Line #25 Music/BigAndRich


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/big_rich_435_c4cfed8abc1844f09b52a1805ee444d0.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:Left - William "Big Kenny" Kenneth Alphin\
3	Right - John Rich]]
4	One of the more unexpected CountryMusic successes of the first decade of the 21st century.
5
6	Prior to the duo's foundation, both members had some experience in the field: William Kenneth "Big Kenny" Alphin had recorded a rock album in 1998 and had performed in a band called [=luvjOi=], while John Rich was bassist and occasional lead vocalist in Music/{{Lonestar}} on their first two albums. The two unlikely musicians began writing together in 1998. After Rich had an unsuccessful solo album, the pair founded the [=MuzikMafia=], a loose aggregation of performers including Music/CowboyTroy, James Otto, Gretchen Wilson, and Shannon Lawson.
7
8	The first break for Big & Rich was penning "She's a Butterfly" for Music/MartinaMcBride in 2003. A year later, Big & Rich were signed to Creator/WarnerBrosRecords. While their lead single "Wild West Show" made some noise, it was the rap- and rock-influenced "Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy)" that turned the most heads in Nashville that year. The unlikely success of the song, combined with Rich's songwriting and production success on Wilson's "Redneck Woman" which blew up around the same time, resulted in the duo's debut album ''Horse of a Different Color'' selling triple-platinum. For a time, Big & Rich were heralded as a new and fresh sound in the genre.
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10	''Comin' to Your City'' saw minor success in its rocking title track and the tender wartime ballad "8th of November", while ''Between Raising Hell and Amazing Grace'' saw the duo's sound growing tired, even if the album produced their only #1 hit in "Lost in This Moment". During this timespan, Rich continued to serve in several capacities as a producer and songwriter for acts such as Music/{{Jewel}}, John Anderson, and Music/{{Alabama}} lead singer Randy Owen. After a 2008 hiatus, both Big Kenny and John Rich recorded solo material, with Rich achieving a minor hit on the ProtestSong "Shuttin' Detroit Down". Their 2012 reunion album ''Hillbilly Jedi'' bombed, so they exited Warner and instead opted for a series of quietly-performing, independently-released albums. These later albums have found the duo's sound toned down somewhat, but the impact of "Save a Horse" was felt for many years afterward in the genre's shift toward rap and rock influences for most of TheNewTens.
11
12	!Albums
13	* ''Horse of a Different Color'' (2004)
14	* ''Big & Rich's Super Galactic Fan Pak'' (EP) (2004)
15	* ''Comin' to Your City'' (2005)
16	* ''Between Raising Hell and Amazing Grace'' (2007)
17	* ''Big & Rich's Super Galactic Fan Pak 2'' (EP) (2008)
18	* ''Hillbilly Jedi'' (2012)
19	* ''Gravity'' (2014)
20	* ''Did It for the Party'' (2017)
21
22	! Big Kenny solo releases
23	* ''Live a Little'' (2005, recorded in 1998)
24	* ''The Quiet Times of a Rock and Roll Farm Boy'' (2010)
25	* ''Big Kenny's Love Everybody Traveling Musical Medicine Show Mix Tape, Vol. 1'' (2011)
26
27	! John Rich solo releases
28	* ''Rescue Me'' (2001)
29	* ''Underneath the Same Moon'' (2006, recorded in 1999)
30	* ''Son of a Preacher Man'' (2009)
31	* ''Rich Rocks'' (EP) (2011)
32	* ''For the Kids'' (EP) (2011)
33
34	!Tropes present in their work:
35	* CallBack: "Party Like Cowboyz" features the lyric "I'm feeling like Tonto ridin' a pinto", a reference to their debut single "Wild West Show".
36	* CerebusSyndrome: ''Gravity'' was praised for focusing more on the ballads.
37	* CountryRap: Many of the songs on their first album, such as "Rollin'" (which features Music/CowboyTroy) and "Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy)" feature strong rap influences.
38	* DoubleEntendre: Pretty much all of "Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy)".
39	* EarlyBirdCameo: On Music/MartinaMcBride's "She's a Butterfly".
40	* EverythingIsAnInstrument: Near the end of "Wild West Show", the percussionist can be heard shaking a peanut can.
41	* FadingIntoTheNextSong: "Rollin'" fades into "Wild West Show".
42	* GenreMashup: Their style mixes country, hard rock, and hip-hop, as codified by "Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy)".
43	* LaterInstallmentWeirdness: ''Gravity'' was dominated by ballads.
44	* NonAppearingTitle: "Saved".
45	* SingerNameDrop: Many of which double as a StealthPun:
46	** "Rollin' (The Ballad of Big & Rich)": Cowboy Troy's name is shouted before his verse, and one of the other verses has "I'm a crazy son of a [[SoundEffectBleep BAD WORD]] / But I know I'm gonna make it big and rich."
47	** "Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy)": "...havin' ourselves a big and rich time."
48	** "Filthy Rich" has two: "Me and my friends were talkin' 'bout that, ol' Freddy, Bill, and Sonny" (writers Freddy Powers, Bill [=McDavid=], and Sonny Throckmorton). Also, the last chorus performs a LyricSwap to "Everybody's trying to get big and rich off of somebody else's money".
49	* SoloSideProject: During the hiatus at the beginning of TheNewTens, both halves of the duo released solo albums. Rich followed his with two more extended plays.
50	* SongStyleShift: "Real World" shifts from a silly midtempo to an upbeat, heavily voiced, WordSaladLyrics-driven B-section.
51	* SopranoAndGravel: Most of their songs feature John Rich's high wispy tenor against Big Kenny's theatrical, crooning bass-baritone.
52	* StealthPun: Several on their name. "Rollin'" also has the line "Charley Pride was the man in black / Rock and roll used to be about Music/JohnnyCash".
53	* VocalTagTeam: Big Kenny and John Rich seem to split the lead vocals pretty evenly.
54	* AWildRapperAppears: Cowboy Troy on "Rollin'". He comes back, uncredited, at the end of "Kick My Ass".

Context Music / BigAndRich