Kenny Chesney’s Famous Friends Pay Tribute Upon His Induction Into The Country Music Hall Of Fame
Kelsea Ballerini, Eric Church, and Megan Moroney honored Kenny Chesney upon his induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame. (Photo Credits: Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum / Facebook & Terry Wyatt / Getty Images for Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum)
Kenny Chesney, June Carter Cash, & Tony Brown Were Inducted Into The Country Music Hall Of Fame On October 19th
Kenny Chesney can now call himself a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame!
On March 25th, the CMHOF revealed its 2025 class of inductees. The CMHOF typically inducts three individuals (or duos/groups) each year in three distinct categories.
Those categories are:
- Non-Performer – This category rotates every three years between a Recording and/or Touring Musician, Songwriter, or Non-Performer.
- Veterans Era – A performer becomes eligible for induction in this category 40 years after they reached national promience.
- Modern Era – A performer becomes eligible for induction in this category 20 years after they reach national promience.
The inductees for 2025 include Tony Brown (Non-Performer), June Carter Cash (Veterans Era), and Kenny Chesney (Modern Era).
The honorees were officially inducted into the CMHOF during an intimate ceremony on Sunday, October 19th. June Carter Cash, who passed away in 2003, was represented by her children, John Carter Cash and Carlene Carter.
Eric Church, Megan Moroney, And Kelsea Ballerini Paid Tribute To Kenny
Chesney and the other CMHOF inductees received musical tributes during the ceremony. Three of Chesney’s famous friends took to the stage to honor him upon his induction.
Megan Moroney, who formed a close bond with Chesney while touring with him in 2024, surprised him with her presence at the event. She performed a cover of his emotional single “Knowing You.”
Her performance was extra meaningful, since “Knowing You” was co-written by Chesney’s good friend Brett James. James, a well-respected songwriter in Nashville, was killed in a plane crash on September 18th.
Moroney shared a video of her singing “Knowing You” backstage at the CMHOF induction ceremony. She captioned it, “so happy I got to surprise @Kenny Chesney tonight at @Country Music HOF & Museum <3 LOVE YOU.”
@megmoroney so happy I got to surprise @Kenny Chesney tonight at @Country Music HOF & Museum ♬ original sound – Megan Moroney
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Chesney also received musical tributes from Kelsea Ballerini and Eric Church. Ballerini covered Chesney’s multi-Platinum hit “Somewhere with You.” You can watch a piece of that performance in the video below.
@jtxrockstar The cool @Kelsea Ballerini singing @Kenny Chesney at @Country Music HOF & Museum @shanemcanally @SMACK SONGS #countrymusic #kennychesney #kelseaballerini #jtxrockstar ♬ original sound – J.T.Harding
Meanwhile, Church performed a medley of Chesney’s tunes, featuring “El Cerrito Place,” “I Go Back,” “The Boys of Fall,” “Anything But Mine,” and “Never Wanted Nothing More.”
Chesney was deeply touched by everyone’s tributes. He shared a post reflecting on his induction ceremony, making it clear how much the honor means to him.
“Being inducted into the Country Music Hall Of Fame last night was the proudest moment of my life,” Chesney wrote. “I am humbled and beyond grateful. The love I felt in the room was overwhelming.”
Look below to catch snippets of Church and Ballerini’s performances in a video the CMHOF shared from the induction ceremony. The video, unfortunately, doesn’t have any audio from their covers, but you can hear John Anderson sing “Will the Circle Be Unbroken?” in tribute to June Carter Cash.
Congratulations to Kenny Chesney, the family of June Carter Cash, and Tony Brown on their inductions into the Country Music Hall of Fame!
