John Rich of Big & Rich

When John Rich and Big Kenny first met in 1998, they were both two very talented singer/songwriters who had paid their dues in Nashville. After deciding to get together to write songs, they discovered in each other another rebel who could kick up his heels and and have a blast while creating a brand of country music that jumped the fence and ran wild. And they weren't alone. Nashville was full of free spirits looking for a good time. They began jamming at a small place called the Pub of Love and soon were joined by everyone from Randy Scruggs to Saliva. Says John, "We also had fiddle players, jugglers, and guys blowing fire out of their mouths." This weekly musical party soon had a name, the Muzik Mafia, and it turned into one of the most exciting scenes in Nashville. Warner Brothers caught on and signed the pair to a record deal.

Their first album, Horse of a Different Color, is a big, bold and boisterous collection of material that ranges from party songs to sober songs, from thinking songs to songs about legends of the West. In August, the album went to #1 on Billboard's Top Country Albums Chart and has since gone Platinum.

This fall, Big and Rich, along with ASCAP member and fellow Muzik Mafia success story Gretchen Wilson, are hitting the road together on their "American Revolution" tour. "Life's as large as you want to make it," says John. And he, with Big, are well on their way to proving his point.