Graphic Courtesy of www.kennychesney.com
Chesney is donating a portion of the proceeds from the sale of “Life on a Rock,” above, to Friends of VINP.
Four time Country Music Association Entertainer of the Year, Kenny Chesney has long been associated with St. John, but the laid-back country crooner’s latest recording, “Life on a Rock,” will resonate on a personal level for island residents even more than his previous releases.
The recording, which was released on April 30, features a cover of tropical snapshots and includes two songs about beloved St. John residents. The song “Lindy” will surely bring a smile to the face of everyone who remembers the Cruz Bay character often spotted laughing at his own private joke.
“He plays piano at the church when nobody’s watching,” Chesney sings in the song. “Sometimes you see him talking to himself, laughing to himself. Lindy strolls around and around and around.”
Chesney’s song “Happy on the Hey Now (A Song for Kristi)” on the other hand, might just bring a tear to the eyes of those who called the late Kristi Hansen a friend. The long-time island resident passed away unexpectedly last year, but her memory will live on with Chesney’s poignant lyrics.
“I’ll always see you dancing up on the bow, living life in the moment, happy on the Hey Now,” Chesney sings. “And you’ll live with us as long as memory stays alive. And you left us with so many Kristi, you will never die, never die. You will never die.”
Chesney is also using his new recording to help Friends of V.I. National Park. The singer announced last month that he will donate a portion of the sales of the recording to the St. John non-profit which supports the VINP.
“Kenny Chesney didn’t know what he’d found the first time he went to the Virgin Islands for a video shoot,” according to a statement on www.kennychesney.com. “But over the next 15 years, he found a harbor in the craziness, friends he would have far beyond stardom and a place that grounded him in the beauty of the ocean, the shore and the national parks.”
“Over time, all that would inspire him to write a lot of songs for himself and his friends; now a handful of those songs have become Life On A Rock, which arrives April 30,” according to the prepared statement. “Given the powerful role the various islands in the Caribbean have played in his life, the singer/songwriter wanted to do something to honor on all that. To that end, Chesney will donate a portion of the proceeds of the sales of Life On A Rock to the Friends of the US Virgin Islands National Park to insure the legacy of nature for coming generations.”
While Friends officials do not know just what percentage of the proceeds from the record sales the group will receive, the news of Chesney’s donation was celebrated by the St. John non-profit organization.
“I was contacted by someone in his office who called us to verify our name and mailing address,” said Friends of VINP’s Executive Director Joe Kessler. “They didn’t have any other information in terms of what percentage or ideas of how to use the funds. So we just kind of said, ‘Okay, that’s great.’”
“That was about 10 days ago and we just put in on the back burner and waited to see what would come of it,” Kessler said. “Then last Thursday I was made aware that Chesney’s office issued a press release on his website and the news was picked up by other entertainment websites also.”
The exact dollar amount Friends receives is not the most important part of the donation, Kessler added.
“If we $20 or $200,000, it’s all good for us,” he said. “There is no down side to this at all. We’re very grateful and appreciative and honored. And we’ll do our very best to make very good use of the donation.”
Chesney was inspired to make the donation in the face of tightening budgets and pressures to develop, according the prepared statement on his website.
“As the world becomes more developed, protecting these wild places is going to become harder – and the cost of maintaining them needs to be covered,” Chesney is quoted in the statement. “It’s easy to forget, or not understand when it’s a line item on a piece of paper, just one more expense. But if you’ve ever seen the trees, the oceans from a ridge, the way it all tangles together, you realize how important making sure lands like this exist for the people who come after us is.”
“For me, ‘Life On A Rock’ comes from this place, so I want to give something back, so it’s there for others,” Chesney said in the statement. “Let them find the peace and the awe that I did for so many years. And I like that the music can be connected with protecting something so important.”
This is not Chesney’s first donation to Friends of VINP, Kessler added.
“Kenny has been supportive of the park and our work,” said Kessler. “The park is part of the reason why he comes here. He has donated to us in the past; he helped with the Hurricane Hole mooring program.”
“We’re proud that he chose us for the donation and that he knows us and knows our work,” said Kessler.
Chesney hopes the donation to Friends of VINP helps to raise awareness about the organization, according to the prepared statement on his website.
“Our national parks are one of those things you might not think about.” Chesney is quoted in the statement. “But once they’re gone, you can’t get them back, so protecting and maintaining them is so important. I know: I’ve spent hours in these parks, on these trails and beaches.”
“Over the years, they’ve been a big part of my time away from the road, and I think they’re a great sanctuary for all of us,” Chesney said in the prepared statement. “To me, to connect these songs with something so special is both an honor and a chance to call awareness to the Friends of the Park.”
In addition to the donation and the personal songs, Chesney is also featuring images of St. John during his Life on a Rock tour. While on stage, videos of St. John beaches and water flash on the screen, according to several recent concert attendees.
Chesney’s team licensed a total of 21 video clips of St. John from renowned St. John photographer and videographer Steve Simonsen.
The Simonsens are “stoked,” Steve Simonsen explained and the couple will take in Chesney’s show in Foxboro, MA, in August.