he doesn’t either because he never talks about it. I get you might not be proud of certain times in your life, but things like that are worth putting in a book! Any crazy road or island stories would’ve been great, because he absolutely has to have some of those… but nothing! Everything in this book I could’ve googled and found the answer. This was just incredibly boring!

[Pamela Huffman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got this signed copy at Kenny’s book tour in Philly. It was so amazing to hear from him and then be able to dive deep into the story of his life and his music. I adored learning the back stories behind his songs and how they came to be. I loved seeing his youth and how he struggled and stayed so strong as he became a musician. I really liked learning how the Caribbean affected his life and his music. And I’m so proud that he’s in the country music hall of fame where he belongs. I’m grateful to have such an inside look at the life of someone whose music has been the soundtrack of my life for the past twenty years. I recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of Kenny Chesney.

[Autumn Green · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF’d at 75%, so I’m still counting it. First of all, do NOT do this on audio. Kenny reads this book like a middle schooler getting picked to read in class. It was excruciating. He seems to be out of touch with reality and talks about so much of his music career but very little personally. Let’s also not forget the fact that he refers to rap music as “black music” (really need a new publisher man.)

[Holly Burke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kenny Chesney is a huge deal in my family. I have seen him live 13 times, traveled for his concerts, seen him on book tour...my brother's dog's name is Chesney. Safe to say that we are huge fans and this book make my heart happy. I could have listened to Kenny read for another 8 hours. I learned so much about the life of this artist and the songs that I have listened to thousands of times. Heartfelt, sincere, and humble - this was a wonderful listen!

[Jeanette Elkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Of course the best book!

[Stacey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Feel as if I’m being generous rating this 3 stars. I’m a big fan of Kenny’s music as he’s had so many hits throughout my lifetime. This book, despite being titled ‘Heart Life Music’ had so little heart in it, that it felt like listening to Kenny read his own Wikipedia page rather than detail his life experiences and the stories behind his songs.
It was mostly dropping of names and talk of American football. Turns out he didn’t even write some of his biggest songs which I didn’t realise previously either. There’s very little of Kenny’s personal life in here either. A brief mention of one relationship, and the only chapter that made me feel anything was about his dogs. And he doesn’t really seem like a dog person so no wonder I couldn’t connect with him.
Glad I finally finished it, won’t be reading again.

[Angie Wright · Rating 3 out of 5]

I just finished this book and I really wanted to love it because I LOVE Kenny Chesney. But this book left me wanting. It didn't have the emotion and transparency that I was looking forward to. It was heartwarming in places and informative and even interesting at times, but it was kind of all over the place, repetitive in places and not as juicy or tell-all (or at least tell-some of the things I wanted to know) about the deep dark parts of one of my favorite musicians. I feel like, as a fan, I already knew or heard most of these stories and wanted an inside look, not the surface look we all have by listening to NSR. 😭

[Amy K · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little peek into the hard driving determination, and relationships along the way, that made Kenny the hugely successful talent and good human that he has become.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super interesting to hear the stories behind some of the songs, especially the songs he wrote that weren’t necessarily hits or singles. I was hoping for a little bit more personal life info but he teased a tell all at the end so who knows, maybe more to come? Needless to say, I’ll be listening to No Shoes Radio for the foreseeable future. #NoShoesNation

[Dianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

An engaging collection of moments in Kenny's life that not only shaped the artist he would become but reveal to the reader the person he's always been. Easy read, lots of personal photos.

[Pam Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heart Life Music reads like an open scrapbook of the author’s journey — personal enough to let you understand the man behind the music, but still held at a respectful distance. It feels intentional: a balance between giving readers a glimpse into his path while preserving the parts of himself that deserve to stay private.

Rather than a deep-dive memoir, the book flows like a yearbook of moments — snapshots, highlights, and reflections that piece together the major milestones that shaped his artistry. You get the sense of someone looking back with gratitude, honesty, and restraint. The tone is easy, conversational, and at times nostalgic, making it a smooth read for fans who want to understand the arc of his life without expecting raw, intimate revelations.

If you’re looking for a heavily personal, tell-all style memoir, this may leave you wanting more. But if you appreciate stories told with subtlety — a curated look at the experiences that built the music rather than the details behind every chapter — then Heart Life Music offers a thoughtful, almost yearbook-like portrait of an artist honoring his past while still protecting his inner world.

[Emilee Perdue · Rating 4 out of 5]

yall knowwwww i looooooove kenny chesney. he’s like my family member in the most parasocial way possible.

i thought this was a really cool book about his rise to success and his consistent passion behind his entire career. it was amazing to learn about his beginnings and realize some of the same music that inspired him was the same music i heard growing up! he does a great job about making music for everyone despite differences and offering others an escape from reality

i was able to speak to holly gleason for a work thing about the book and she was so freaking cool. she did a great job on the book

i think it does get bogged down at times with a lot of information about the music industry, but that was also cool to learn

so happy i started 2026 reading this book! ily kc!!

[Chesney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heart Life Music is a heartfelt and personal reflection on Kenny Chesney’s life and music. I’ve been a fan for 25 + years and loved getting deeper insight into his journey. It isn’t what I would say is a true memoir, but more deeper insight into certain vignettes of his life.
I read the book first, then listened to the audiobook with Kenny narrating it himself, and enjoyed both experiences. It was a book I chose to read in small doses so I could make it last longer.
It’s a meaningful, comforting read for any fan or for anyone who dares to dream big.

[Jessica Hoey · Rating 5 out of 5]

So fun to hear the background to some of my favorite country songs. Need another Kenny concert in my life asap

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed hearing about his friendship with Jimmy Buffet and his adventures with Sean Payton and the Saints!

[Laura Shreve · Rating 5 out of 5]

This felt like an explanation of such an integral part of my childhood. Feeling like I know a personal level of Kenny makes the child in me so so happy. If only I could thank him for all the positive feels and personal reflection that his music has influenced. Hearing about St. John from his point of view brought me to tears. 100% worth the read and audiobooked most of it because he narrated.

[Celeste Langley · Rating 3 out of 5]

To start, I'm a big fan of Kenny Chesney's music. He has always been a constant artist playing from my car's speakers. When I saw he released a memoir, it was a no-brainer; I would listen to it.

Not only is this the first memoir I have rated less than 5 stars, but it is also the first time I wish the celebrity wasn't the one narrating it. I am not sure if I have failed to listen to an interview with Kenny Chesney, but his voice was not what I expected. His voice is fairly monotone and does not help the overall dry plot.

The book is told mostly chronologically, starting with his childhood and eventually getting you to his induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame. The beginning and middle have a certain Wikipedia-esque quality to them. While the ending has a lot more feeling to it, I spent the majority of the book extremely bored.

One of the main reasons I wanted to pick up this book is that I wanted to hear about Kenny's friendship with Jimmy Buffett. I found that when he talked about any of his "friends," it was extremely surface-level. Actually, scratch that, the entire book was surface-level. People read these books to hear about the nitty-gritty. They don't want to listen to eight hours of a regurgitated Wikipedia page.

There were a few moments in the book that evoked emotion from me. When Kenny is telling about his collaboration with Grace Potter, the line "My fans were asking, 'Who the fuck'? While her fans were saying, 'Why the fuck'?" made me crack a smile. The ending of the book also tugged at my heartstrings. I'm always a sucker for a dog story.

I had to listen to Kenny's music quite a few times during this read. Not because this book made me fall in love with his music again, but to remind myself that I do, in fact, love his music and want to know the story behind it. As soon as I hit play on one of these songs, it was night and day compared to the book. I think he truly was meant to be a songwriter and musician, but maybe not a book writer.

[The Sub Librarian]

Some books you read… and some books feel like they’ve been living in your heart for years.

I couldn’t wait to get my hands on Heart Life Music. If you’ve known me for any amount of time, you know I’m a full-on Kenny Chesney superfan.

I’ve been a fan since the late ’90s—back when he was playing county fairs and I was singing every word from the front row. I’ve seen him in concert more times than I can count, danced with him, missed meet-and-greets, and collected more KC stories than I could ever fit in one post.

I read this while on vacation in St. Thomas, because honestly… where else would you read a Kenny Chesney book but in his favorite place—the U.S. Virgin Islands? 🌊🏝️ And yes, I’ll admit it: a lot of what I read, I already knew. But hearing it in his own words? That part was incredibly inspiring.

One thing I’ve always known about Kenny Chesney is how hard he works. You hear it in his music. You feel it in his shows. And this book really reinforced that—especially through the backstories behind some of my favorite songs and the moments that shaped when (and why) he chose to release them.

As I sat on the beach in St. John, I kept thinking about the question I’m always asked: What’s your favorite Kenny Chesney song? And the truth is—I don’t think I could ever pick just one. If he walked up right now and asked me to choose a single song for him to play, I’d be stuck. Every song lives in my heart, each one holding its own memories and meaning. 💙🎶

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Since I saw Kenny Chesney as part of the George Strait Country Music Festival in 1997, I have loved Kenny Chesney’s music. While I love every single one of his albums and songs, with the release of No Shirt, No Shoes, No Problem my fandom was cemented: his songs sing to my beach-loving soul.

Of course, when he announced his forthcoming memoir, I put pre-ordered a hardback copy faster than you can say “No Shoes Nation.” And, when I saw that he would be narrating the audiobook? Yup, I signed-in to libro.fm and purchased the audio version as well. I am so glad that I opted to listen to his memoir. The lull of his voice first relaxed me into the stories of his work toward fame and then that silky voice took me back to each one of the 13 times (so far) I’ve seen him in concert, to the memories made with friends and family.

I loved (almost*) every moment of the audiobook and then thumbed through the print version to look at the photographs he interspersed throughout the book. I’m ready for concert 14, 15, 16, etc.
* Almost every moment: Pet lovers be forewarned. Kenny’s love for Ruba Girl is well-known as is the grief he felt in losing her. The song is epic; the chapter in the book will pull at your heartstrings.

[Lennart · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this but it won’t be for everybody. It’s strictly about his music career, and the stories get a little confusing at times (there’s so many characters). If you’re not a fan of country music a lot of the musical references will be completely lost on you as well as some of the big moments in his career. But there’s a lot here to be liked as well. Kenny comes off as a very likable and endearing person (It is an autobiography so…) but hearing about his interactions with his community and friends makes me believe it. Hearing about his friendships with people in other genres of music and people he took inspiration from was amazing. Some of the stories really shine, like the trip to Moscow with his college band, and the Virgin Islands stories and community he built there. It’s made me want to re-listen to a lot of the songs mentioned in the book and taking the newfound context for a lot of them with me. I see this more as a collection of short stories the chronicle Kenny Chesneys career from early middling beginnings to becoming one of the biggest stars in any genre in the US.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to William Morrow for a gifted copy for honest review!

As someone who came to an appreciation for country music well into adulthood, there is a lot of backstory and lore to the players in the industry that I don't know, so I really enjoyed this dive into Kenny Chesney's upbringing and life in country music. One of the things I really find interesting about the industry is how normal it is to grind for years before your breakout, and that was a great part of the book for me- reading about the early years. The rest is intriguing, too, showing the influences and experiences that shaped who fans know Kenny Chesney as today, and who he is behind the scenes. Reading about the ways he is inspired through and by music and songwriting and how some of the hits came about was a great way to set this book.

[Star Gater · Rating 2 out of 5]

Really this is a 2 star book. Sadly, three stars is generous and misleading.

Chesney repeated his interviews throughout his career. If you follow him and tune in when he guest appears, there is nothing new in the book.

He does not get personal; it is all business (drops one name after another) with the exception of his dog (minimally).

Heart life music infers mention of private life, not a word. How did he juggle success on the charts and road with home? Or did he? Did he have regrets? No mention either way of children? Blah, blah, blah.

Summary: Heart life music: Money grab for Peter Pan.

[Jodi Eckstine · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is extra long liner notes, not a memoir. I don’t know any more about him now than I did before I read. It’s a lot of lists of names (see, liner notes) of the friends and coworkers he’s had. I’m sure it was a little thrill from them to hear the shout out. For me, it just left me hoping that he’s aware this is an incredibly shallow book, but he decided he didn’t owe the public any more of himself. I’d get that. Maybe don’t do a book then though :)

[GiGi Goble · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting nuggets here and there related to the building blocks of his career, but if you listen to No Shoes Radio on a regular basis the first half of the book will seem redundant as you have likely already heard a lot of it. It does reiterate the beautiful spiritual depth of him as a person, and I would consider myself a super fan, but the book was a very slow read for me that landed a bit flat.

[Pamela]

I am a big Kenny Chesney fan so I found this book very enjoyable and learned a lot about is like an how he got to where he is . If you are a fan the I recommend this book and kudos to Kenny for being so humble and a truly good person . He deserves all the accolades he gets. He is truly a role model for anyone in show business.

[Germaine Wall · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Kenny and his music. I have since 2001. But the book just didn’t move me like I hoped it would. Nothing “juicy” or special about the content. There were so many names of so many people that I zoned out for much of the book. The book was very disjointed and did not have a natural, easy flow to it. I actually loved the photos the most.

[Amy Everhart · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book matches when I always believed about him until I met him in 2009 and he didn't have the time of day to even acknowledge that I got to meet him on my 21st birthday! Still a fan of his music, but I disagree that he prides himself on making people feel special. I also feel there are big holes from his life in this book like this marriage.