Big & Rich: The Year Of Living Dangerously

Since the release of their 2004 debut, Horse Of A Different Color, nearing triple-Platinum, these two Music City veterans have helped to change preconceptions about Country Music, what it is, who makes it and who will enjoy it. Their wildly diverse sound helps them appeal to audiences outside the traditional Country listenership, even as their Music Row-trained sense of songcraft ropes in hardcore Country fans. That audience has grown with the November 2005 release of their sophomore album, Comin' To Your City, and the flowering of MuzikMafia, the groundbreaking Nashville musical movement that included them, rapper Cowboy Troy, Gretchen Wilson and a roster of other promising talent.

At the core of Big & Rich's success is the combustible chemistry between Big Kenny and Rich. "They're total

March 28, 2006

Big & Rich: The Year Of Living Dangerously

By Chris Neal

Being Big & Rich can be dangerous.

"I sliced my finger open on a disco ball one time," observed John Rich, seated next to partner Big Kenny (Alphin) in the conference room at the Warner Bros. Records Nashville office. "You've gotta be really careful."

"I slit my hand picking up a piece of guitar you'd smashed on the stage," Alphin said to his partner, pointing out the still-visible scar. "I went to grab it and pick it up to hand it to someone in the audience, and the edge just slit three fingers. Razor sharp!"

"I did that a couple times myself," replied Rich, nodding his head.

Very few Country acts would have occasion to incur these kinds of onstage injuries. But then, few have ever offered a stage show that includes disco balls, guitar smashings and the other outrageous antics that mark a Big & Rich show.

opposites, philosophically and emotionally," said Warner Bros. Nashville Chief Creative Officer Paul Worley, who signed them to the label and co-produced both albums along with the duo. "Each one of them has an opposite view of how the world works. And yet they both have this sort of genius mentality about them, and somehow they found a lot of common ground in their beliefs, and the value of an eclectic approach to music.

"You've really got yin and yang joined together in Big Kenny and John Rich. When that happens, there's always something powerful that comes out of that situation."

Worley was first captured by Big & Rich's distinctive songwriting and interlacing harmonies during a meeting in his office. They had written a song ("She's A Butterfly") for Martina McBride's Worley-produced Martina album, and he summoned them to hear what else they had to offer. There was quite a bit, as it turned out. "When the two of them walked in and sat down with their acoustic guitars and sang me 'Wild West Show,' 'Holy Water,' 'Love Train' and four or five more songs, and I heard those two voices, and they started telling me about MuzikMafia. I just went, 'Holy God, I have got to be a part of this, whatever it is,'" Worley said.

What it turned out to be was a freewheeling mix of Country, rock, rap and even club dance music. Interesting, but not a surefire recipe for a mainstream hit. "My hope was that it was so far outside that it would be inside," Worley chuckled, "and that's what happened."

Big & Rich have yet to enjoy a Top 10 entry on Billboard's Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart. But they have nonetheless found their audience, selling more than 2.6 million copies of Horse Of A Different Color with help from their jaw-dropping live show and heavy play for their colorful videos, especially the club favorite "Save A Horse (Ride A Cowboy)."

Comin' To Your City has repeated that success, led by its thumping title track, a statement of purpose whose chorus sums up their life's work: "We're comin' to your city, gonna play our guitars and sing you a Country song ... If you want a little bang in your yin-yang, come along."

"We're comin' to your city, and you're welcome to come to the party," Big Kenny elucidated. "That chorus was just our expression of what our plan was, what we were hoping to do at that time as writers and artists."

Like their debut, Big & Rich's new album features a dizzying variety of material, from fist-pumpers like the title tune and "Soul Shaken" plus the willfully weird opening of "The Freak Parade."

"The album begins with probably one of the hardest-driving, most fun songs that's ever been in music, 'Comin' To Your City,' and ends with probably the most serious song we've ever recorded, '8th Of November,'" Big Kenny observed.

The latter song, featuring narration from Country Music Hall of Fame member Kris Kristofferson, is a recounting of the Vietnam experiences of the duo's friend Niles Harris. Big & Rich recently traveled to that country to film an upcoming documentary about the incident that inspired the lyrics.

"This is such an important piece of work for us," Rich said. His partner agreed. "We hope and intend that their story will be told in a big way, and that those guys will eventually get the kind of homecoming they should have," said Big Kenny, who with wife Christiev welcomed their first child, Lincoln William Holiday Alphin, on Nov. 2.

The documentary is only one manifestation of the duo's widescreen sense of ambition. They've also opened their own Warner Bros. imprint, Raybaw Records. The name is an acronym for "Red And Yellow, Black And White," summing up their multicultural, all-inclusive aesthetic. The first release on the label was Cowboy Troy's Country-rap (or "hick-hop," as Troy calls it) debut album, Loco Motive, which has sold more than 300,000 copies despite practically zero radio play. He is the new co-host of the popular USA Network TV talent contest "Nashville Star."

"There's a lot of really big things coming up with him this next year," promised Rich. "A lot of big opportunities happening. It's time for Cowboy Troy to make his mark, and that's what he's doing."

Former Mercury Nashville artist James Otto is now recording his first album for Raybaw, with Rich producing. "We have other plans for Raybaw," Worley said. "It's already profitable, and they want to keep going. We have other artists in the wings that we want to bring out. We hope that Raybaw becomes a destination label because of its unique point of view: music without prejudice."

And of course, Big & Rich themselves will keep right on comin' to your cities. This year will bring the duo's first headlining tour, although Rich said his guitar-smashing days might soon be numbered. "I've grown out of it a little bit," he admitted with a laugh. "It gives me a chance to get a little bit of my angst out, but I don't have much angst anymore. Kenny tells me that in another 10 years I'll be pretty much over it."

On the Web: www.bigandrich.com