Little Big Town: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know

Little Big Town, Little Big Town The Voice, Little Big Town World Series 2014, Little Big Town The National Anthem, Little Big Town National Anthem, Little Big Town Game 2 World Series, Little Big Town The Voice, Little Big Town Pain Killer Tour

(Twitter)

Little Big Town is a country group made up of four members: Karen Fairchild, Kimberly Schlapman, Jimi Westbrook, and Phillip Sweet. Tonight they sing “The National Anthem” at Game 3 of the 2014 World Series. In Game 3, the San Francisco Giants will again play the Kansas City Royals at 8:00 p.m. EST on FOX. All four band members sing and they have been performing together since 1998. In addition to the World Series, they have gigs planned for The View and The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon for this month. Read on for the facts on Little Big Town below:


1. “Pain Killer” Is Their New Album

Little Big Town’s sixth album “Pain Killer” was just released on October 21, 2014. The album’s debut single is titled “Day Drinking” and you can check out the music video for it above. Rolling Stone reviewed the album and reported:

Over 13 tracks, the Grammy-winning quartet deliver proof that country music can still be a mature affair. Not boring, mind you — mature … In short, the members of Little Big Town — all of them in their forties — are not rollin’ up, slidin’ in or leanin’ back. While other artists are adding hip-hop and rap elements to their brand of country music, LBT has eschewed trends and dug deeper, exploring reggae on the album’s title track, Celtic folk on “Live Forever” and hard rock on “Save Your Sin,” Schlapman’s coming-out moment.

Schlapman dishes on what makes the band successful, explaining:

If we want to pay the bills, we have to think about radio because that’s what sells the records and makes people want to come to your shows. It’s part of our job.

The band’s “Pain Killer” tour kicks off on November 8, 2014, in Youngstown, Ohio with Brett Eldredge and Brothers Osborne.


2. They Are Currently Mentoring on The Voice

Little Big Town assists Blake Shelton on this season of The Voice, especially in preparation for the show’s battle rounds, where contestants are pinned against each other in singing battles in order to narrow down the singers before the knock-out rounds. The group are close with Shelton. They even let him hear their latest album before it’s release and Shelton was very impressed.


3. Bandmates Karen Fairchild and Jimi Westbrook Are Married

Band members Karen Fairchild and Jimi Westbrook got married on May 31, 2006, but their marriage wasn’t announced until two months later. The couple welcomed their first son Elijah, on March 5, 2010, in Nashville, Tennessee.

Westbrook dished on his relationship to GAC TV:

I think there was always something underlying there that we were trying to ignore. Then when the opportunity came, when all of us ended up single at the same time — a very strange turn of events for the band in a lot of different ways — those feelings, you were able to come out with them finally. It was like, ‘We’re single. Let’s get together.’ She has a beautiful heart and she’s absolutely gorgeous and I just love her dearly.


4. Schlapman Has Her Own Cooking Series

Schlapman has her own cooking show on Great American Country TV called Kimberly’s Simply Southern, and offers easy recipes like New Bride’s Soup, which is basically vegetables with condensed tomato soup and fresh herbs. GAC gives the bio on the show:

Her passion for making simple, home cooked recipes with her family and country singing friends back home keeps Kimberly hunting for culinary treasures on the road. In each episode, Kimberly hops off the tour bus to discover America’s best local foods, ingredients and people who share her love of tasty good vittles. Then, back in her Nashville kitchen, Kimberly folds her newly gained knowledge into her traditional family recipes like Grandmother Bramlett’s Fried Chicken, Pulled Pork Sandwiches, and Deviled Egg Potato Salad. Upping the fun factor, Kimberly gets a little help from her friends as a bevy of country artists stop by to chop and chat.

Check out a clip of the show in the above video.


5. Little Big Town Was Recently Inducted into the Grand Ole Opry

The Grand Ole Opry is the world’s longest running live radio program. This month, the band was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry. KTIC Radio reports:

Little Big Town was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry Friday night. Opry members Vince Gill and Little Jimmy Dickens were on hand to welcome the group into the Opry fold. The quartet started their performance singing “Bring It on Home” with just an acoustic guitar. They then performed their breakthrough hit, “Boondocks,” and closed out their set singing Kris Kristofferson’s “Why Me.”

Reba McIntyre actually surprised the band onstage at the Opry to extend the membership invitation. She walked out singing the “motorboating” line of Little Big Town’s song “Pontoon” during their set.