Little Big Town.docx
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Little Big Town
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Little Big Town
Little Big Town performing live on February 28, 2008. (L-
R: Jimi Westbrook, Karen Fairchild, Phillip Sweet,
Kimberly Schlapman)
Background information
Origin Homewood, Alabama, USA
Genres Country
Years active 1998 –present
Labels MercuryNashville, Monument,Equity, Capitol
Records Nashville
Associated
acts
Clint Black, Jake Owen,Sugarland, Carrie
Underwood,Keith Urban
Website http://www.littlebigtown.com
Members Karen FairchildKimberly Schlapman
Phillip Sweet
Jimi Westbrook
Little Big Town is an American country music vocal group. Founded in 1998, the group has
comprised the same four members since its inception: Karen Fairchild, Kimberly Schlapman,
Jimi Westbrook, and Phillip Sweet. The quartet's musical style relies heavily on four-part vocal
harmonies, with all four members alternating as lead singers.[1]
Westbrook and Sweet also
play rhythm guitar.
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After a recording deal with the Mercury Nashville Records label which produced no singles or
albums, Little Big Town released their self-titled debuton Monument Records in 2002. It
produced two minor country chart singles before the group left the label. By 2005, the group
had been signed toEquity Music Group, an independent record label owned by Clint Black.
Their second album, The Road to Here, was released that year. Certifiedplatinum in the US, it
produced consecutive Top Ten singles on the country charts in "Boondocks" and "Bring It On
Home". A Place to Land is the title of their third album, released in 2007. This album's first
single, "I'm with the Band", was a Top 40 hit on the country charts. Shortly after its release, the
group was transferred to Capitol Records Nashville, which acquired the rights to A Place to
Land and released "Fine Line" and "Good Lord Willing" as its second and third singles,
respectively. The latter song is new to the re-release. 2010's The Reason Why , their first
release exclusively for Capitol, produced the Top 10 hit "Little White Church", while
2012's Tornado produced their first number 1 hit in "Pontoon".
Little Big Town have charted 14 songs on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts. This figure
includes a Christmas single which was made available only as a download, and a live cover of
"Life in a Northern Town" (along with Sugarland and Jake Owen) which charted in 2008 based
on unsolicited airplay.
Contents
[hide]
1 Musical career
o 1.1 Early years
o 1.2 2000-2002: Little Big Town
o 1.3 2005-2009: The Road to Here and A Place to Land
o 1.4 2010-present: The Reason Why , Commercial Success and Tornado
2 Tours
3 Personal lives
4 Musical stylings
5 Discography
6 Awards and nominations
o 6.1 CMA Awards
o 6.2 ACM Awards
o 6.3 CMT Music Awards
o 6.4 GRAMMY Awards
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o 6.5 American Country Awards (ACA)
o 6.6 Teen Choice Awards
o 6.7 Daytime Emmy Awards
7 References
8 External links
Musical career[edit]
Early years[edit]
In the mid-90s, Karen sang with the Christian vocal group Truth and was featured as a lead
singer in a few of their songs. She also formed a duo called KarenLeigh with Leigh Cappillino
(from the group Point of Grace). KarenLeigh produced the singles, "Save it For a Rainy Day"
and "This Love Has". In 1987, while attending Samford University in the state of Alabama,
singers Kimberly Roads and Karen Fairchild met. Eventually, the two moved to Nashville,
Tennessee, where they reunited and began singing together.[2]
Jimi Westbrook, a friend of
Fairchild's husband, joined Roads and Fairchild in 1998.[3]
The three singers began performing
as a trio, eventually rehearsing with Gary LeVox and Joe Don Rooney, both of whom would
eventually become members of the country pop group Rascal Flatts.[2]
By 1999, Phillip Sweet
was added as the fourth member of the group, which by then had chosen the name Little Big
Town.
2000-2002: Little Big Town[edit]
Little Big Town's first record deal was with Mercury Nashville Records. The quartet did not
release any singles or albums on the label.[2][3]
In 2001, they sang backing vocals on Collin
Raye's album Can't Back Down.[4]
Also, Sweet and Roads co-wrote the song "Back Where I
Belong" on Sherrié Austin's 2001 album Followin' a Feelin' .[5]
A second contract, this time with Monument Records Nashville, began in 2002. The band's first
album, Little Big Town, was released that year. It produced the singles "Don't Waste My Time"
and "Everything Changes", which respectively peaked at number 33 and number 42 on the
US Billboard country charts. Westbrook's father died in 2002, just after the group's first album
was released. Fairchild and Sweet both divorced their respective spouses shortly afterward,and the group exited Monument when the label's Nashville branch was dissolved. The four
members all took up day jobs to earn additional money, although they continued to tour as
well.[2]
2005-2009: The Road to Here and A Place to Land [edit]
In 2005, Little Big Town was signed to Equity Music Group, a label started and partially owned
by country music singer Clint Black.[2]
Their third single, "Boondocks", was released in May,
peaking at number nine in January 2006. "Boondocks" served as the first of four singles from
the group's second album, The Road to Here, which was released on October 4, 2005. "Bring ItOn Home," the second single from the album, became Little Big Town's first Top 5 hit on the
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Hot Country Songs chart. It was followed by "Good as Gone" and "A Little More You", both of
which were Top 20 hits. By the end of 2006, The Road to Here had been certified Platinum in
the United States. Unlike their first album, the group's members co-wrote the majority of the
songs on The Road to Here along with producer Wayne Kirkpatrick. In 2007, the group sang
backing vocals on John Mellencamp's Freedom's Road album.[6]
Little Big Town released A Place to Land , their third studio album and second with Equity, on
November 6, 2007. Its lead-off single, "I'm with the Band," peaked at number 32 on the
country charts. On April 23, 2008, Little Big Town announced it was leaving Equity for Capitol
Nashville.[7]
Shortly afterward, they charted along with Sugarland and Jake Owen on a live
cover of The Dream Academy's "Life in a Northern Town". This live recording, taken from
Sugarland's 2007 tour, reached number 28 on the country charts based on unsolicited airplay.
In October 2008, Capitol re-released A Place to Land , which added four new songs, and the
label promoted two further singles from the album in "Fine Line" and "Good Lord Willing."
In the fall of 2008, Little Big Town opened up for Carrie Underwood on her Carnival RideTour to support the album, before starting their first headlining tour in 2009. Their tour began
in January in Jacksonville, Florida and continued through April.[8]
Fairchild recorded a duet with Mellencamp on his 2008 album, Life, Death, Love and Freedom.
The song, "A Ride Back Home," was released as the album's third single and is accompanied by
a music video. Fairchild also duets with Mellencamp on "My Sweet Love" and appears in its
music video, from the same album.
Little Big Town was nominated for Vocal Group Of The Year for the fourth year in a row on the
2009 CMA Awards.
2010-present: The Reason Why , Commercial Success and Tornado[edit]
In March 2010, the group released a new single titled "Little White Church", as the lead-off
single to their fourth studio album and first completely new album on Capitol Nashville, The
Reason Why , which was released on August 24, 2010. "Little White Church" peaked at number
6 on the country charts. The album produced two additional singles in "Kiss Goodbye" and the
title track, but both failed to reach the Top 40 and peaked at number 42 on the Hot Country
Songs chart.
The album's title track was released as a digital single on July 27, 2010, to begin an iTunescountdown to the album release on August 24, 2010. Three further digital singles — "Kiss
Goodbye", "Why, Oh Why", and "All the Way Down" — were released weekly leading up until
the album release. Also, in promotion of The Reason Why , Little Big Town went on tour as an
opening act forSugarland on The Incredible Machine Tour, as well their own The Reason Why
Tour.
Little Big Town's fifth studio album, Tornado, was released on September 11, 2012. It was
produced by Jay Joyce, who is known for producing Eric Church. "Pontoon" was released as the
album's lead single on April 30, 2012, and became their first Number One hit on the Hot
Country Songs chart in September 2012. It also was Little Big Town's highest showing on the
Hot 100, and their first single to receive a Platinum certification. The title track was released as
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the album's second single on October 1, 2012. The song debuted at number 47 on Billboard' s
Hot Country Songs chart one week before impact and reached number 2 on the Country
Airplay chart in 2013. At the 55th Grammy Awards, "Pontoon" won the Grammy
Award for Best Country Duo/Group Performance.[9]
The album was certified gold by
the RIAA in December 2012.[10]
The band joined Rascal Flatts on their Changed Tour, along with Eli Young Band and Edens
Edge, for dates spanning summer 2012. They played at the C2C: Country to Country festival in
London on March 16, 2013.[11]
The album's third single, "Your Side of the Bed", was sent to country radio on April 8, 2013.
The band sings background vocals on Ashley Monroe's 2013 single, "You Got Me", featured on
her 2013 release, Like a Rose. Group member Karen Fairchild co-wrote the song with
Monroe.[12]
The song failed to chart.
The album's fourth single, "Sober", was released September 30, 2013. The band providesharmony vocals on David Nail's 2014 album, I'm a Fire, on the song "When They're Gone (Lyle
County)", co-written by Brett Eldredge.
Tours[edit]
Still Alive in 06 with Keith Urban
CMT On Tour: Change for Change Tour 2007 with Sugarland & Jake Owen
George Strait 2008 Arena Tour: with George Strait
The Waking Up Laughing Tour 2007-2008 with Martina McBride (Leg 1 &3)
Carnival Ride Tour with Carrie Underwood (Fall Leg)
A Place To Land Tour with Zac Brown Band and Ashton Shepherd
The Incredible Machine Tour 2010 with Sugarland & Randy Montana (Fall Leg)
The Incredible Machine Tour 2011 with Sugarland, Matt Nathanson & Casey
James (Spring Leg)
Revolution Continues Tour 2011 with Miranda Lambert (Few Dates)
The Reason Why Tour 2011
Changed Tour 2012 with Rascal Flatts, Eli Young Band & Edens Edge
Tornado Tour 2013 with David Nail & Kacey Musgraves
Light the Fuse Tour 2013 with Keith Urban & Dustin Lynch
Personal lives[edit]
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Karen Fairchild and Jimi Westbrook married on May 31, 2006, although their marriage was not
disclosed until two months later. The couple welcomed their first child, a son (Elijah Dylan
Westbrook), on March 5, 2010, in Nashville.
Kimberly Roads was married to Stephen Schlapman on November 28, 2006,[13]
and gave birth
to a daughter (Daisy Pearl Schlapman) on July 27, 2007.[14] She now goes by her husband's lastname, Schlapman.
[15] Kimberly was previously married to Steven Roads, who died from a heart
attack in 2005. He was also the band's lawyer.[16]
Phillip Sweet married Rebecca Arthur, a business owner and wardrobe stylist, on March 30,
2007. Arthur gave birth to a daughter (Penelopi Jane Sweet) at 5:47 p.m. CT on December 27,
2007, at the Baptist Hospital in Nashville.[17]
Musical stylings[edit]
Little Big Town's musical stylings are defined by four-part vocal harmonies. Unlike most vocal
groups, Little Big Town does not feature a set lead singer.[3] Instead, their songs are either led
by any one of the four members, or by all four in varying combinations (such as on
"Boondocks" and "Life in a Northern Town").
Discography[edit]
Main article: Little Big Town discography
Albums
2002: Little Big Town
2005: The Road to Here
2007: A Place to Land
2010: The Reason Why
2012: Tornado
Awards and nominations[edit]
CMA Awards[edit]
Year Nominated Work Category Result
2006
Themselves
Horizon Award Nominated
Vocal Group of the
YearNominated
2007 Horizon Award Nominated
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Vocal Group of the
Year
Nominated
2008 "Life in a Northern Town"(with Sugarland & Jake
Owen)
Musical Event of the
YearNominated
2009
ThemselvesVocal Group of the
Year
Nominated
2010 Nominated
2011 Nominated
2012
Won
"Pontoon"
Single of the Year Won
Music Video of the
YearNominated
2013
Song of the Year Nominated
"Tornado" Album of the Year Nominated
"Tornado"
Music Video of the
Year Nominated
ThemselvesVocal Group of the
YearWon
ACM Awards[edit]
Year Nominated Work Category Result
2006
Themselves
Top New Vocal
Duo/Group Nominated
Top Vocal Group Nominated
2007
Top New Vocal
Duo/GroupWon
Top Vocal Group
Nominated
2008 Nominated
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"Life in a Northern Town"(with Sugarland & Jake
Owen)Vocal Event of the Year
Nominated
2009
Nominated
Themselves Top Vocal Group
Nominated
2010 Nominated
2011 Nominated
2013
Won
"Pontoon" Single of the Year Nominated
Tornado Album of the Year Nominated
"Tornado" Music Video of the Year Won
CMT Music Awards[edit]
Year Nominated Work Category Result
2006 "Boondocks" Duo/Group Video of the
YearNominated
2007 "Good as Gone" Group Video of the Year Nominated
2009"Life in a Northern Town"(with Sugarland &
Jake Owen)
Collaborative Video of the
YearNominated
CMT Performance of the
YearNominated
2011 "Little White Church" Group Video of the Year Nominated
2012 "Fix You" CMT Performance of the
YearNominated
2013
"Pontoon" Group Video of the Year Nominated
"Tornado" Video of the Year Nominated