Mark Chesnutt

Country singer Mark Chesnutt began his music career after dropping out of high school to work the southeast Texas honky-tonk circuit. ∙ His 1990 debut, Too Cold at Home, delivered five Top 10 singles and includes his version of “Friends in Low Places,” which he cut before Garth Brooks made it a chart-topping hit. ∙ Chesnutt scored three consecutive No. 1s—“It Sure is Monday,” “Almost Goodbye,” and “I Just Wanted You to Know”—from his 1993 LP, Almost Goodbye. ∙ At the 1993 CMAs, he won the Horizon Award—the precursor to Best New Artist—and Vocal Event of the Year for his appearance on the George Jones hit “I Don’t Need Your Rockin’ Chair.” ∙ In 1994, he celebrated a trio of his musical heroes—Merle Haggard, Keith Whitley, and George Jones—by covering their songs across three separate, multiartist compilation LPs. ∙ He scored a Top 20 Pop hit in 1999 with his crossover country cover of Aerosmith’s “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing.” ∙ As a testament to Chesnutt’s ability to channel his country idols, he reportedly recorded the vocals to all 12 songs on his 2010 tribute album, Outlaws, in less than three hours.