Mark Chesnutt was a major force in the revival of the old-fashioned honky tonk sound made famous by such stars as George Jones and Merle Haggard. Born in Beaumont, Texas, Mark, the son of country singer Bob Chesnutt, began learning to play guitar at age five. He made his professional debut around age 16 when he began performing with his father's band. Chesnutt dropped out of high school to become a full-time musician, but later heeded his parents' advice and got his diploma. Chesnutt began playing throughout Texas for the next decade; he and his group, which included future solo star Tracy Byrd, eventually became the house band at Cutters nightclub in Beaumont.

Chesnutt made his recording debut on the AXBAR label in San Antonio, releasing a number of local singles. After signing to MCA, he released "Too Cold at Home," a Top Five hit. The album of the same name was released soon afterward and went gold by 1991. He had his first number one hit with Paul Craft's "Brother Jukebox" in 1991.Over the next two years, the album produced three more Top Ten hits. Chesnutt's second album, Longnecks and Short Stories, went gold less than seven months after its 1992 release and contained several hits, including the number one singles "Old Flames Have New Names" and "I'll Think of Something," and had his first crossover hit with "Bubba Shot the Jukebox." His 1993 album Almost Goodbye went gold four months after its release and again Chesnutt had a string of hits on his hand, including the number one hit "I Just Wanted You to Know." Both 1994's What a Way to Live and 1995's Wings also proved successful. Thank God for Believers followed in 1997, and two years later Chesnutt returned with I Don't Want to Miss a Thing.