A couple of dudes tear it up and find success. Not everybody appreciates Big Kenny and John Rich’s collaborative songwriting.
Under the name Big & Rich, the multiplatinum pop-country duo has changed the face of Nashville since “Horse of a Different Color” hit shelves in mid-2004.
But regardless of what you think about songs such as “Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy)” or “8th of November,” it’s almost impossible not to admire the spirit in which they were created. Big & Rich were seasoned Nashville songwriters long before they met each other, but they’re also just a couple of dudes tearing it up – as their fans will see when the duo plays tonight in Pueblo at the Colorado State Fair and Saturday afternoon at Copper Mountain Resort.
“Kenny and I are planning on taking a couple of trips – we actually met the bartender while taking a trip,” Rich said recently, referencing the South Dakota bartender/Vietnam veteran who was the inspiration behind the battle-themed ballad “8th of November,” the duo’s current single. “Their stories are in our songs, and we discovered them by rocking around the country.
“He and I are going to Mexico in the winter to see what in the world we run into. We’ve been so busy we haven’t been able to do it. But we’re gonna dig it up, tear it up, turn it upside down and see what we have left. We have an arsenal of new material, but we also want to find these stories that are out there.”
Big & Rich have had a busy summer. They played 25 shows in August, and when they’re not on the road, they’re writing and producing for themselves and others. Ask Big or Rich what they’re doing at any given moment, and you’ll always get a different answer – but no matter the reply, it will only reinforce these guys’ overarching influence in mainstream country.
“I just got off tour and walked right into the studio with Gretchen Wilson,” Rich said earlier this week, referring to his friend, longtime collaborator and the woman whose career he helped jump-start. “We’re working on her third record, and she’ll be putting it out in early ’07. We’re finishing it up now, and it’s classic Gretchen Wilson: She’s rocking your face, great lyrics, great voice. I’m producing it with her. I wrote about half of it with her, and she wrote on every single song.”
Rich co-wrote “Redneck Woman” with Wilson. In May 2004, the single that started it all was the first by a female artist to top the Billboard country singles chart in more than two years. Whether you love or hate Wilson, her role as a successful female in such a male-dominated world is significant. And Rich is partially to thank.
“We’re songwriters first and foremost,” Rich said. “‘Save a Horse,’ ‘Comin’ to Your City,’ those are all about Kenny and I tearing it up. But then you meet a veteran telling a story like (the one portrayed in ‘8th of November’), and we’re honored we got to meet the guy and write about it. It broadens what we do as songwriters and performers.”
The jingoistic “8th of November” has altered people’s perception of Big & Rich, who truly are best known for the super-sized, boot-stompin’ country anthems that are their bread and butter. To make a modern rock analogy, “8th of November” is their sobering “Under the Bridge” or “Boulevard of Broken Dreams.” One listen and you’ll know the melody pat, but only then will you realize the unrelentingly patriotic sadness within.
“It shows people the other side of what we do,” Rich said. “A gentleman who was our bartender in South Dakota told us a story about him and his brigade, the 173rd Airborne, in Vietnam. They were ambushed and everyone was killed save for him and two other men. Big Kenny and I wrote his story down. We’re still in contact with him. We saw him two shows ago in Ohio, presented him with the American flag and said the Pledge of Allegiance.”
Ever since the release of their sophomore record, “Comin’ to Your City,” the duo has been overwhelmed by the reaction to the song, which falls in line with the rest of the patriotic country music that has thrived in the post-Sept. 11 period. Country radio picked it up, and the fans love it. But members of the 173rd Airborne, past and present, have been uniquely touched by Big & Rich’s retelling of Nov. 8, 1965.
“It feels like you’re giving something back to the guys who gave so much for us,” Rich said. “They were willing to go out there and fight, and since we were fortunate enough to not ever go out and do that, we as songwriters feel honored to be able to show our respect this way for what they did.”
The hit is yet another accomplishment for Big & Rich, whose follow-up to their 2-million-selling debut went platinum in January. They’re not only stirring up Nashville, they’re riling up country music.
“People’s perception of what country music is has changed,” said Rich, who has been integral to the launch and branding of country rapper Cowboy Troy, whose debut is nearly (and curiously) gold.
He maintains that country music offers a much wider range of music than listeners hear on most other radio formats.
“Flip to a country station, and you have something that is slammin’ like hard rock and then you have Alison Krauss and then Shania and the real pop stuff. To me that’s why country record sales are up by a pretty large percentage.
“Country music is growing where nothing else is growing. That diversity is why we’re gaining listeners and nobody else is.”
Pop music critic Ricardo Baca can be reached at 303-954-1394 or rbaca@denverpost.com.
Big & Rich
The pop-country duo plays two Colorado shows this weekend.
PUEBLO|Colorado State Fair Events Center, Pueblo; 8 p.m., tonight with Cowboy Troy. Other acts playing the State Fair this year are Los Lonely Boys, REO Speedwagon and Paul Wall. The fair runs through Monday. Check coloradostatefair.com for schedules and more information. |$20-$30|Ticketmaster, 303-830-8497 or ticketmaster.com.
COPPER MOUNTAIN|Copper Country Main Stage, Copper Mountain; 3:45 p.m., Saturday with Cowboy Troy|$22-$35|Ticketmaster, 303-830-8497 or ticketmaster.com.
