Chesnutt keeps Honky Tonk music alive, kicking

Tommy Mann, Jr.

Mark Chesnutt fans have plenty to be happy about this Thanksgiving as the Southeast Texas native will perform his first local headlining concert in a year.

Chesnutt will perform tonight at the Dixie Dance Hall on Crockett Street in downtown Beaumont. Admission is $25 at the door for ages 18 and older.

One to rarely rest on his backside, Chesnutt is still touring the Honky Tonks of America in support of his 2008 release, “Rollin’ with the Flow,” which was released on the independent label, Loften Creek Records.

Chesnutt was noticeably absent from the October “Beaumont Boys Bash” featuring fellow singers and friends Tracy Byrd and Zona Jones, but he believes fans understood his reasoning behind it.

“The show was originally scheduled for the spring, but, when it was rescheduled to October, I had already booked other tour dates,” Chesnutt said during a telephone interview. “I had scheduled my show at Dixie Dance Hall for Thanksgiving weekend anyway, so that’s basically why I missed this year. Hopefully, I will be back with the guys next year.”

Chesnutt said he made a conscious decision to sign with independent labels several years ago because major record labels were seeking more artists who conformed to what is popular or hot at the moment instead of being original.

“The industry really changed in the mid-90s,” he added. “And the music I do now is closer to what I did on the first few records. Being with an independent allows me the option to do what I want and be myself.”

Of course, Chesnutt knows being with an independent has its restrictions as well.

“The first single, ‘Roll with the Flow,’ had a lot of push behind it from the label,” Chesnutt explained. “They had a lot of money to put into it. The label is still releasing singles but they just doesn’t have the money to push it like they did in the beginning.

“It’s a great album, and a lot of people say they really like it, but there are also a lot of people who say they can’t find the CD anywhere,” Chesnutt said. “If people come to my show (tonight), they will be able to buy it there along with a couple of other albums.”

Chesnutt released his first album, “Too Cold at Home,” in 1990 and credits much of his early success to local radio disc jockeys who would spin his tracks on air. Unfortunately, nearly 20 years later, it is not the same as it was then.

“Radio really helped get us guys established back then,” he said. “But now the same guys who helped get us started, and so many others, can only play what their bosses tell them to play. Thank God for satellite radio and the Internet because now people have options to listen to what they want to hear anytime.”

Chesnutt expects to begin working on a new album very soon, and one he is looking forward to starting.

“I’m getting ready to go to Los Angeles real soon to do an album for Time Life,” Chesnutt said enthusiastically. “They called me up and asked me to do an album of what we call ‘Outlaw Music.’ It will have songs from great artists like Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson and David Allan Coe. We should start recording in a few weeks and I hope to have it out by summer. A lot of great songs are being considered, so we still have to narrow it down a bit.”

Until the new album hits the stores and the Internet, Chesnutt fans will have to get their “Honky Tonk” fill at one of his live performances, like tonight in Beaumont.

“People may be surprised, but I still love playing in Beaumont,” Chesnutt said. “It’s so cool to see the same people now from when I started to many years ago at Cutter’s. That’s why it is always a little more special.”



Tommy Mann Jr. is a reporter for The Orange Leader. He can be reached at 409-883-3571, Ext. 2619 or tmann@orangeleader.com

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