Kenny Chesney‘s new album, Life On A Rock, is available in stores this next Tuesday and features a lot of very personal songs inspired by his time in the U.S. Virgin Islands and, specifically, on St John.  Since this part of the world is so precious to Kenny, he’s decided to donate a portion of the proceeds from Life on a Rock to the Friends of the US Virgin Islands National Park.  Chesney, who first came to the Virgin Islands over 15 years ago for a video shoot, found St John to be a 'safe harbor in the craziness' and a place that grounded him in the beauty of the ocean and the shores of the national parks. 

According to ABC News Radio Kenny says, “As the world becomes more developed, protecting these wild places is going to become harder — and the cost of maintaining them needs to be covered.”

He adds, “If you’ve ever seen the trees, the oceans from a ridge, the way it all tangles together, you realize how important making sure lands like this exist for the people who come after us is.”

The songs on Life on a Rock are just as personal to Kenny as his passion for preserving the Virgin Islands.  In fact, his album’s closing track, “Happy on the Hey Now (A Song for Kristi),” was so emotional for Kenny to write and record, he had to do multiple takes in the studio to get it right.

“I still don’t think I’m done with it,” Kenny says of the song, which was inspired by the death of his friend Kristi.  “I would get in the studio, and I would either be very emotional or, it was just hard.” The Hey Now referred to in the song is a boat Kenny and his friends, including Kristi, would ride around the islands.  Paying tribute to her memory to close out this album seemed appropriate to Kenny.

Kenny's website states:  "Our national parks are one of those things you might not think about." Chesney explains. "But once they're gone, you can't get them back, so protecting and maintaining them is so important. I know: I've spent hours in these parks, on these trails and beaches. Over the years, they've been a big part of my time away from the road, and I think they're a great sanctuary for all of us. To me, to connect these songs with something so special is both an honor and a chance to call awareness to the Friends of the Park."