There's no shortage of tearjerkers in country music, but singer-songwriter Chance McKinney prefers to keep it light.
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McKinney, who recently released his new single "Built to Last," says he's always been drawn to upbeat country anthems, from Tim McGraw's bittersweet lost love anthem "Something Like That" to Jake Owen's summer romance "Barefoot Blue Jean Night."
"I'd say 'Something Like That' (McGraw, 1999), 'Honkytonk Badonkadonk' (Trace Adkins, 2005) and 'Barefoot Blue Jean Night' (Owen, 2011) are the greatest influences on me. Those three songs were truly influential towards me and the music I choose to write and sing," McKinney says. "All three of 'em border on quirky, but every single one of 'em are a 'feel good.' And, all I've ever wanted to do is 'feel good' and deliver 'feel good.' I just love smiling and seeing smiles returned on stage. I'll leave the tear-jerkers to other artists. As for me, I don't need another reason to cry."
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McKinney was working as a high school math teacher when he won the grand prize in CMT's Music City Madness contest with his original song "Be Real."
The Montana-born artist previously opened for acts such as Rascal Flatts and Kenny Chesney as part of the country band Nathan Chance. He's since toured and shared the stage with Dierks Bentley, Luke Bryan, Dwight Yoakam, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Alan Jackson and more.
For more information on Chance McKinney, visit his official website.
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