Big & Rich formed in Nashville around 1998, when ex-
Lonestar vocalist
John Rich began collaborating with songwriter Big Kenny (real name: Kenny Alphin, who'd once led an outfit called luvjOi). The duo established a performers' roundtable at a local dive, and the event -- dubbed the "Muzik Mafia" -- soon gained a reputation for its casual eclecticism and notable special guests. The Mafia nights continued over the next few years, running concurrently with solo material issued by both artists, until 2003, when
Martina McBride recorded Alphin and
Rich's song "She's a Butterfly" for her self-titled effort and the duo landed a record deal of their own with Warner Bros.' Nashville outlet.
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Big & Rich debuted in February 2004 with "Wild West Show," a bold and modern country-rocker that displayed their unique high-low harmony vocals. When the
Horse of a Different Color LP dropped later that spring, its Nashville polish was salted with Muzik Mafia irreverence (sample song title: "Kick My Ass").
Different Color eventually topped the Billboard
country chart and hit number six on the Billboard 200, and made bona fide stars out of
Big & Rich. But it was success on the duo's own terms, not Nashville's. After all, their album free-associated
country-pop with
hip-hop, and there was a dance remix of the hit single "Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy)" on the resulting collection, Super Galactic Fan Pak. But
Big & Rich's success revealed
country audiences' willingness to accept sounds that were broader and brasher than the usual
contemporary country product, and they capitalized on that with the smash hit 2004 debut of Muzik Mafia protégée
Gretchen Wilson. (
Rich produced
Here for the Party, and wrote or co-wrote many of its songs.)
Big & Rich returned in November 2005 with
Comin' to Your City, a gaudy record that hit the Top Ten and depicted the duo as pied pipers for their own mischievousness. The single "Lost in This Moment" announced the arrival of their 2007 album
Between Raising Hell and Amazing Grace, which featured guest appearances from
John Legend and
Wyclef Jean along with a cover version of
AC/DC's "You Shook Me All Night Long." ~ Johnny Loftus, All Music Guide
