Chesney humbled by Grammy nomination

"Once I knew I'd found a place to do 'Down The Road,' I knew I wanted to capture the essence of what Mac was writing about... because it's a quiet song about the way love grows in small towns," Chesney said. "It was less is more; but when you've got Mac McAnally singing with you, what else do you really need? And Mac was gracious enough to come in and be a part of this song on my record."

Basically one acoustic guitar and the two men's voices, Down the Road topped the charts for two weeks. The song - originally written on a Christmas morning as McAnally was waiting for his children to wake up and open their presents - earned them a Country Music Association nomination for Vocal Event of the Year and serving as one of the centerpieces of Chesney's special one hour edition of PBS' acclaimed series "Austin City Limits."

"Some things are just magic and you know," said Chesney. "I knew the first time I heard Mac sing this on his Simple Life record... the same place I heard 'Back Where I Come From.' It gets inside and lets you understood everything about life you don't even realize."

"So it makes sense the Grammy people - who're from all musical genres - would recognize this song and the heart Mac brings. For a little record like this - as big as country radio can be - to spend a couple weeks at the top of the charts, it touched people. So I'm honored to share this with my friend."

The song was the final single from" Lucky Old Sun," a more personal project from Chesney.

"I'm blessed by the wonderful friends I've found through music and how generously they've shared their talent, songs and lives with me," Chesney said. "When something like a Grammy nomination happens for something that was just an honor, I can only feel humbled - and grateful."