Kenny Chesney Makes Waves as a Surprise Inductee to the Country Music Hall of Fame

• Kenny Chesney, the late June Carter Cash, and producer Tony Brown are set to join the Country Music Hall of Fame class of 2025
• The trio will be officially honored this October
• June Carter Cash’s two surviving offspring, Carlene and John, attended the public announcement

Kenny Chesney has achieved considerable aspirations throughout his illustrious career, yet one accomplishment he admits he never imagined would materialize is now becoming reality: He is entering the Country Music Hall of Fame!

“I assure you, I did not anticipate this,” the 56-year-old icon expressed to a select group of around 200 attendees who gathered Tuesday morning in the Hall of Fame rotunda in Nashville for the public declaration.

Joining Chesney in the Hall of Fame class of 2025 are two other notable figures from the genre: the late June Carter Cash, a member of the foundational Carter family, who will enter the hall 45 years following her husband, Johnny Cash; and Tony Brown, a former member of Elvis Presley’s band who emerged as one of Music Row’s most pivotal producers.

Standing amidst the plaques of his idols, Chesney reflected in a brief address about the moment his dreams began as a youth growing up in east Tennessee.

“I accompanied my mom and my stepfather to a field approximately 10 miles from my home to see this band, Alabama, that was scheduled to perform,” the 56-year-old performer remembered about the legendary group, inducted into the Hall in 2019. “I could hardly believe they were going to play so close to my residence… Something shifted within me that evening. A spark was ignited. Something occurred in my spirit that set me on this journey.”

However, he conceded, “If you had told that young boy that evening… that this [the Hall of Fame] would occur, I would’ve called you insane.”

Chesney retraced the significant initial steps — mastering the guitar, participating in a bluegrass ensemble during college, relocating to Nashville and securing a publishing contract, and ultimately, a recording deal — before his accolades soared to impressive heights. His achievements include 23 chart-topping singles, 16 platinum albums, and four CMA Entertainer of the Year awards, and he continues to attract large crowds as the titular captain of his No Shoes Nation.

Chesney expressed particular pride in joining three other east Tennesseans in the Hall of Fame: guitarist-producer Chet Atkins, country legend Dolly Parton, and songwriter Dean Dillon.

“My grandparents resided on the same street where Chet Atkins was raised,” he noted. “I often rode my bicycle past that location. To know that I’m entering alongside Dolly Parton is incredibly significant for me… and I don’t have a brother in life, but if I did, it would be Dean Dillon. Dean Dillon and I have collaborated on numerous songs. I have revered Dean throughout my entire creative journey.”

Chesney has been carrying the weight of this monumental recognition for weeks, but it is evident that the public announcement offered him a moment to fully appreciate the honor.

“I recognize it’s not a fantasy,” he stated. “It’s genuine, and it feels profoundly real.”

June Carter Cash’s two surviving children, Carlene Carter, 69, and John Carter Cash, 55, were present at the announcement to receive the honor on behalf of their mother, who passed away in 2003. (Daughter Rozanna “Rosie” Nix Adams died six months later from accidental carbon monoxide poisoning.)

Clearly appreciative of the acknowledgment, both siblings expressed that it is long overdue — a sentiment undoubtedly shared by millions of country music enthusiasts.

“Everyone is astounded when they discover that she wasn’t inducted,” Cash shared with PEOPLE. “She may not have had the hits, but she affected so many individuals. She accomplished so much through music.”

What delayed her induction for so long?

The evident factor is the monumental career of her husband. As event host Vince Gill pointed out in his introduction, no one felt the overshadowing of Johnny Cash’s career more than he did.

“Johnny once remarked that his wife was among the most overlooked artists in country music: ‘Regrettably, I believe her contributions to country music will be under-appreciated simply because she’s my spouse,’” Gill noted, who is also a Hall of Fame member. “That was, he wrote, his sole regret about marrying June. Today that shifts as she assumes her rightful position among family, friends, and legends in the Country Music Hall of Fame.”

In his introduction, Gill highlighted June Carter Cash’s diverse career, which earned her a place as the veteran-era inductee. She began her radio singing career as a child with the Carter Family, the groundbreaking trio featuring her mother, Maybelle. After the dissolution of the Carter Family, she teamed up with her mother and sisters Helen and Anita to form a quartet. She later starred at the Grand Ole Opry as a singer and comedian; wrote songs (including her husband’s classic “Ring of Fire”); and mentored members of the next generation of stars, including Kris Kristofferson and Waylon Jennings, both of whom are now Hall of Fame members. Even in her later years, Carter Cash was winning Grammys for her traditional recordings.

Carlene Carter, who has enjoyed a lengthy solo career herself, stated she was deeply moved when she and her brother received the recent news. “I honestly didn’t know how to react,” said Carter (whose father, Carl Smith, was also a country musician). “Yet simultaneously, I felt this enormous warm sensation in my chest because Mom truly deserved this.”

Besides her professional accomplishments, John Carter Cash expressed his hope that his mother is remembered as a “remarkable individual” and as a woman of faith. “She was always in prayer,” he recalled. “You would see her lips moving without any sound, and I’d ask her, ‘What are you doing, Mom?’ ‘I’m praying.’ She was perpetually connected to the spiritual.”

Both siblings stated they could only envision how thrilled their mother would be that this day has arrived.

“She would have been ecstatic, jumping up and down, laughing,” Cash, who is also a singer-songwriter and producer, remarked. “She wouldn’t have felt pride about it. She would have felt grateful.”

And his father? “He would’ve said, ‘Well, it’s about time,’” he added, mimicking his father’s well-known baritone voice.

Producer Tony Brown will join the Hall of Fame class in the non-performer category, raising the revered number to 158.

Gill praised Brown, a long-time friend, mentor, and collaborator, recognizing his role in propelling not only his own career but also those of other Hall of Fame members, including Wynonna Judd, Patty Loveless, Reba McEntire, George Strait, and Marty Stuart.

“I’ve experienced other significant opportunities in my life, throughout my career,” Brown stated during his remarks. “This is the most substantial. … This surpasses monetary gains. You create records and earn revenue. But this is more meaningful than money. This is about making a difference, and when it comes down to it, that’s the reason we all enter this industry.”

Chesney, Carter Cash, and Brown will be officially inducted into the Hall of Fame during a ceremony in October.