NASHVILLE, TN  [Tuesday May.30.2006]  /WMQT.com/ -- Kenny Chesney is an artist whose rise to superstardom was aided greatly by opening act slots with big stars from his friend, Tim McGraw to George Strait.

Over the past few years Kenny's has been the one to provide an opening slot for talented stars, like Sara Evans, Keith Urban, Rascal Flatts and more, all of whom praise him for treating them so well while on his tour.

Back stage at the ACM awards last week, we asked him how he feels about his opening acts that were picking up awards and saying such nice things about him. Kenny was pleased to hear they were praising him and said, "When I first got started, I went out and opened for people that ... how do I say this? I'll try to choose my words correctly here. They didn't mean a fraction to country music as much as they thought they did. I'm not naming names, but that's just the way it is. They treated us like crap."

Kenny continues, "I told my band and my crew and everybody on the bus, 'If we ever get to where we are the main attraction, we are not going to do what just happened to us tonight.' I'm very proud of Keith Urban and I'm very proud of Rascal Flatts for winning those awards tonight because those guys are like family. We spent two years on the road together, and I saw those guys more than I did my mom and dad and the people who really are my family. When they win and they give me a hug and say thanks, I know they mean it."

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