Renee Zellweger, Kenny Chesney Get Married

LOS ANGELES - Oscar-winning actress Renee Zellweger and country music star Kenny Chesney were married Monday in a small ceremony on the island of St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands, a publicist for Zellweger said.

The ceremony took place in front of close friends and family, Los Angeles-based publicist Nanci Ryder said in a statement. The bride wore a Carolina Herrera dress, she added.

The couple met at the Concert of Hope tsunami relief benefit Jan. 15, where Chesney was singing and Zellweger was answering telephones, the syndicated TV show "The Insider" reported.

Chesney, 37, lives on St. John, while Zellweger, who turned 36 two weeks ago, is from Katy, Texas.

Zellweger won a best supporting actress Oscar in 2004 for "Cold Mountain." She was nominated for Oscars for her work in "Chicago" and "Bridget Jones's Diary."

Chesney currently has two albums on Billboard's top 10 country albums chart, and his single "Anything But Mine" is No. 6 on the magazine's hot country songs list.

Chesney was named Country Music Association entertainer of the year in November, and his "When The Sun Goes Down" was named album of the year. His other hits include "Me and You" and "She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy."

According to Country Weekly magazine, Chesney long ago named Zellweger as his favorite actress and was inspired to write his 1999 hit "You Had Me From Hello" after seeing her in "Jerry Maguire."

Zellweger appeared at a recent Chesney concert in Jacksonsville, Fla., presenting him with a margarita and a kiss on stage, Country Weekly magazine reported.

Zellweger has dated White Stripes singer Jack White and "Me, Myself & Irene" co-star Jim Carrey.

Bio Compliments of CMT.com

Kenny Chesney was born March 26, 1968, in Knoxville, Tenn., and raised in nearby Luttrell. He attended college at East Tennessee State in Johnson City and became a fixture in the area's venues, including Chuckie's Trading Post and Quarterback's Barbecue. "The scene up there then was mostly blues, rock and folk," he recalls. "I was about the only one doing George Jones and Hank Jr. I got to where I had a pretty good following."

An awakening of sorts came when he went into the Classic Recording Studio in Bristol, Va. Backed by several musicians he knew from college (who are now the core of Alison Krauss' band), he recorded an album's worth of songs he'd written. When he pressed up a thousand copies, sold them all at his shows and made enough to buy a new Martin guitar, he realized he was onto something. A month after graduating from college with a degree in advertising, he headed down I-40 west to Nashville in early 1991.

The going was slow the first couple of years. He made the rounds of the publishing companies without much success. He went to see the only person he knew in the business, producer Kyle Lehning, who told him, "You've definitely got something, but it ain't there yet." The only steady gig he could find playing music was in a down and dirty honky-tonk called the Turf. This was on Nashville's storied Lower Broadway before the area was gentrified. In 1992, the head of publisher/writer relations at BMI set up an audition with Opryland Music Group. Chesney came out of the audition with a songwriter's contract.

A year or so later, an appearance at a songwriter's showcase led to a contract with Capricorn Records, which had recently started a country division. He'd had only a couple of modest chart singles when the label closed its Nashville office. But one of his 1994 singles, a song he wrote called "The Tin Man," stirred considerable interest up and down the Row, despite making it only to No. 70 on Billboard's country singles chart.

RCA's Joe Galante put in a call and not only offered Chesney a contract but also to buy the masters of his Capricorn album. Galante signed Chesney to RCA's affiliated label, BNA Records. His Capricorn album sold only about 100,000 units, but All I Need to Know (1995), his debut BNA disc, more than tripled that figure. Me and You (1996) was certified gold, I Will Stand (1997) was certified platinum and Everywhere We Go (1999) was certified double platinum.

Chesney also made headlines in 2000, when he hopped on a police officer's horse at a fair in New York state. Chesney said he had permission, but when the officer tried to pull him off, touring pal Tim McGraw blocked the policeman's efforts. Both men were acquitted for their alleged crimes -- Chesney for disorderly conduct, McGraw for obstructing governmental administration and resisting arrest. The publicity was priceless, as Chesney found himself with his highest media exposure to date.

His Greatest Hits (2001) reminded listeners of Chesney's consistent track record at country radio, selling more than 3 million copies. No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems (2002) catapulted him into the big leagues and played up his fascination with the islands. "The Good Stuff" and "Young" were massive country hits, and he continues to sell out arenas across the country. Along with a hugely successful tour in 2003, Chesney headlined a concert at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, filmed a behind-the-scenes DVD, and released the holiday album All I Want for Christmas is a Real Good Tan.

At the end of 2003, he rested atop the Billboard country singles chart with the hit "There Goes My Life," months before his latest studio album was released. In 2004, that album When the Sun Goes Down won a CMA Award, and Chesney captured the CMA entertainer of the year trophy. He offered Be As You Are: Songs From an Old Blue Chair, an introspective singer-songwriter album inspired by his love for the islands, in early 2005.

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