Kenny Alphin
Encyclopedia
William Kenneth Alphin (born in Culpeper
, Virginia on November 1, 1963) is an American country music
singer, known professionally as Big Kenny. He and John Rich
comprise the duo Big & Rich
, which has recorded three studio albums for Warner Bros. Records
and has charted ten singles on the Billboard
Hot Country Songs
charts.
Before Big & Rich, Big Kenny recorded a solo album, Live a Little
, for Hollywood Records
in 1999 (although it was not released until 2005) and fronted a band called luvjOi. Kenny has also written or co-written several of Big & Rich's songs with Rich, as well as singles for Gretchen Wilson
, Jason Aldean
, McBride & the Ride
and Tim McGraw
. His first solo single, "Long After I'm Gone
," was released to country radio on August 3, 2009 and is included on the album The Quiet Times of a Rock and Roll Farm Boy
.
in 1999 and recorded the album Live a Little
for the label. The album's release was delayed repeatedly, and was ultimately canceled, with Hollywood Records retaining control of the songs for five years and ultimately releasing it in 2005. One of its songs, "Under the Sun", was featured in the soundtrack
to the 2001 film Gun Shy
.
After departing the label, he founded the band luvjOi, which included Adam Shoenfeld (guitar
), Larry Babb (drums) and Justin Tocket (bass guitar
). Although luvjOi had a degree of local success, including the single "Discoball" and two albums, the band eventually broke up.
, formerly the bass guitarist and co-lead vocalist of Lonestar
. The two founded Big & Rich
in the early 2000s after years of collaboration, including co-writing McBride & the Ride
's 2002 single "Amarillo Sky
" as well as "She's a Butterfly", an album cut for Martina McBride
.
Big & Rich signed to Warner Bros. Records
in 2004. The duo recorded three studio albums for the label: Horse of a Different Color
(2004), Comin' to Your City
(2005) and Between Raising Hell and Amazing Grace
(2007), as well as two EP
s and ten single
s, including the Number One hit "Lost in This Moment
". In 2011, Kenny rejoined John Rich to release the single Fake I.D.
, an association of singer-songwriters which also included Shannon Lawson
, Gretchen Wilson
and Cowboy Troy
.
, which was rated number 13 on the 30 Best Country Albums of 2009 by Roughstock. Kenny also became a judge on the television talent show Can You Duet
. Kenny released several non-album singles during this period.
, Jason Aldean
, McBride & the Ride
, Martina McBride
and Tim McGraw
.
Big Kenny's co-writing credits also include "Here for the Party
" for Gretchen Wilson and "Hicktown
" for Jason Aldean
(who also released a cover
of "Amarillo Sky"). He is also the sole writer of Tim McGraw
's Number One hit "Last Dollar (Fly Away)
".
In October 2007, Big Kenny traveled to Darfur
, Sudan
to deliver medical and educational supplies. He also traveled back to Akon, a remote village in Northern Bahl Ghazel in Sudan for a similar Mission together with My Sisters Keeper Group
In January 2010, Big Kenny traveled to Haiti to assist in the rescue efforts in the aftermath of the Haitian earthquake.
Culpeper, Virginia
Culpeper is an incorporated town in Culpeper County, Virginia, United States. The population was 9,664 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Culpeper County. Culpeper is part of the Culpeper Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Culpeper County. Both the Town of Culpeper and...
, Virginia on November 1, 1963) is an American country music
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...
singer, known professionally as Big Kenny. He and John Rich
John Rich (musician)
John Rich is an American country music singer-songwriter. From 1992 to 1998, he was a member of the country music band Lonestar, in which he played bass guitar and alternated with Richie McDonald as lead vocalist...
comprise the duo Big & Rich
Big & Rich
Big & Rich is an American country music duo composed of Big Kenny and John Rich. Both members alternate as lead vocalists and play rhythm guitar...
, which has recorded three studio albums for Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
and has charted ten 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...
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.
Before Big & Rich, Big Kenny recorded a solo album, Live a Little
Live a Little (Big Kenny album)
Live a Little is a solo album recorded by American singer Big Kenny, prior to his joining John Rich in the duo Big & Rich. Recorded in 1999 for Hollywood Records, the album was not released until 2005, after Big & Rich had released their debut album...
, for Hollywood Records
Hollywood Records
Hollywood Records is an American record label owned by Disney Music Group, a subsidiary of the Walt Disney Company.-History:Hollywood Records was founded in 1989 by then-Disney CEO Michael Eisner with the idea of expanding the music operations of the company and to develop and promote...
in 1999 (although it was not released until 2005) and fronted a band called luvjOi. Kenny has also written or co-written several of Big & Rich's songs with Rich, as well as singles for Gretchen Wilson
Gretchen Wilson
Gretchen Frances Wilson is an American country music artist. She made her debut in 2004 with the Grammy Award-winning single "Redneck Woman," a number-one hit on the Billboard country charts. The song served as the lead-off single of her debut album, Here for the Party...
, Jason Aldean
Jason Aldean
Jason Aldine Williams is an American country music singer, known professionally as Jason Aldean. Since 2005, Aldean has recorded for Broken Bow Records, an independent record label for which he has released four albums and twelve singles...
, McBride & the Ride
McBride & the Ride
McBride & the Ride was an American country music band initially composed of Terry McBride , Ray Herndon and Billy Thomas . The group was founded in 1989 through the assistance of record producer Tony Brown...
and Tim McGraw
Tim McGraw
Samuel Timothy "Tim" McGraw is an American country singer and actor. Many of McGraw's albums and singles have topped the country music charts with total album sales in excess of 40 million units in the US, making him the eighth best-selling artist, and the third best-selling country singer, in the...
. His first solo single, "Long After I'm Gone
Long After I'm Gone
"Long After I'm Gone" is the title of a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Big Kenny, one-half of the duo Big & Rich. The song was released to country radio on August 18, 2009 as his debut single as a solo artist, where it debuted at #57 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country...
," was released to country radio on August 3, 2009 and is included on the album The Quiet Times of a Rock and Roll Farm Boy
The Quiet Times of a Rock and Roll Farm Boy
The Quiet Times of a Rock and Roll Farm Boy is the second solo album by American country music artist Big Kenny, one-half of the duo Big & Rich. It was released on November 10, 2009, via Big Kenny's own Love Everybody label...
.
Before Big & Rich
Before Big & Rich, Big Kenny was signed to Hollywood RecordsHollywood Records
Hollywood Records is an American record label owned by Disney Music Group, a subsidiary of the Walt Disney Company.-History:Hollywood Records was founded in 1989 by then-Disney CEO Michael Eisner with the idea of expanding the music operations of the company and to develop and promote...
in 1999 and recorded the album Live a Little
Live a Little (Big Kenny album)
Live a Little is a solo album recorded by American singer Big Kenny, prior to his joining John Rich in the duo Big & Rich. Recorded in 1999 for Hollywood Records, the album was not released until 2005, after Big & Rich had released their debut album...
for the label. The album's release was delayed repeatedly, and was ultimately canceled, with Hollywood Records retaining control of the songs for five years and ultimately releasing it in 2005. One of its songs, "Under the Sun", was featured in the soundtrack
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
to the 2001 film Gun Shy
Gun Shy (film)
-Plot:Charlie Mayeaux is an undercover DEA agent suffering from anxiety and gastrointestinal problems after a bust gone wrong. During the aforementioned incident, his partner was killed and he found himself served up on a platter of watermelon with a gun shoved in his face just before back-up...
.
After departing the label, he founded the band luvjOi, which included Adam Shoenfeld (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...
), Larry Babb (drums) and Justin Tocket (bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
). Although luvjOi had a degree of local success, including the single "Discoball" and two albums, the band eventually broke up.
Big & Rich
By this point in his career, Big Kenny had befriended John RichJohn Rich (musician)
John Rich is an American country music singer-songwriter. From 1992 to 1998, he was a member of the country music band Lonestar, in which he played bass guitar and alternated with Richie McDonald as lead vocalist...
, formerly the bass guitarist and co-lead vocalist of Lonestar
Lonestar
Lonestar is an American country music group consisting of Richie McDonald , Michael Britt , Keech Rainwater , Dean Sams , and Michael Hill . McDonald left the band in November 2007 for a solo career before returning in 2011...
. The two founded Big & Rich
Big & Rich
Big & Rich is an American country music duo composed of Big Kenny and John Rich. Both members alternate as lead vocalists and play rhythm guitar...
in the early 2000s after years of collaboration, including co-writing McBride & the Ride
McBride & the Ride
McBride & the Ride was an American country music band initially composed of Terry McBride , Ray Herndon and Billy Thomas . The group was founded in 1989 through the assistance of record producer Tony Brown...
's 2002 single "Amarillo Sky
Amarillo Sky (song)
"Amarillo Sky" is the title of a country music song written by Big Kenny and John Rich , along with Rodney Clawson and Bart Pursley. It was originally recorded by the band McBride & the Ride and released as a single in 2002 from their album Amarillo Sky...
" as well as "She's a Butterfly", an album cut for Martina McBride
Martina McBride
Martina McBride is an American country music singer and songwriter. McBride has been called the "Céline Dion of Country Music" for her big-voiced ballads and soprano range....
.
Big & Rich signed to Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
in 2004. The duo recorded three studio albums for the label: Horse of a Different Color
Horse of a Different Color (Big & Rich album)
-Additional musicians:*Brian Barnett – drums*Steve Brewster – drums*Dennis Burnside – keyboards*Owen Hale – drums*Mike Johnson – steel guitar*Wayne Killius – drums, shaker, peanut can*Duncan Mullins – bass guitar*Matt Pierson – bass guitar...
(2004), Comin' to Your City
Comin' To Your City
In later presses of the album, "8th of November" was split into two tracks: one for Kris Kristofferson's opening and another for the song itself.-Big & Rich:*Big Kenny – vocals*John Rich – vocals, acoustic guitar-Additional musicians:*Max Abrams – saxophone...
(2005) and Between Raising Hell and Amazing Grace
Between Raising Hell and Amazing Grace
-Album:-Singles:-Certifications:...
(2007), as well as two EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
s and ten single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
s, including the Number One hit "Lost in This Moment
Lost in This Moment
"Lost in This Moment" is a single by country music duo Big & Rich. It is the first single from their third studio album, Between Raising Hell and Amazing Grace. The single became their first Number One hit on the Billboard country charts in mid-2007...
". In 2011, Kenny rejoined John Rich to release the single Fake I.D.
Muzik Mafia
Big & Rich also founded the MuzikMafiaMuzikMafia
The MuzikMafia was an informal collection of American country music artists, founded in October 2001 in Nashville, Tennessee by Big Kenny and John Rich , along with Jon Nicholson and Cory Gierman....
, an association of singer-songwriters which also included Shannon Lawson
Shannon Lawson (singer)
Shannon Lawson is an American country music artist. He is also a member of the MuzikMafia, a collection of country musicians known for their "music without prejudice"....
, Gretchen Wilson
Gretchen Wilson
Gretchen Frances Wilson is an American country music artist. She made her debut in 2004 with the Grammy Award-winning single "Redneck Woman," a number-one hit on the Billboard country charts. The song served as the lead-off single of her debut album, Here for the Party...
and Cowboy Troy
Cowboy Troy
Troy Lee Coleman III is an American musician, better known by his stage name Cowboy Troy, who performs country rap. He is a member of the MuzikMafia, an aggregation of country music singer-songwriters whose membership also includes Big & Rich, Gretchen Wilson and James Otto...
.
Recent solo career
Big Kenny went on hiatus in 2008, as Kenny had to rehabilitate a neck injury that occurred when he was hit by a drunk driver in 2001. He launched his official online community at www.bigkenny.tv in mid-2009. There, he made his first solo single, "Long After I'm Gone", available as a free download. It was released to radio in August 2009 as the first single from his second solo album, The Quiet Times of a Rock and Roll Farm BoyThe Quiet Times of a Rock and Roll Farm Boy
The Quiet Times of a Rock and Roll Farm Boy is the second solo album by American country music artist Big Kenny, one-half of the duo Big & Rich. It was released on November 10, 2009, via Big Kenny's own Love Everybody label...
, which was rated number 13 on the 30 Best Country Albums of 2009 by Roughstock. Kenny also became a judge on the television talent show Can You Duet
Can You Duet
Can You Duet is an American reality-competition show airing on CMT. The show is produced by FremantleMedia, the same company that produced American Idol.The show premiered on April 14, 2008 and the first season ended on June 13, 2008....
. Kenny released several non-album singles during this period.
Glotown
In 2009 Big Kenny started his own record label: Glotown Records. Big Kenny's role within the label is to serve as Chief Imagination Officer while the rest of the label is composed of Kim Davidson, David Wright, Bigger Pictures Entertainment, RMP Management, Murph & Cassidy PR and CAA Booking Agency. The label was launched in an effort to make music that changes lives. Glotown's first non-album online release, "Cry With You," was released on February 15, 2009.Love Everybody Traveling Musical Medicine Show
On April 16, 2010 Big Kenny launched his first solo nation-wide tour, the Love Everybody Traveling Musical Medicine Show. The tour launched in Agora Hills, CA at the Canyon Club and introduced the world to Big Kenny's new band: ex-Counting Crows and Third Eye Blind drummer Steve Bowman, guitar virtuoso Jesse Howard, former Will Hogue multi-instrumentalist Devin Malone and Nashville veteran Jerry Navarro.Songwriter
Kenny has also written or co-written several of Big & Rich's songs with Rich, as well as singles for Gretchen WilsonGretchen Wilson
Gretchen Frances Wilson is an American country music artist. She made her debut in 2004 with the Grammy Award-winning single "Redneck Woman," a number-one hit on the Billboard country charts. The song served as the lead-off single of her debut album, Here for the Party...
, Jason Aldean
Jason Aldean
Jason Aldine Williams is an American country music singer, known professionally as Jason Aldean. Since 2005, Aldean has recorded for Broken Bow Records, an independent record label for which he has released four albums and twelve singles...
, McBride & the Ride
McBride & the Ride
McBride & the Ride was an American country music band initially composed of Terry McBride , Ray Herndon and Billy Thomas . The group was founded in 1989 through the assistance of record producer Tony Brown...
, Martina McBride
Martina McBride
Martina McBride is an American country music singer and songwriter. McBride has been called the "Céline Dion of Country Music" for her big-voiced ballads and soprano range....
and Tim McGraw
Tim McGraw
Samuel Timothy "Tim" McGraw is an American country singer and actor. Many of McGraw's albums and singles have topped the country music charts with total album sales in excess of 40 million units in the US, making him the eighth best-selling artist, and the third best-selling country singer, in the...
.
Big Kenny's co-writing credits also include "Here for the Party
Here for the Party (song)
"Here for the Party" is a song recorded by American country music artist Gretchen Wilson for her debut album, Here for the Party. The song was released as the album's second single in 2004, and was Wilson's second chart entry on the country charts...
" for Gretchen Wilson and "Hicktown
Hicktown
"Hicktown" is the title of a song recorded by American country music artist Jason Aldean. It was released in March 28, 2005 as the debut single from his self-titled album...
" for Jason Aldean
Jason Aldean
Jason Aldine Williams is an American country music singer, known professionally as Jason Aldean. Since 2005, Aldean has recorded for Broken Bow Records, an independent record label for which he has released four albums and twelve singles...
(who also released a cover
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of "Amarillo Sky"). He is also the sole writer of Tim McGraw
Tim McGraw
Samuel Timothy "Tim" McGraw is an American country singer and actor. Many of McGraw's albums and singles have topped the country music charts with total album sales in excess of 40 million units in the US, making him the eighth best-selling artist, and the third best-selling country singer, in the...
's Number One hit "Last Dollar (Fly Away)
Last Dollar (Fly Away)
"Last Dollar "is the title of a country music song written by Big Kenny, one half of the duo Big & Rich. It was recorded by Tim McGraw for his 2007 album Let It Go...
".
Personal life
On January 23, 2005, he married Christiev Carothers. She has two sons from a previous marriage: Christopher Carothers, Cameron Carothers, and together they have one son, Lincoln William Holiday Alphin, born on November 2, 2005. On September 17, 2010, Big Kenny and Christiev announced they had adopted a second son, Dakota Jefferson Holiday Alphin, in July 2010.In October 2007, Big Kenny traveled to Darfur
Darfur
Darfur is a region in western Sudan. An independent sultanate for several hundred years, it was incorporated into Sudan by Anglo-Egyptian forces in 1916. The region is divided into three federal states: West Darfur, South Darfur, and North Darfur...
, Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
to deliver medical and educational supplies. He also traveled back to Akon, a remote village in Northern Bahl Ghazel in Sudan for a similar Mission together with My Sisters Keeper Group
In January 2010, Big Kenny traveled to Haiti to assist in the rescue efforts in the aftermath of the Haitian earthquake.
Studio albums
| Title | Details | Peak chart positions | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country |
US Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
||||||||
| Live a Little Live a Little (Big Kenny album) Live a Little is a solo album recorded by American singer Big Kenny, prior to his joining John Rich in the duo Big & Rich. Recorded in 1999 for Hollywood Records, the album was not released until 2005, after Big & Rich had released their debut album... |
|
— | — | ||||||
| The Quiet Times of a Rock and Roll Farm Boy The Quiet Times of a Rock and Roll Farm Boy The Quiet Times of a Rock and Roll Farm Boy is the second solo album by American country music artist Big Kenny, one-half of the duo Big & Rich. It was released on November 10, 2009, via Big Kenny's own Love Everybody label... |
Bigger Picture Music Group Bigger Picture Music Group, formerly Big Picture Music Group, is an independent record label based in Nashville, Tennessee founded in 2008. It is distributed by Atlantic Records in the USA. Their main focus is in country music... |
37 | 197 | ||||||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | |||||||||
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak 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... |
|||||||||
| 1999 | "Under the Sun" | — | Gun Shy (soundtrack) | ||||||
| 2009 | "Long After I'm Gone Long After I'm Gone "Long After I'm Gone" is the title of a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Big Kenny, one-half of the duo Big & Rich. The song was released to country radio on August 18, 2009 as his debut single as a solo artist, where it debuted at #57 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country... " |
34 | The Quiet Times of a Rock and Roll Farm Boy |
||||||
| 2010 | "To Find a Heart" | — | |||||||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | |||||||||
Guest singles
| Year | Single | Artist | Peak 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... |
|||||||||
| 2011 | "Beautiful Lies" | Jaron and the Long Road to Love Jaron and the Long Road to Love Jaron David Lowenstein is an American singer who formerly recorded with his identical twin brother, Evan, in the musical duo Evan and Jaron. As Jaron and the Long Road to Love, he released his debut single, "Pray for You," to country radio in November 2009... |
— | TBD | |||||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | |||||||||
Music videos
| Year | Video | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | "Long After I'm Gone" | Christian Holiday/Big Kenny |
| "Wake Up" | ||
| 2010 | "Cry with You" | |
| 2011 | "Beautiful Lies" (with Jaron and the Long Road to Love Jaron and the Long Road to Love Jaron David Lowenstein is an American singer who formerly recorded with his identical twin brother, Evan, in the musical duo Evan and Jaron. As Jaron and the Long Road to Love, he released his debut single, "Pray for You," to country radio in November 2009... ) |
Jaron Lowenstein |