David B. Pruett
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- March 2014
- ISBN:
- 9781604734386
- eISBN:
- 9781621035596
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University Press of Mississippi
- DOI:
- 10.14325/mississippi/9781604734386.003.0003
- Subject:
- Music, Popular
This chapter describes the origins of the MuzikMafia, which was created in the fall of 2001 by like-minded individuals who come from different backgrounds but whose lives shared similar threads of ...
More
This chapter describes the origins of the MuzikMafia, which was created in the fall of 2001 by like-minded individuals who come from different backgrounds but whose lives shared similar threads of identity-building experiences. Biographical sketches of MuzikMafia’s founding members (aka godfathers)—Kenny Alphin, Jon Nicholson, Cory Gierman, and John Rich—are provided. The Pub of Love is where the MuzikMafia created its self-described freak show that highlighted social and musical diversity, a place where artists and listeners could be themselves.Less
This chapter describes the origins of the MuzikMafia, which was created in the fall of 2001 by like-minded individuals who come from different backgrounds but whose lives shared similar threads of identity-building experiences. Biographical sketches of MuzikMafia’s founding members (aka godfathers)—Kenny Alphin, Jon Nicholson, Cory Gierman, and John Rich—are provided. The Pub of Love is where the MuzikMafia created its self-described freak show that highlighted social and musical diversity, a place where artists and listeners could be themselves.
David B. Pruett
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- March 2014
- ISBN:
- 9781604734386
- eISBN:
- 9781621035596
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University Press of Mississippi
- DOI:
- 10.14325/mississippi/9781604734386.001.0001
- Subject:
- Music, Popular
In October 2001, an unlikely gathering of musicians calling itself the MuzikMafia took place at the Pub of Love in Nashville, Tennessee. “We had all been beat up pretty good by the ‘industry’ and we ...
More
In October 2001, an unlikely gathering of musicians calling itself the MuzikMafia took place at the Pub of Love in Nashville, Tennessee. “We had all been beat up pretty good by the ‘industry’ and we told ourselves, if nothing else, we might as well be playing muzik,” explains Big Kenny of Big & Rich. For the next year and a half, the MuzikMafia performed each week and garnered an ever-growing, dedicated fan base. Five years, several national tours, six Grammy nominations, and eleven million sold albums later, it now comprises a family of artists including founding members Big & Rich, Jon Nicholson, and Cory Gierman along with Gretchen Wilson, Cowboy Troy, James Otto, Shannon Lawson, Damien Horne (Mista D), Two-Foot Fred, Rachel Kice, and several more in development. This book explores how a set of shared beliefs created a bond that transformed the MuzikMafia into a popular music phenomenon. The author examines the artists’ coalition from the inside perspective he gained in five years of working with them. Looking at all aspects of the collective, the book documents the problems encountered along the ascent, including business difficulties, tensions among members, disagreements with record labels, and miscalculations artists inevitably made, before the MuzikMafia unofficially dissolved in 2008. A final section examines hope for the future: the birth of Mafia Nation in 2009.Less
In October 2001, an unlikely gathering of musicians calling itself the MuzikMafia took place at the Pub of Love in Nashville, Tennessee. “We had all been beat up pretty good by the ‘industry’ and we told ourselves, if nothing else, we might as well be playing muzik,” explains Big Kenny of Big & Rich. For the next year and a half, the MuzikMafia performed each week and garnered an ever-growing, dedicated fan base. Five years, several national tours, six Grammy nominations, and eleven million sold albums later, it now comprises a family of artists including founding members Big & Rich, Jon Nicholson, and Cory Gierman along with Gretchen Wilson, Cowboy Troy, James Otto, Shannon Lawson, Damien Horne (Mista D), Two-Foot Fred, Rachel Kice, and several more in development. This book explores how a set of shared beliefs created a bond that transformed the MuzikMafia into a popular music phenomenon. The author examines the artists’ coalition from the inside perspective he gained in five years of working with them. Looking at all aspects of the collective, the book documents the problems encountered along the ascent, including business difficulties, tensions among members, disagreements with record labels, and miscalculations artists inevitably made, before the MuzikMafia unofficially dissolved in 2008. A final section examines hope for the future: the birth of Mafia Nation in 2009.
