“It’s Full-Circle”: Kenny Chesney Reveals the Crazy Connection Between His Mom and Greylan James

After the arrival of his new album, Silver Sands Marina, Kenny Chesney's No Shoes Nation fanbase is now counting down the days until his 2027 Original Vibe Room Tour.

Opening for Chesney is a coveted tour slot for any up-and-coming artist. But one of the support acts joining the Beach Country king on his stadium run next summer, Greylan James, has reason to be especially excited about linking up with Chesney, with James’ spot on the 2027 bill serving as a heartwarming full-circle moment.

James has been vocal throughout his career about how Chesney was always his favourite artist growing up, with the ‘Water at a Wedding’ singer-songwriter even dressing up as the ‘I Go Back’ hitmaker one Halloween. But as Chesney reveals via a new episode of Amazon's Country Heat Weekly with Kelly Sutton and Amber Anderson, there's another connection with James that goes deeper than simply being a fan.

Chesney reflects via Country Heat Weekly, “Greylan sent me a picture the other day of him as a child, of him being me on Halloween. And so...my mom cut hair for a living”.

The Knoxville native goes on, “And that's what she did for a long time. She was a single mom and...I was in eighth grade...Even when I was on the road, she was still doing it some. But my mom cut Greylan's hair when he was a child. That's how long that, that's how the connection is. I'm serious...And now Greylan's up on the, out on the road with us, or will be. So that's how long the connection goes back”.

He goes on to recall meeting James as a child, “We had a mutual friend, Greylan and I, there was an attorney in Knoxville that my family knew and Greylan's family knew. And there was some sort of an event in Knoxville that I went back to, and this was when Greylan was a kid and I was there. I went to support it and all of a sudden this guy walks up and goes, hey, my son wants to say hello to you. He just loves you. And I said, well, of course. Can he get a picture with you? And I said, yeah, sure. We took the picture and that was Greylan James”.

Chesney concludes, “And I swear to God, he's this tall...And then he moves to town and he wrote, he's written a few songs for me, you know? And we've written together, but to have him out there with us is...I don't know, it's full circle in a lot of ways”.

James has penned an array of songs for Chesney in recent years, including the title-track to his 2024 studio album, ‘BORN’, along with ‘Happy Does’ and ‘Come Here, Go Away’.

When James was unveiled as one of the openers for Chesney's 2027 Original Vibe Room Tour, alongside established chart-toppers like Eric Church, Sheryl Crow and Old Dominion, he shared how much it means to him via an emotional social media post.

He gushed, “I’ve been waiting to say this my whole life, and i’m typing this through tears..IM GOIN ON TOUR WITH KENNY CHESNEY. man idk what to even say. the first pic is me at 7 years old, dressed as kenny for halloween. we grew up in the same hometown, so all l heard about as a kid was about this guy that left knoxville for nashville and became a country music star. I told my parents that’s what I wanted to be. So I learned his songs, recorded them at a karaoke cafe, cut the sleeves off my t-shirts, learned guitar, and put together a band. Then spent the next 20 years working towards this moment.. obsessively chasing it”.

He adds, “I randomly met kenny when I was 11 while playin in a bluegrass band, and I asked him for advice. he said: “Stay in school, and learn how to write songs.” I never forgot that.. well the writing songs part lol. I wrote my first #1 for Kenny 10 years later, and that was the beginning of the most full circle mentorship, friendship, and story in the history of forever. I cant believe this is happening, but I can’t wait to make it real. I can’t wait to play for the fanbase that l’ve been a part of my whole life.. No Shoes Nation. it’s gonna be the best summer of my life. They say “don’t meet your heroes”.. WELL IM GOIN ON TOUR WITH MINE”.

Chesney's No Shoes Nation has always felt like a joyful, kind-hearted family, and the inclusion of James on his 2027 tour, given this back-story, only adds to that wonderfully close-knit feel. We can't wait to see James fulfil his dreams on the road next summer.