He’s sold millions of records and made more money than he’ll probably ever spend. But Kenny Rogers admits he can’t compete with Kenny Chesney and Keith Urban. On a recent Fox Business show, Rogers talked about his particular place in the country world, and adds, “Honestly, I think they’re too young to do what I do, so it’s a nice niche I have.” So what is his moneymaking niche? “If you give me a song that touches me, I think I can make it touch you,” he said.

Kenny Chesney is giving his fans the deluxe treatment when "Lucky Old Sun - Deluxe Fan Pack " drops Oct. 14. The disc will contain several live songs recorded in Massachusetts and Key West, Fla. "Sometimes I go back and listen to the shows, to just remember," said Chesney, "and you get thinking about those nights that are just so perfect. You know, that's a lot of what Lucky Old Sun is about in a whole other way... So I wondered if there was an alternative way to share these memories from Gillette Stadium (in Foxboro, Mass.) and our taking over Margaritaville down in Key West.

"Thankfully, the record label totally gets that my hardcore fans are so much a part of this, and that it's something they may want... beyond our studio release. So, they're allowing me to do a first week deluxe CD that will have Boston (a song Chesney wrote with his tour production assistant Mark Tamburino) and Got A Little Crazy from our Boston show and Soul of a Sailor and Guitars And Tiki Bars from the Hogs Breath' as something a little extra."

Beyond the four tracks, fans will be able to access downloads of the opening from this year's "Corona Extra Poets & Pirates Tour" as well as the current hit singleEverybody Wants To Go To Heaven video featuring the Wailers, which was filmed in Jamaica earlier this summer. In addition, two lucky winners and a guest will be flown to the opening of Chesney's 2009 tour in a contest called "Kick It Off With Kenny." Full details will be available soon. The music-only edition, which does not include the extra content or contest, will be released Oct. 21.

"Lucky Old Sun is a really personal record," said Chesney. "It comes from some pretty deep places, and it looks at my life, how I've evolved and the way the ocean can take you places beyond location. There are a bunch of fun songs on the record, for sure, but nothing quite as immediate as these live tracks, so in some ways, it's the very best of what we do in the studio and what we do in people's hometowns.

"In reflecting that, it seems only right that a couple fans who helped us close out this year with our new music will be in the front row at the first show of our next year. When you're trying to find new ways to engage the people who love your music, I think the more direct the better...and what could be better for us than having two winners who're that into the music we make front and center when next year kicks off?"

Take one part carefree lyrics, sprinkle in a sound of reggae and funk, combine a dollop of beautiful scenery, and there you have it — the recipe for musical and video success. I love the philosophy behind Kenny Chesney’s new lighthearted song, “Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven.” Perhaps the tune is especially heartening because the workweek is nearly over and I plan to take full advantage of this beautiful Nashville weather. But even still, this song and video make me smile every time.

Chesney sings of how he throws an extra $20 bill in the collection plate — a dollar for every thing he did the night before and one to get him through the day. He’s not letting the worries of the world weigh down his good time, and you know what? Me neither. “Don’t you want to hear ‘em call your name/When you’re standing at the pearly gates? I told the preacher, yes I do/But I hope they don’t call today. I ain’t ready.”

After all, I want to see those streets of gold someday too … but hey, I wouldn’t mind waitin’ at least a hundred years or sooooooo.

(Oh, and one more note: I’ve now discovered why he ALWAYS wears that hat.)

Two members of Kenny Chesney's stage crew escaped injury Wednesday (Aug. 13) in a tour bus accident in Ridgeland, Miss., a community located 10 miles north of Jackson. Chesney was not aboard the bus, and the only other passenger -- the driver -- was not injured. Police said the bus belonged to Corona Extra, the beer company that sponsors Chesney's current Poets & Pirates tour. The accident occurred on Interstate 55 around 7:30 a.m. when the bus collided with a car which crashed into a concrete barrier. The car's driver was taken to a hospital in Jackson. Chesney had been in Jackson earlier this week to participate in the New Orleans Saints' football training camp. The bus was traveling south on its way to Chesney's Thursday night (Aug. 14) concert in New Orleans.

Thanks to Kenny Chesney, the New Orleans Saints will be given a day off from their training camp in Jackson, Miss. Chesney was at the camp on Monday (Aug. 11) to join the Saints during practice for a second year. Before Chesney suited up and hit the field, coach Sean Payton told the players he would cancel Sunday's (Aug. 17) practice if Chesney caught a punt. On his third try, the singer grabbed a 45-yard kick from punter Steve Weatherford. "I quit growing too young to ever think about getting to have a shot at playing even in college, so this is about the most fun I can have," Chesney said. "It's like having a lot of these players come out and sing with us during 'Back Where I Come From.' ... Sometimes just having the moment to feel what it's like to do it is the greatest feeling in the world." Chesney performs Thursday (Aug. 14) at the New Orleans Arena.