Little Big Town

Little Big Town emerged in the 2010s as one of the most prominent country-pop acts across both formats. Their lush four-part harmonies and rotating lead vocals, shared among Karen Fairchild, Kimberly Schlapman, Phillip Sweet, and Jimi Westbrook, conjured echoes of Fleetwood Mac, a parallel the quartet embraced after they started accumulating country hits beginning with the 2010 release “Little White Church.” Though that track leaned rustic and energetic, it was the lighter 2012 chart-topper “Pontoon” that showcased their soft-pop appeal, climbing to number 22 on the pop Top 40. The group scored a major crossover success with 2014’s “Girl Crush,” a languid ballad that rose to number 18 on the pop Top 40 and secured their second Grammy for Best Country Duo/Group Performance. That breakthrough freed them to experiment, including a 2016 collaboration with hip-hop producer Pharrell Williams, yet they frequently returned to their core sound of fluid melodies and rich harmonies, evident on the buoyant 2022 album Mr. Sun.

At the heart of the band stands the bond between Georgia natives Kimberly Roads and Karen Fairchild, who met as students at Samford University. Their connection soon became musical—Fairchild already had experience performing with the Christian ensembles Truth and KarenLeigh—and in 1998 the pair relocated to Nashville seeking a country career. Friend Jimi Westbrook expanded the lineup to a trio, after which Phillip Sweet joined to complete the quartet.

Little Big Town pursued a Nashville contract and eventually secured one with Mercury Nashville, yet no material emerged before the label dropped them. Undeterred, the members contributed backing vocals—most notably on Collin Raye’s 2001 album Can’t Back Down—while honing their craft as songwriters. Monument Records, then thriving on the heels of the Dixie Chicks’ success, signed them in 2002 and issued their self-titled debut. Its singles “Don’t Waste My Time” and “Everything Changes” reached the lower tiers of the Hot Country Songs Top 40, an encouraging beginning cut short when the label folded. That same year brought personal turbulence as well, with Fairchild and Sweet each ending their marriages.

In 2005 Equity Music Group, the imprint founded by Clint Black and partners, welcomed the band. Their first release for the label, “Boondocks,” delivered their initial Top Ten country hit, reaching number nine in January 2006 shortly after the album The Road to Here appeared. Follow-up single “Bring It on Home” improved on that placement by peaking at number four, while “Good as Gone” and “A Little More You” both entered the Top 20 within the next twelve months. Equity issued the group’s second album, A Place to Land, in November 2007, led by the single “I’m with the Band,” which climbed to number 32 on Billboard’s country charts. Little Big Town departed for Capitol Nashville in April 2008, just before Equity ceased operations.

While preparing their Capitol debut, the quartet remained visible through collaborative recordings. They joined Jake Owen and Sugarland for a cover of the Dream Academy’s “Life in a Northern Town,” captured during Sugarland’s 2007 tour and peaking at number 28 on Country Airplay. Fairchild also lent her voice to John Mellencamp’s 2008 album Life Death Love and Freedom, including the singles “A Ride Back Home” and “My Sweet Love.” Capitol re-released A Place to Land in October 2008 with the new track “Fine Line,” which reached number 31.

Their Capitol Nashville introduction, The Reason Why, arrived in August 2010 behind the Top Ten hit “Little White Church.” Although the follow-ups “Kiss Goodbye” and “The Reason Why” missed the Billboard Country Top 40, they paved the way for the 2012 Jay Joyce-produced breakthrough Tornado. Lead single “Pontoon” became the group’s first number-one country hit, while the title track reached number two on Country Airplay. “Pontoon” earned Little Big Town their initial Grammy for Best Country Duo/Group Performance in 2013. Afterward they continued guest appearances, including on David Nail’s I’m a Fire and the single “Smokin’ and Drinkin’” from Miranda Lambert’s Platinum.

“Day Drinking,” the opening single from the next project, surfaced in June 2014 and climbed to number two on Country Airplay that summer. Pain Killer followed in October, with “Girl Crush” issued that December. The latter became a major crossover success, hitting number three on Country Airplay and number 18 on the pop Top 40, elevating Little Big Town to pop stardom. The track brought five Country Music Awards nominations for the band and the album, plus two Grammy nods; they ultimately won Best Country Duo/Group Performance for “Girl Crush.”

Following an extensive tour, the group pursued a pop-leaning direction with assistance from R&B and hip-hop producer Pharrell Williams. Wanderlust emerged in June 2016 but yielded no charting singles. They quickly pivoted back to country with “Better Man,” penned by Taylor Swift, which ascended to number one and later earned the ensemble their third Grammy for Best Country Duo/Group Performance. Its parent album The Breaker appeared in February 2017, debuting at number four on the Billboard Top 200 and number one on the country chart, although subsequent singles “Happy People” and “When Someone Stops Loving You” reached only numbers 46 and 37 on Country Airplay.

The band’s sole new offering in 2018 was the non-album single “Summer Fever,” which peaked at number 29 on Country Airplay. In April 2019 they issued the ballad “The Daughters,” which rose to number 29 on Billboard’s country chart without crossing onto Country Airplay. It served as the lead track for Nightfall, released in January 2020 and co-produced with Daniel Tashian and Ian Fitchuk. That set topped the country charts and spawned the hit “Wine, Beer, Whiskey.” After exploring further afield on 2021’s “Never Love You Again,” a collaboration with electronic duo Cheat Codes and British pop vocalist Bryn Christopher, Little Big Town returned to their signature country-pop style with “Hell Yeah,” the first single from Mr. Sun. Their tenth studio album, the deliberately luminous and melodic Mr. Sun featured contributions from 33 songwriters and showcased an airy, tuneful mix of ballads and pop-inflected songs.