Ever since Kenny Chesney spoke out about Peyton Manning “playing in their band” while on tour, I have found myself in a rabbit hole the last few days, deep diving into their friendship.
While Chesney is a friend to many people in the industry, including Taylor Swift, he seems like a good guy overall. His friendship with Manning goes way back. The two have been friends since meeting after a football game in the ’90s, and the rest is history. Manning is also a massive country music fan, so it just makes sense that he would be friends with someone like Chesney—two good ol’ Tennessee boys (Kenny grew up there, Peyton went to school there) who like to drink a little and have some fun.
After Manning’s days of touring with Chesney and ‘playing’ with the band, he was promoted to hit the studio with Chesney, which leads us to this gem of a clip. In 2003, Manning and Chesney re-recorded his 1994 hit “Whatever It Takes.” Last year, Knoxville’s WBIR Channel 10 released footage from the vault of the two in the studio cutting the track.
“In celebration of Peyton Manning’s 47th birthday, here is a behind-the-scenes look at the recording of “Whatever It Takes” by Kenny Chesney and the former UT quarterback.”
The two hit the studio, sharing a booth as Chesney re-recorded the single and Manning jumped on it for the first time. I will say it’s evident that his vocal skills are better than his guitar skills from the road…at least they plugged him in this time. Manning put the twang in his voice to good use, probably thanking his Louisiana roots for his Southern drawl as he laid down his lyrics.
“I hire me an airplane, have it paint your name up in the sky aboveI tell the world I’m yours, put it on a billboard out on the interstateIf it takes forever to get us togetherHoney I’ll do whatever it takes…”
During the bridge, the two cut loose and have some fun letting it rip on the air guitar (a much better fit for Manning).
This is straight-up gold from the archives… fire it up.
