Sure, Tim McGraw and Kenny Chesney are superstars with millions in the bank now. But once, they were just working musicians struggling to make a living.
Today, the entrance to Music Row features a roundabout showcasing the statue known as Musica. But back then, there was a stoplight next to a row of country-star-themed souvenir shops and a place to get a bite to eat.
“There was a place called Houndogs Hot Dogs that was right on the corner of where the circle is now in Nashville, where the statues are,” Tim remembers. “And Kenny Chesney, Tracy Lawrence and I sat with guitars on stools just playing music for people that would come up and buy hot dogs. And we lived off those hot dogs.”
According to Tim, that all came to an abrupt halt, thanks to Kenny.
“I think Kenny got us fired because there were clown heads on the trash cans, and our job at the end of the night when we finished singing, we were supposed to take the clown heads, run a chain through ‘em and lock ‘em up,” Tim says.
“And I think Kenny didn’t do it one night and they got stolen, and we got fired,” he laughs.
All is well now, of course, between the two country legends, as Kenny’s “Knowing You” approaches the top ten, and Tim’s new single, “7500 OBO,” has just started its climb. They join the rest of America in celebrating Labor Day on Monday.
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