Kenny Chesney Premieres ESPN’s ‘Color Orange’ in Knoxville
Kenny Chesney was in Knoxville, Tenn., on Wednesday (February 16) to premiere his documentary, 'The Color Orange: The Condredge Holloway Story.' Kenny, along with filmmaker and music video director Shaun Silva, produced, directed and narrated the one-hour film about the former University of Tennessee quarterback, the first starting African-American quarterback in the Southeastern Conference (SEC).
The event at the Tennessee Theater in Knoxville included an orange carpet (paying tribute to the University of Tennessee, of course), a screening of the film and a question-and-answer session. Showing up at the screening were several former coaches and players including Jason Witten, Phillip Fulmer, Bill Battle and Derek Dooley, as well as some of Kenny's pals such as Indianapolis Colts' quarterback Peyton Manning, former Tampa Bay Buccaneers and NFL commentator Jon Gruden and actor and UT graduate David Keith.
This is the second production for ESPN in which the four-time CMA Entertainer of the Year has been involved. The first was the football documentary 'The Boys of Fall,' which chronicled what the sport meant to some of the biggest names in the sport, including Joe Namath, Brett Favre and Condredge Holloway. The obvious connection shown in the first documentary between Kenny and the former Vols star was what sparked the idea of another film documenting Holloway's story.
"I saw in Kenny a real passion for storytelling," Executive Producer of ESPN's Content Development John Dahl says of the singer and why he was asked to produce a second documentary for the sports network. "I thought the possibility of Kenny telling the life story of his boyhood hero might appeal to him. It took a lot for him to do this ... yet, he decided he wanted to tell this story. He was inspired by Condredge, and everything timed out just right. We had this Year of the Quarterback initiative coming up. We had an opening for a documentary for not only that, but for Black History month, and Kenny told this story, and he had just enough time to do this ... I'm thrilled with how it's turned out. It's poignant. You learn a lot about somebody that you should know about."
On the field, Condredge made history as the first black starting quarterback in the SEC and led the Vols to three bowl games between 1972 and 1974. He later became a star player in the Canadian Football League and has since been inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame. He returned to UT in an administrative position in 1998 and is now assistant athletics director. Off the field, he endured racist comments and unjust treatment, and it was the way he dealt with those issues that also attracted Kenny, who wore Condredge's No. 7 jersey in an elementary school picture, to tell the story of the man himself, despite having very little time in which to do it.
"When ESPN called me, we had just finished 'The Boys of Fall,' and I was going to take the next three or four months off and learn how to surf or do something before I went back on tour and got my day job back," Kenny tells The Boot. "And then they called, literally, it was right after, and said, 'We want you guys to make a film on Condredge Holloway, but we want it out in February.' I was sitting on the edge of my pool and my head just dropped. [heavy sigh] But I thought, 'You know what? I have to do this.' I called Shaun and said, 'You're never going to believe the call I just got, and I know what your reaction is going to be,' because we had been looking at football footage for 18 months straight. But we have a chance to make a film, a very important film, way past 'The Boys of Fall.' We have a chance to make a film that's going to mean a lot to generations of people who were emotionally invested in Tennessee football, in college football and who understood Condredge's story and his journey and his adversity. That was more important than us being a little tired."
When Kenny first approached his sports hero to take part in 'The Boys of Fall,' Condredge thought he was just a huge football fan, not a hugely successful country artist who plays to millions of fans each year. "I had no idea who he was," Condredge admits to The Boot. "But he's such a great guy and he was so passionate about football. The more I got to know him, when [I found out who he really was], I said, 'What is this guy wanting to do with me? He's a star! He's hanging with a washed-up football player?' We just hit it off, and he has been so open and honest about his feelings for football and my jersey and watching me play. So, when he came to me with an idea, I said, 'Kenny, if you want to do it and you're going to be in control of it, I'll do it.' I was really comfortable with Kenny, and it was just like we were having a conversation."
Kenny feels there is a very important message to the film, beyond just the story itself. "There's so many life lessons in Condredge's story that I've learned from," he says. "When people watch this film, the one thing I want them to take away from watching it is that we all have adversity in our life, all of us. We all have hurdles. God knows I've had them, and I don't think I've handled it as good as Condredge did his. Making this film, makes me want to be a better person, better friend, better all the way around ... to be able to tell this man's story and to learn from it and to apply it to your life, I didn't expect that. I didn't expect to get that much from it."
The college football story also touched Kenny's friend and filmmaker Shaun Silva. "It inspired me because here's a guy who had a dream, and he knew what it was and everything he had coming against him to pursue that dream, he didn't let it stop him," he tells The Boot. "He just kept on. He kept pursuing that dream, and at the end of the day, what more could you ask for? An opportunity. It really is about opportunities."
During the panel afterward, former University of Tennessee star Peyton Manning stood up to ask Condredge a question. "I assume you've seen [the film] before tonight, and I just want to know the first time you watched it, what was your reaction and emotion?" asked the 2006 Super Bowl MVP. "I know I was crying tonight, and I know you had to have cried when you saw it the first time. So, I want to know your reaction. And Kenny and Shaun, I just want to thank y'all for letting everyone know what a great player Condredge Holloway was and what a true legend he was."
An emotional Condredge replied, "This is the first time I've seen it, and yeah, it got me."
As tired as Kenny was when he started the project, it did not matter as the story began to unfold. "Once we got into it, little did I know that it was going to give me more energy than I thought I could ever have," he says. "Once we started this process and realized what we had a chance to do, the creative energy was just unbelievable. I'm so glad we did it, and I wouldn't trade it for anything."
'The Color Orange: The Condredge Holloway Story' premieres Sunday, February 20 at 8:00 PM ET on ESPN.
Watch Kenny's 'The Boys of Fall' Video Below
More From TheBoot
