by Johnny LoftusBig & Rich formed in Nashville around 1998, when ex-Lonestar vocalist John Rich began collaborating with songwriter Big Kenny (real name: Kenny Alphin, whod once led an outfit called luvjOi). The duo established a performers roundtable at a local dive, and the event — dubbed the Muzik Mafia — soon gained a reputation for its casual eclecticism and notable special guests. The Mafia nights continued over the next few years, running concurrently with solo material issued by both artists, until 2003, when Martina McBride recorded Alphin and Richs song Shes a Butterfly for her self-titled effort and the duo landed a record deal of their own with Warner Bros. Nashville outlet. Big & Rich debuted in February 2004 with Wild West Show, a bold and modern country-rocker that displayed their unique high-low harmony vocals. When the Horse of a Different Color LP dropped later that spring, its Nashville polish was salted with Muzik Mafia irreverence (sample song title: Kick My Ass). Different Color eventually topped the Billboard country chart and hit number six on the Billboard 200, and made bona fide stars out of Big & Rich. But it was success on the duos own terms, not Nashvilles. After all, their album free-associated country-pop with hip-hop, and there was a dance remix of the hit single Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy) on the resulting collection, Super Galactic Fan Pak. But Big & Richs success revealed country audiences willingness to accept sounds that were broader and brasher than the usual contemporary country product, and they capitalized on that with the smash hit 2004 debut of Muzik Mafia protégée Gretchen Wilson. (Rich produced Here for the Party, and wrote or co-wrote many of its songs.) Big & Rich returned in November 2005 with Comin to Your City, a gaudy record that hit the Top Ten and depicted the duo as pied pipers for their own mischievousness. The single Lost in This Moment announced the arrival of their 2007 album Between Raising Hell and Amazing Grace, which featured guest appearances from John Legend and Wyclef Jean along with a cover version of AC/DCs You Shook Me All Night Long.