Little Big Town
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Little Big Town |
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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 Roads Schlapman, Jimi Westbrook, and Phillip Sweet. The quartet is known for its prominent use of vocal harmonies, with all four members alternating as lead singers.[1]
After a failed deal with the Mercury Nashville Records label, Little Big Town released its first album, also titled Little Big Town, on Monument Records in 2002. By 2005, the group had been signed to Equity Music Group, an independent record label owned by country music artist Clint Black. Their second album, The Road to Here, was released that year; it produced consecutive Top Ten singles in "Boondocks" and "Bring It on Home". A Place to Land is the title of their third album, released in 2007.
To date, Little Big Town has charted eight singles on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs charts (including a Christmas single which was made available only as a download). The Road to Here received platinum certification in the United States, while its lead-off single "Boondocks" received a digital gold certification.
Musical career
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.[1] 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.
2002-2004: Debut
Little Big Town's first record deal was with Mercury Nashville Records; however, no singles or albums were released on that label, due to creative disputes.[1][2] By 2002, Little Big Town was signed to Monument Records. Their first album, also named Little Big Town, was released that year. Its first single, "Don't Waste My Time", reached a peak of #33 on the Billboard country music charts, while the second single, "Everything Changes", stalled at #42.
Jimi's father passed away in 2002, just after the group's first album was released. Karen and Phillip both divorced shortly afterward, and the group was dropped from Monument's roster. The four members all took up day jobs to earn additional money, although they continued to tour as well.[2]
2005-present: Switch to Equity
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 was released on Equity in May of that year; entitled "Boondocks", the song slowly climbed the country music charts, where it reached a peak of #9. "Boondocks" served as the first of four singles the group's second album, The Road to Here, which was released in the United States on October 4, 2005.
"Bring It on Home", the second single from The Road to Here, became Little Big Town's first Top 5 hit on the country charts in 2006. It was followed by "Good as Gone" and "A Little More You", both of which entered Top 20. By the end of 2006, The Road to Here had been certified platinum for selling more than one million copies in the United States.
A Place to Land is the title of Little Big Town's third studio album, released in the United States on November 6, 2007. Its lead-off single, "I'm With the Band", has entered the charts. Its second single, "Novocaine" is set for release in 2008.
Personal lives
![[icon]](/wiki/File:Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg?lang=en){kind=small} | This section needs expansion with: more referenced info on their personal lives, but keep it reasonable. You can help by adding to it. (December 2007) |
Karen Fairchild and Jimi Westbrook secretly married on May 31, 2006, although their marriage was not revealed until two months later.[3]
Kimberly Roads was married to Stephen Schlapman on November 28, 2006;[4] she gave birth to a baby girl, Daisy Pearl Schlapman, on July 27, 2007. [5]
Phillip Sweet married Rebbeca Arthur, a business owner and wardrobe stylist, on 30 March 2007. Arthur gave birth to daughter Penelopi Jane on December 27 2007 at 5:47 p.m. at the Baptist Hospital in Nashville.[6]
Discography
Albums
| Year | Album | Chart Postions | RIAA | Record Label | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | US 200 | US Indie | ||||
| 2002 | Little Big Town | 40 | Monument | |||
| 2005 | The Road to Here | 12 | 51 | 1 | Platinum | Equity |
| 2007 | A Place to Land | 10 | 24 | 3 | ||
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart Positions | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | US Hot 100 | |||
| 2002 | "Don't Waste My Time" | 33 | Little Big Town | |
| "Everything Changes" | 42 | |||
| 2005 | "Boondocks"A | 9 | 46 | The Road to Here |
| 2006 | "Bring It on Home" | 4 | 58 | |
| "Go Tell It on the Mountain" | 35 | single only | ||
| "Good as Gone" | 18 | The Road to Here | ||
| 2007 | "A Little More You" | 20 | 101 | |
| "I'm With the Band" | 32 | A Place to Land | ||
| 2008 | "Novocaine"B | |||
- A "Boondocks" also peaked at #56 on U.S. Hot Digital Songs and #59 on U.S. Pop 100, and has been certified gold in the U.S.
- B Failed to chart.
References
- ^ a b c Ruhlmann, William. "Little Big Town biography". All Music Guide. Retrieved 2007-12-16.
- ^ a b c d e Mansfield, Brian (2006-10-22). "Success no longer on Town's outskirts". USA Today. Retrieved 2007-12-16.
- ^ "Little Big Town Members Announce Marriage". Great American Country. 2006-07-11. Retrieved 2007-12-16.
- ^ "Little Big Town's Kimberly Roads Weds". Great American Country. 2006-12-7. Retrieved 2007-12-16.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "It's a Girl for LBT's Kimberly Roads!". Great American Country. 2007-07-30. Retrieved 2007-12-16.
- ^ Little Big Town's Phillip & Rebecca Sweet Have a Daughter - Little Big Town, Babies : People.com