After making good ol’ fashioned honky tonk music for nearly four decades and hitting the road hard bringing that music to fans year after year, burnout is certainly understandable.
Over the last few years, honky tonk legend Mark Chesnutt was fighting his way through it, and has come out the other side eager to get back on the road, and in the studio, to further cement his legacy as one of the proudest flag flyers for traditional country music.
We caught up with Chesnutt to talk about his plans to get back in the studio, his 2024 outlook, some of his favorite album cuts in his career and more!
Pro Country: You’ve released so many great songs in your career and had so much success on the radio. Do you have any favorites from your catalog that were never released as singles?
Mark Chesnutt: I do. “I’m Not Getting Any Better at Goodbyes,” “Tonight I Let My Memory Take Me Home,” “Angelina” and “You’d Be Wrong” are a few.
PC: You’re on my Mount Rushmore of country music, so I came up with my own list too! I’m a big fan of “That Side of You” and “Strangers,” and as a lover of honky tonk songs, “Goodbye Heartache” and “As The Honky Tonk Turns,” and then a more recent one, “Is It Still Cheating” from your last record.
MC: I remember all of those, those are great songs!
PC: It was hard going through all of those great records and songs you’ve put out and picking only five!
MC: Funny enough, I was sitting around and doing that the other night. I hadn’t done that in a long time. I got to thinking, “damn, I’ve done a lot of recording over the years!” [laughs]. There’s been some really good songs that I’ve been lucky to get ahold of and write.
Me and Roger Springer wrote a song that George Strait recorded. It wasn’t a single, but it was on one of his albums, and that’s good enough for me! It was a swing song called “I Ain’t Never Seen No One Like You.”
PC: Oh yeah, that’s a great one.
MC: Pretty soon, I’m hoping to get back writing with him again, because I’ve been wanting to get back in the studio to cut a few things. You don’t need a whole album anymore, but I’m thinking about cutting three songs and putting them out for streaming.
PC: I remember the last time we talked, you weren’t sure if you wanted to go back in the studio to record again, so it’s exciting to hear that you’ve got the itch again.
MC: I’m ready. I’m healthy, and I’m ready to get back. I had a lot of life changes. I’m looking forward to it again. It had gotten to the point where I was dreading everything about it after my health scare and back surgery. I had to take a whole lot of time off over the last few years. I’m back at it and healthier than I’ve been in my whole life. I’ve got my mind working right now! [laughs].
PC: What do you think people can expect to hear from the new music you’re set to record? What information can you give about it?
MC: They’re going to be country, of course. I’m not trying to do anything that’s current right now. That’s not my style, and I don’t think people that like my music expect me to record songs about pickup trucks, drinkin’, dancin’ around a bonfire or any of that [laughs]. It’s going to be regular ol’ Mark Chesnutt honky tonk music.
PC: You’ve been making that honky tonk music for nearly four decades now. What is it that keeps you going and wanting to keep making that music in the studio?
MC: For a while, I really didn’t want to. I didn’t really care about being on the road anymore, either. I’ve changed quite a bit, and now I’m enjoying it. I’m doing a whole lot better, and I’m looking forward to going to work on the weekends. A year ago, I was dreading going through the whole process of going on the road. I was burnt out, even after taking the time off for the back surgery and Covid.
After I almost died back in November, I got straightened up and thinking right. Now I’m excited about everything. I’m anxious to get on the road. Our calendar is filling up really nicely. I’m happy and excited about it for a change. I’m 60 years-old now, and I’m more excited than I’ve ever been. All the bullshit is gone. I don’t have to deal with record labels and bad management and all the crap that I’ve dealt with for 40 years [laughs].
Pro Country 
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