Spending six years as the bassist for Lonestar, John Rich’s country music career really took off when he teamed up with “Big Kenny” Alphin to form the duo Big & Rich. Releasing three studio albums between 2004 and 2007, Big & Rich sent 10 singles to the country charts, including “Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy)” and the No. 1 hit “Lost in This Moment.” Rich has also penned multiple No. 1 hits for other artists, such as Gretchen Wilson’s “Redneck Woman” and Jason Aldean’s “Why.” Despite his staggering success as a country artist, the “Shuttin’ Detroit Down” crooner, 51, has become a vocal critic of the industry in recent years. In a recent interview with Tucker Carlson, Rich made it a point to distance himself from the Music City machine.
Videos by American Songwriter
“I don’t even have a record deal. I really can’t make money on my songs anymore. There’s no money to really be made on music,” he told the former Fox News commentator this week. “Everybody streams everything… And because I’m not a part of the industry, nobody’s gonna call me up and say, ‘Congratulations, here’s a big number one.’”
Asked by Carlson to clarify that statement, Rich said, “I mean, I don’t have a contract with anybody in the industry. I regularly attack the industry. I call ’em out for for how they treat artists and we’re not friends.”
[RELATED: John Rich Hurls “Blackmail” Accusations at “Sadistic, Wicked, Satanic” Music Industry]
John Rich Hasn’t Left Music Behind
Don’t take that to mean he’s complaining, however. “I don’t want them to think well of me,” the ACM Award-nominated country singer said. (This is hardly surprising, given that he once used the words “sadistic,” “wicked,” and “satanic” when describing the industry at large.)
That’s not to say that John Rich has severed ties with his music career altogether. In fact, his work has taken on a decidedly more gospel tinge in the last several years.
“I’ll walk into these massive places and be able to say things to these crowds that they’re not gonna hear in church. They’re not gonna read it on social media,” Rich told Carlson. “And then there’s the music factor also that comes in, which is what I love to do. And that that did not exist before I started focusing more on being significant instead of successful.”
Featured image by Jason Davis/Getty Images
Leave a Reply
Only members can comment. Become a member. Already a member? Log in.