Big House (band)
Encyclopedia
Big House is an American country music
band based in Bakersfield, California
. Grounded in the Bakersfield Sound
, originally, the band consisted of Monty Byrom
(lead vocals, guitar
), David Neuhauser (guitar
, keyboard
), Chuck Seaton (guitar
), Tanner Byrom (drums), Sonny California (harmonica
), and Ron Mitchell (bass guitar
). Under this lineup, Big House recorded two albums for MCA Nashville: 1997's Big House and 1998's Travelin' Kind. These two albums produced four chart singles on the Billboard
country charts, including the #30 hit "Cold Outside."
After the release of their second album, all of the band's members departed except for Monty Byrom and David Neuhauser. Benny Rappa was then signed as the band's new drummer, and Steve Vines assumed the role of bass guitarist. The revamped lineup recorded one album for Dead Reckoning Records
before disbanding in 2000. The six original members reunited for concerts in 2007 and 2008, and released a fourth album in 2008 Never Ending Train.
) had all performed together in various lineups, Big House was not officially formed until 1995, when brothers Monty and Tanner Byrom first performed with four other musicians at a venue in Oildale, California
. After realizing that they all seemed to work well together, the six musicians decided to form a band. Monty Byrom, who had previously penned hit singles for Eddie Money
, assumed the role of lead vocalist and guitarist, while Tanner served as drummer; the other four original members included harmonica player Roy Lackey (who assumed the stage name Sonny California), bass guitarist Ron Mitchell, and guitarists David Neuhauser and Chuck Seaton.
. Big House was not well-received by Nashville until Neuhauser suggested that the band submit a demo tape to Tony Brown
, president of MCA Nashville Records. A demo tape was sent to the label, and by 1997, the re-tooled demo tape was issued as the band's debut album, also titled Big House. Three of the album's singles entered the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs
charts, including "Cold Outside", which peaked at #30. A second album, entitled Travelin' Kind, followed one year later; its lone single, "Faith", peaked at #63.
, an independent label owned by songwriters Kieran Kane
and Kevin Welch
. Big House disbanded shortly afterward. The six original members reunited in 2007 and 2008 for concerts in Bakersfield at Buck Owens' Crystal Palace, and released a fourth album in 2008, Never Ending Train.
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
band based in Bakersfield, California
Bakersfield, California
Bakersfield is a city near the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley in Kern County, California. It is roughly equidistant between Fresno and Los Angeles, to the north and south respectively....
. Grounded in the Bakersfield Sound
Bakersfield sound
The Bakersfield sound was a genre of country music developed in the mid- to late 1950s in and around Bakersfield, California. The many hit singles were largely produced by Capitol Records country music head, Ken Nelson. Bakersfield country was a reaction against the slickly produced, string...
, originally, the band consisted of Monty Byrom
Monty Byrom
Monty Curtis Byrom is an American rock, blues and country guitarist, singer, songwriter and producer. He fronted bands Billy Satellite, New Frontier, and the Academy of Country Music nominated Big House. Earlier in his career Byrom co-produced and co-wrote hit songs for Eddie Money while a...
(lead vocals, guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
), David Neuhauser (guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, keyboard
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
), Chuck Seaton (guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
), Tanner Byrom (drums), Sonny California (harmonica
Harmonica
The harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes...
), and Ron Mitchell (bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
). Under this lineup, Big House recorded two albums for MCA Nashville: 1997's Big House and 1998's Travelin' Kind. These two albums produced four chart singles on the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
country charts, including the #30 hit "Cold Outside."
After the release of their second album, all of the band's members departed except for Monty Byrom and David Neuhauser. Benny Rappa was then signed as the band's new drummer, and Steve Vines assumed the role of bass guitarist. The revamped lineup recorded one album for Dead Reckoning Records
Dead Reckoning Records
Dead Reckoning Records is an American independent record label specializing in country music. The label was established in 1994 by musicians Kevin Welch, Kieran Kane, Mike Henderson, Tammy Rogers and Harry Stinson as a way to produce their own records without the frustration of a major record...
before disbanding in 2000. The six original members reunited for concerts in 2007 and 2008, and released a fourth album in 2008 Never Ending Train.
Biography
Although its six members (all natives of Bakersfield, CaliforniaBakersfield, California
Bakersfield is a city near the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley in Kern County, California. It is roughly equidistant between Fresno and Los Angeles, to the north and south respectively....
) had all performed together in various lineups, Big House was not officially formed until 1995, when brothers Monty and Tanner Byrom first performed with four other musicians at a venue in Oildale, California
Oildale, California
Oildale is a census-designated place in Kern County, California, United States. Oildale is located north-northwest of downtown Bakersfield, at an elevation of 469 feet . The population was 32,684 at the 2010 census, up from 27,885 at the 2000 census...
. After realizing that they all seemed to work well together, the six musicians decided to form a band. Monty Byrom, who had previously penned hit singles for Eddie Money
Eddie Money
Eddie Money is an American rock guitarist, saxophonist and singer-songwriter who found success in the 1970s and 1980s with a string of Top 40 hits and platinum albums...
, assumed the role of lead vocalist and guitarist, while Tanner served as drummer; the other four original members included harmonica player Roy Lackey (who assumed the stage name Sonny California), bass guitarist Ron Mitchell, and guitarists David Neuhauser and Chuck Seaton.
Major-label debut
Throughout the 1990s, Big House played throughout their native state of California. They had also tried to make themselves known in Nashville, TennesseeNashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
. Big House was not well-received by Nashville until Neuhauser suggested that the band submit a demo tape to Tony Brown
Tony Brown (record producer)
Tony Brown is an American country music record producer.He was born in Greensboro, North Carolina.Brown played piano for Elvis Presley. He toured with the TCB Band for much of Presley's final two years and was a part of the 1976 "Jungle Room" recording sessions at Graceland...
, president of MCA Nashville Records. A demo tape was sent to the label, and by 1997, the re-tooled demo tape was issued as the band's debut album, also titled Big House. Three of the album's singles entered the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...
charts, including "Cold Outside", which peaked at #30. A second album, entitled Travelin' Kind, followed one year later; its lone single, "Faith", peaked at #63.
Membership changes and disbanding
After the release of their second album, however, most of Big House's members parted ways; Tanner Byrom and Chuck Seaton returned home to their families. Monty Byrom and Neuhauser then recruited Benny Rappa and Steve Vines, who took over on bass guitar and drums, respectively. The four-piece lineup recorded one album, Woodstock Nation, which was issued in 2000 on Dead Reckoning RecordsDead Reckoning Records
Dead Reckoning Records is an American independent record label specializing in country music. The label was established in 1994 by musicians Kevin Welch, Kieran Kane, Mike Henderson, Tammy Rogers and Harry Stinson as a way to produce their own records without the frustration of a major record...
, an independent label owned by songwriters Kieran Kane
Kieran Kane
Kieran Kane is an American country music artist, as well as the owner of Dead Reckoning Records, an independent record label. Between 1986 and 1990, he and Jamie O'Hara comprised The O'Kanes, a duo which charted seven singles on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles charts, including the Number...
and Kevin Welch
Kevin Welch
Kevin Welch is an American country music artist. He has charted five singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts and released eight studio albums...
. Big House disbanded shortly afterward. The six original members reunited in 2007 and 2008 for concerts in Bakersfield at Buck Owens' Crystal Palace, and released a fourth album in 2008, Never Ending Train.
Albums
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | US Heat Top Heatseekers Top Heatseekers refers to either of two separate "Breaking and Entering" music charts issued weekly by Billboard Magazine: the Heatseekers Albums chart or the Heatseekers Songs chart. They were introduced by Billboard in 1993 with the purpose of highlighting the sales by new and developing musical... |
||
| Big House |
|
33 | 21 |
| Travelin' Kind |
|
— | — |
| Woodstock Nation |
Dead Reckoning Records Dead Reckoning Records is an American independent record label specializing in country music. The label was established in 1994 by musicians Kevin Welch, Kieran Kane, Mike Henderson, Tammy Rogers and Harry Stinson as a way to produce their own records without the frustration of a major record... |
— | — |
| Never Ending Train |
|
— | — |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | |||
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions |
Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales... |
CAN Country RPM (magazine) RPM was a Canadian music industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. RPM ceased publication in November 2000.RPM stood for "Records, Promotion,... |
|||
| 1997 | "Cold Outside" | 30 | 16 | Big House |
| "You Ain't Lonely Yet" | 57 | 75 | ||
| "Love Ain't Easy" | 71 | — | ||
| 1998 | "Faith" | 63 | — | Travelin' Kind |
| 2000 | "I'm Movin' On I'm Movin' On (Hank Snow song) "I'm Moving On" is a 1950 country standard written by Hank Snow. The song, a 12-bar blues, reached #1 on the Billboard country singles chart and stayed there for 21 weeks, tying the record... " |
— | — | Woodstock Nation |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | ||||
Music videos
| Year | Video | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | "Cold Outside" | Jim Shea |
| "You Ain't Lonely Yet" | ||
| "Love Ain't Easy" | ||
| 1998 | "Faith" | |
| 2000 | "I'm Movin' On" | Robert Cuffley |
External links
- Big House at Dead Reckoning Records
- Monty Byrom official website
- Big House official website