------Feature • Little Big Town------Unbreakable Bonds By Evan Gillespie bright. The group’s second album, The Road to Here, gave them two big singles – both Listen to Little Big Town’s harmonies “Boondocks” and “Bring It On Home” made and you’ll have no doubt that these four it into the Top 10 on the country charts – and singers are close. Find out a little more about the album went Platinum in the U.S. The them and it becomes clear that the bonds be- follow-up, A Place to Land, also produced tween the group’s members go deeper than a Top 40 single (“I’m with the Band”) and tightly meshed vocals. They’re co-writers got Little Big Town moved to a big label, and friends, a personal and professional sup- Capitol Nashville. port group that just happens to make great With success taking away some of the music together. pressure that comes with the uncertainty of It helps that they’ve been together a long being a new act, Little Big Town could relax time. Formed 12 years ago in Nashville, the a little when it came time to make their next group started out as an informal collaboration album. between Karen Fairchild “For the first time, and Kimberly Schlap- LITTLE BIG TOWN we were able to take off man; both had been Friday, Nov. 18 • 7:30 p.m. the road and really focus students at Alabama’s on making a record,” Samford University, and Honeywell Center says Sweet. “It was an they reunited to hang out 275 W. Market St., amazing creative time and sing in Schlapman’s Wabash for the band. There’s a living room. The pair lot of push and pull that were soon joined by Jimi Tix.: $20-$50 thru box goes into making music. Westbrook, an acquain- office, 260-563-1102 We believe that’s what tance of Fairchild who makes it interesting.” had recently moved to Nashville, and, not The result was The Reason Why, an al- long after, Fairchild was introduced to Phil- bum that immediately spawned a hot single, lip Sweet by a friend. Just like that, the heart the rollicking, gospel-bluegrassy “Little of Little Big Town came together. White Church.” The song is representative “At its core, the vocal blend is the same of a collection of tunes that overflows with today as it was sitting in that living room the group’s infectious energy. when we first all four sang together,” says “It truly is about the pure love of mu- Schlapman. sic and feeling connected to the lyrics we’re It was more than just singing, though. writing,” Sweet says. “That’s the whole All four members experienced personal point. If it didn’t get us to that place, it didn’t difficulties early in the group’s career (in make the record.” Schlapman’s case it was the death of her Each new song has high standards to husband, Steven Roads, in 2005) and it was live up to, after all. After the release of four easy to count on each other for support. The albums, Little Big Town have sold 1.5 mil- personal closeness showed up in their music, lion records and been nominated for four and it kept them together through profes- Grammys, including Album of the Year for sional ups and downs. The Road to Here. They’ve also rebuilt their Things looked promising early on, and personal lives; they’re all married now (in the group got a recording contract with the case of Fairchild and Westbrook, to each Mercury Nashville not long after they got other) and all four members of the group are together. That deal went nowhere, however, in the process of nurturing young families. and they had to move to Monument Records They’ve been together awhile, and they’ve to get their debut album released in 2002. made the most of every minute of it. There was some modest success, but things “It’s been 12 years so crammed full with weren’t looking particularly bright until story after story and drama after drama,” they signed with Clint Black’s Equity Music Schlapman says, “[So much] crazy stuff in Group in 2005. 12 years that most people might take a life- And then did things ever start looking time to live it out.” November 10, ’11------www.whatzup.com------5