HUMPHREYS GARRISON, Republic of Korea -- Veteran country music singer Mark Chesnutt performed at the Super Gym here April 9, entertaining a crowd of about 900 during the second leg of a three-stop tour through Korea.
Chesnutt and his band - who have also done shows for troops in Kuwait, Iraq and on stateside military installations - also performed at Camp Casey and Kunsan Air Base as part of this trip.
Originally from Beaumont, Texas, the singer has been a touring musician for almost thirty years.
After starting out with his father, Bob, singing cover songs of country legends like Merle Haggard, George Jones and Waylon Jennings, he finally caught a break, in 1989, when he signed with MCA Nashville.
Later that year, he released his first single "Too Cold At Home," eventually earning him the Country Music Academy's Horizon Award. Following that, and thanks to Jones, the man Chesnutt calls his main mentor and "someone who is real special to me," Mark began an almost non-stop career that continues today.
"George is someone who has always been real special to me," Chesnutt said. "We come from the same area in Texas, and my dad used to run around with him. I owe a lot of my career success to him."
That recognition and initial success opened the door to offer him what he considers the chance of a lifetime...to sing country music for country fans.
"I can remember one time during a tour, I didn't set foot on the front porch for almost ten months," he said "with the exception of a day or so, then it was right back out again."
Chesnutt has been so busy making albums and touring over the years, he was named one of Billboard Magazine's Ten Most Played Radio Artist's of the 90s.
And although he said he's still young for a singer, he said he's getting to "darn old to be climbing on tanks (which he did at Camp Casey) and in and out of helicopters."
"It's been a great trip so far," he said before the Humphreys concert. "I'm really looking forward to putting on a great show for the folks."
He admitted that he still gets nervous before every show, even when he knows he's among friends.
"Once, when I had the privilege of playing at the Grand Ole Opry, Roy Acuff told me to never lose the nervousness," Chesnutt said. "And I guess it is something that has just stayed with me over the years."
Something else that has stayed with him over the years is his love of the "outlaw" era of country music. Songs that go back to the days when he was young and his father played the records on Sunday mornings before church. And thanks to the folks from Time Life, he is getting to do the album of his dreams.
"I'm real excited about this next album," he said, "because it is filled with songs from legendary performers that I sang growing up in the business. Some of the songs, I've been singing all of my life. Others, (for) this album was the first time."
Besides songs by Haggard, Jones and Jennings, he covers songs by Johnny Cash, Kris Kristofferson, Willie Nelson and Jerry Jeff Walker. The album is scheduled for a June release.
During the Humphreys show, which featured many of his well-known titles - "Bubba Shot The Jukebox," "Blame It On Texas," "It Sure Is Monday," and "Old Flames Have New Names" - he told the crowd that he "wanted to join the Army when he was young, but somehow wound up with a guitar in a bar."
He thanked everyone in attendance, especially the Soldiers, because "we couldn't do what we do if not for folks like you who volunteer to protect our freedom."
As the show concluded, Chesnutt received appreciation gifts from Col. Joseph Moore, USAG-Humphreys commander, and Col. Joseph Bassani, 2nd Combat Aviation Brigade commander.
He was then asked to play one more song, which turned out to be "I Don't Want To Miss A Thing," a song that he had at the top of the charts for four consecutive weeks.
After a short break, he returned to sign autographs and pose for pictures.
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