Kenny Chesney Extends His Recording Contract With Sony

Kenny Chesney has signed a contract extension with his longtime record label home, Sony Music Nashville. As part of the deal, he’ll get more involved with the business end of things by taking ownership of his future recordings, which will be jointly released by Sony and Chesney’s own label imprint, Blue Chair Records. The new arrangement begins immediately with Chesney’s new “Welcome To The Fishbowl,” album, due out this month.

“I moved to Nashville to be a songwriter, so to have my own label imprint feels like beyond a dream come true,” said Chesney in a press release. “‘Welcome to the Fishbowl’ is the most honest and authentic album I’ve ever recorded, and I’m thrilled to be able to release it on my own Blue Chair Records. It’s the start of a great new chapter for me as an artist.”

The label takes its name from an actual chair in Chesney’s island home that inspired the title of his 2005 album title and cover art, “Be As You Are (Songs From An Old Blue Chair).”

During his time with Sony, which began in 1995, Chesney has sold more than 30 million albums and scored 37 top five singles, including 23 No. 1 hits. Prior to Sony, he briefly recorded for Capricorn Records, charting two singles there in 1993 and 1994.

At Sony, Chesney will shift to the company’s Columbia Records artist roster. The company imprint for which he previously recorded, BNA Records, is being retired.