Little Big Town

by William Ruhlmann
The country vocal quartet Little Big Town began with Kimberly Roads and Karen Fairchild, both from Georgia, who began singing together in college. Arkansan Jimi Westbrook, a friend of Fairchild's husband, joined them to make a trio and the group was completed in 1998 by Phil Sweet, another native of Arkansas. Little Big Town was devoted to harmony and multiple lead vocals which, along with their unusual lineup, made them a hard sell in Nashville at first. They finally landed a deal at Mercury Records, but it fell through in disagreements about musical direction. In the wake of the success of the Dixie Chicks, they seemed a more likely commercial proposition and they were next taken up by the Dixie Chicks' label, Monument Records, in 2000. Recording sessions lasted longer than usual for a country release, but Monument finally issued their debut single, "Don't Waste My Time," in the winter of 2002. It was on its way up the charts as their first album, Little Big Town, followed in May. The Road To Here, which was released in fall 2005, included contributions by Mountain Heart's Adam Steffey and, Jerry Douglas and Ron Block of Union Station.