Kenny Chesney and Bruce Springsteen teamed up to perform one epic duet. The two combined their talents to sing “This Land Is Your Land” at the star-studded Music America: The Songs That Shaped Us concert. Held in Monmouth, New Jersey, the event celebrated both America’s 250th anniversary and the upcoming opening of the Bruce Springsteen Center for American Music, which takes place on June 13. The Bruce Springsteen Center for American Music is located on the Monmouth University campus.

Chesney was part of an impressive list of artists performing at Music America: The Songs That Shaped Us, including Rosanne Cash, Shemekia Copeland, Dropkick Murphy’s, Valerie June, Keb’ Mo’, and Trombone Shorty.

“So grateful to join my friend Bruce Springsteen in celebrating the history of American music at the opening of his archives,” Chesney writes on social media. “I was honored to sing ‘This Land Is Your Land’ last night to fans of all kinds of music. Thanks again Bruce.”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Kenny Chesney (@kennychesney)

What Bruce Springsteen Says About Singing “This Land Is Your Land” With Kenny Chesney

In addition to singing with Chesney, Springsteen and Cash teamed up for “Deportee (Plane Wreck at Los Gatos),” another song written by Guthrie.

“What a night,” Springsteen said of the song (per Rolling Stone). “This is a song of Woody’s that could have been written yesterday. It’s so current, whether it’s Minnesota or Delaney Hall [ICE detention center] in Newark. This is happening now.”

Before Chesney and Springsteen performed “This Land Is Your Land,” Chesney sang Hank Williams’ “Mind Your Own Business.” “This Land Is Your Land” was written by Woody Guthrie and first released in 1945, although Springsteen says the song is as relevant today as it was more than 80 years ago.

“This song has been certainly the greatest folk song ever written about our beautiful country,” Springsteen said. “Let’s just do it.”

Later, Springsteen added that he was friends with Pete Seeger, who passed away in 2014.

“I knew Pete Seeger pretty good,” Springsteen said as he invited the audience to join in singing “This Land Is Your Land.” “I sang with him in Washington DC, at President Obama’s first inauguration. Pete’s ghost is in this room tonight. And Woody’s ghost is in this room tonight. Now Pete said, ‘A song ain’t worth nothing unless it’s useful, unless you can do something with it, and unless the people can sing.’ I’m going count you in. Pete’s listening, Woody’s listening, I’m f-ing listening.’”

Kenny Chesney’s New Single, “Carry On”

Chesney is putting the finishing touches on his next album, which includes his current single, “Carry On.”  Written by Chase McGill, Matt Jenkins, and Jessi Alexander, Chesney knew right away that it was the perfect way to introduce his new record.

“Sometimes you lock in, thinking a song is supposed to be one place, and you miss where it might fit better,” Chesney says of “Carry On.” “But the more I looked, the more I kept coming back to ‘Carry On,’ because even more stripped down and acoustic, you couldn’t miss what that chorus was saying. Like ‘American Kids’ or ‘Get Along,’ this is one of those songs that no matter what’s happening in your life, it lifts you up higher and tells you to get out there and really live.”