Little Big Town Embraces Mellencamp Fans; 8.12.11

http://www.lvrj.com/neon/others-follow-little-big-town-as-country-quartet-finds-success-with-mixed-genre-sound-127575263.html

Their goal: to keep people from getting up and going to buy beer for 45 minutes.

This was five or six years ago, when coed country quartet Little Big Town was just getting their first taste of success via their second album, "The Road to Here," which would end up selling more than a million copies.

The group already was becoming popular in country music circles with hits such as "Boondocks" and "Bring it on Home," buoyant rays of backwoods sunshine powered by the group's chocolate-rich four-part harmonies, but then they hit the road opening for John Cougar Mellencamp, whose audience was generally unfamiliar with the band.

Hence, the initial aim was just to delay trips to the concession stand.

"Every night we would have to earn our keep," Little Big Town singer Karen Fairchild chuckles. "Now, we have a lot of Mellencamp fans in our fan club."