Country music artist
John Rich was born January 7, 1974 in Amarillo, Texas. After graduating in Dickson County, Tennessee, he moved to Nashville and worked as a singer in Opryland USA, a theme park known as the “Home of American Music” as it featured numerous musical shows along with the typical carnival rides. He then met the band Texasee, which later changed its name to Lonestar. From 1992-1998, Rich played bass guitar for Lonestar, and even alternated with Richie McDonald as lead vocalist. He also co-wrote the songs “Come Cryin' to Me” and “Say When.”
In 1998, after some conflict with his band mates, he left Lonestar and tried on a solo career with BNA Records. He worked on the album Underneath the Same Moon but it wasn't released until 2006. The mentioned album featured collaborations with Sarah Evans, Fairfield Four, Delbert McClinton and Kenny Alphin (also known as Big Kenny). Both singers and songwriters, Rich and Alphin moved on to form the famous American music duo Big & Rich. Their first performance was also in 1998. Warner Bros. Records signed them into a record deal in 2003. Since then, they have charted multiple singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs and have released four albums namely Horse of a Different Color, Big & Rich's Super Galactic Fan Pak, Comin' to Your City and Between Raising Hell and Amazing Grace.
John Rich has also co-written singles for artists like Keith Anderson, Cowboy Troy and Gretchen Wilson. He is a good friend of lead singer Chad Kroegger from Nickelback, and he has appeared for the band's music video of the song “Rockstar.” In 2007, John Rich hosted
Gone Country , a reality TV show on CMT featuring celebrity singers as they try to become songwriters. In 2008, he announced his plans on releasing a solo album, at the same time that Big and Rich took some time off due to Big Kenny's neck injury.
(Photo courtesy of CMT)