History of Little Big Town in Timeline
Little Big Town, founded in 1998, is an American country music group from Homewood, Alabama. The quartet, consisting of Karen Fairchild, Kimberly Schlapman, Phillip Sweet, and Jimi Westbrook, has maintained its original lineup since its inception. Fairchild and Westbrook are married. Their music is characterized by four-part harmonies, with each member taking turns as lead vocalist.
1987: Fairchild and Schlapman Meet
Karen Fairchild and Kimberly Schlapman met at Samford University in 1987.
1998: Westbrook and Sweet Join
Jimi Westbrook and Phillip Sweet joined Karen Fairchild and Kimberly Schlapman to form Little Big Town in 1998.
1998: Little Big Town Founded
Little Big Town, an American country music vocal group, was founded in 1998 in Homewood, Alabama. The group's founding members are Karen Fairchild, Kimberly Schlapman, Phillip Sweet, and Jimi Westbrook.
2000: No specific event title found
No specific event description found for this date in the given context.
2001: First Record Deal and Backing Vocals
In 2001, Little Big Town signed their first record deal with Mercury Nashville Records and sang backing vocals on Collin Raye's album "Can't Back Down". Sweet and Roads co-wrote "Back Where I Belong" for Sherrié Austin's album.
2002: Self-Titled Debut Album
Little Big Town released their self-titled debut album in 2002 under Monument Records.
2002: Signing with Monument Records and Debut Album Release
Little Big Town signed with Monument Records and released their debut album in 2002. The album included the singles "Don't Waste My Time" and "Everything Changes".
October 4, 2005: "The Road to Here" Album Release
Little Big Town released their second album, "The Road to Here", on October 4, 2005.
2005: Signing with Equity Music Group and "The Road to Here" Release
In 2005, Little Big Town signed with Equity Music Group and released their second album, "The Road to Here".
2005: Death of Steven Roads
In 2005, Steven Roads, the band's lawyer and Kimberly Schlapman's first husband, died from a heart attack.
2005: No specific event title found
No specific event description found for this date in the given context.
January 2006: "Boondocks" Single Release
Little Big Town released their single "Boondocks" in January 2006, which peaked at No. 9 on the country charts.
May 31, 2006: Jimi Westbrook and Karen Fairchild's Marriage
Jimi Westbrook and Karen Fairchild married on May 31, 2006.
November 28, 2006: Kimberly Schlapman's Second Marriage
On November 28, 2006, Kimberly Schlapman married Stephen Schlapman.
2006: Fairchild and Westbrook Marry
Karen Fairchild and Jimi Westbrook, members of Little Big Town, got married in 2006.
March 30, 2007: Phillip Sweet's Marriage
On March 30, 2007, Phillip Sweet married Rebecca Arthur.
July 2007: Birth of Schlapman's Daughter
In July 2007, Kimberly Schlapman gave birth to a daughter.
November 6, 2007: "A Place to Land" Initial Release
Little Big Town released their third studio album, "A Place to Land", on November 6, 2007, under Equity Music Group.
December 2007: Birth of Sweet's Daughter
Phillip Sweet and his wife, Rebecca, welcomed a daughter in December 2007.
2007: Backing Vocals for John Mellencamp
Little Big Town provided backing vocals for John Mellencamp's "Freedom's Road" album in 2007.
April 23, 2008: Signing with Capitol Nashville
Little Big Town announced their move to Capitol Nashville on April 23, 2008.
October 2008: "A Place to Land" Re-release
Capitol Nashville re-released "A Place to Land" with additional songs in October 2008.
2008: Equity Music Group Closes, Capitol Nashville Re-releases "A Place to Land"
Following the closure of Equity Music Group in 2008, Little Big Town re-released their third album, "A Place to Land", under Capitol Nashville.
2008: Opening for Carrie Underwood
In the fall of 2008, Little Big Town opened for Carrie Underwood on her "Carnival Ride Tour".
2008: Fairchild Duets with Mellencamp
Karen Fairchild recorded duets with John Mellencamp on his album "Life, Death, Love and Freedom" in 2008, including the single "A Ride Back Home".
January 2009: First Headlining Tour
Little Big Town embarked on their first headlining tour in January 2009.
2009: Vocal Group of the Year Nomination
Little Big Town was nominated for Vocal Group of the Year at the 2009 CMA Awards.
March 2010: "Little White Church" Single Release
The single "Little White Church" was released in March 2010.
July 27, 2010: "The Reason Why" Digital Single Release
The title track from "The Reason Why" was released as a digital single on July 27, 2010.
August 24, 2010: "The Reason Why" Album Release
Little Big Town released their album "The Reason Why" on August 24, 2010.
2010: Birth of Westbrook and Fairchild's Son
Jimi Westbrook and Karen Fairchild welcomed a son in 2010.
2010: "The Reason Why" Album Release
Little Big Town released their fourth studio album, "The Reason Why", in 2010.
April 30, 2012: "Pontoon" Single Release
The single "Pontoon" was released on April 30, 2012.
September 11, 2012: "Tornado" Album Release
"Tornado", Little Big Town's fifth studio album, was released on September 11, 2012.
September 2012: "Pontoon" Reaches Number One
"Pontoon" became Little Big Town's first number one hit on Hot Country Songs in September 2012.
October 1, 2012: "Tornado" Single Release
The single "Tornado" was released on October 1, 2012.
December 2012: "Tornado" Certified Gold
The album "Tornado" was certified gold in December 2012.
2012: Changed Tour
Little Big Town joined Rascal Flatts' Changed Tour in the summer of 2012.
2012: "Tornado" Album Release
Little Big Town released their fifth studio album, "Tornado", in 2012.
March 16, 2013: C2C: Country to Country Festival Performance
Little Big Town performed at the C2C: Country to Country festival in London on March 16, 2013.
2013: Background Vocals for Ashley Monroe
Little Big Town sang background vocals on Ashley Monroe's single "You Got Me" in 2013.
2013: "Tornado" Reaches Number Two
The single "Tornado" reached No. 2 on the Country Airplay chart in 2013.
October 3, 2014: Grand Ole Opry Invitation
On October 3, 2014, Little Big Town was invited by Reba McEntire to become members of the Grand Ole Opry.
December 15, 2014: "Girl Crush" Release
On December 15, 2014, Little Big Town released "Girl Crush", the second single from their album Pain Killer.
2014: Collaborations and CMA Performance
In 2014, Little Big Town provided backing vocals for David Nail's song "When They're Gone (Lyle County)" and collaborated with Miranda Lambert on "Smokin' and Drinkin'". The latter song debuted at 38 on Billboard's Country Airplay chart after the group performed it at the CMA Awards.
2014: Pain Killer Album Recording and Release
Little Big Town began recording their sixth studio album, Pain Killer, in early 2014. The lead single, "Day Drinking", was released digitally on June 3 and to radio on June 9. The album's tracklist was announced on July 14, and the full album was released on October 21.
2014: "Pain Killer" Album Release
Little Big Town released their album "Pain Killer" in 2014.
May 2015: "Girl Crush" Success
In May 2015, "Girl Crush" became Little Big Town's second No. 1 on a Billboard chart and achieved their highest position on the Billboard Hot 100, following performances on "The Voice" and at the 50th Annual ACM Awards.
August 24, 2015: "Pain Killer" Single Release
On August 24, 2015, Little Big Town released the title track, "Pain Killer", as the third single from their album of the same name.
September 9, 2015: CMA Award Nominations and Win
On September 9, 2015, Little Big Town received five CMA Award nominations, including Vocal Group of the Year, Album of the Year, Single of the Year, Music Video of the Year, and Musical Event of the Year. They tied with Eric Church for the most nominations. They won the Song of the Year award for "Girl Crush".
2015: "Smokin' and Drinkin'" Single Release
In 2015, "Smokin' and Drinkin'", Little Big Town's collaboration with Miranda Lambert, was officially released as a single.
2015: C2C: Country to Country Festival and Lineup Announcement
In 2015, Little Big Town headlined the launch party for C2C: Country to Country, where they announced the festival lineup, including themselves as a supporting act for Carrie Underwood.
January 24, 2016: National Anthem Performance
On January 24, 2016, Little Big Town performed the National Anthem at the NFC Championship game between the Arizona Cardinals and the Carolina Panthers.
February 2016: Collaboration with Vince Gill
In February 2016, Little Big Town appeared on Vince Gill's album, Down to My Last Bad Habit, featuring on the track "Take Me Down".
March 2016: C2C: Country to Country Festival
Little Big Town returned to the UK in March 2016 to perform at the C2C: Country to Country festival for the second time.
May 24, 2016: Wanderlust Album Announcement
On May 24, 2016, Little Big Town announced their seventh studio album, Wanderlust, produced by Pharrell Williams.
June 10, 2016: Wanderlust Album Release
Wanderlust, Little Big Town's seventh studio album, was released on June 10, 2016.
October 20, 2016: "Better Man" Single Release
On October 20, 2016, Little Big Town released "Better Man", written by Taylor Swift, as the lead single from their upcoming album The Breaker.
November 1, 2016: "Better Man" Music Video Release
The music video for "Better Man" was released on November 1, 2016.
2016: "Girl Crush" Nominations
In 2016, Little Big Town's song "Girl Crush" was nominated for several Grammy awards, including Song of the Year and Best Country Song. While the band did not win in the former category, they won the Grammy for Best Country Song, an award recognizing songwriting achievement, awarded to Lori Mckenna, Hillary Lindsey, and Liz Rose.
December 31, 2016: Schlapman Family Adopts a Daughter
On December 31, 2016, Kimberly and Stephen Schlapman adopted a daughter.
February 24, 2017: The Breaker Album Release
Little Big Town's seventh studio album, The Breaker, was released on February 24, 2017.
2017: "The Breaker" Album Release
Little Big Town released their album "The Breaker" in 2017.
February 2018: The Breakers Tour Begins
The American leg of Little Big Town's The Breakers Tour, featuring support from Kacey Musgraves and Midland, began in February 2018.
June 6, 2018: "Summer Fever" Release
Little Big Town released the stand-alone single "Summer Fever" on June 6, 2018. It achieved their highest debut on Country Airplay at number 29.
2018: "Better Man" Nomination
In 2018, Little Big Town's song "Better Man" was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Country Song. The award is presented to songwriters, in this case Taylor Swift.
April 5, 2019: "The Daughters" Release
On April 5, 2019, Little Big Town released "The Daughters", the first single from their upcoming album Nightfall.
September 8, 2019: "Over Drinking" Release and Nightfall Tour Announcement
On September 8, 2019, "Over Drinking" was released as the second single from Nightfall. The band also announced their accompanying 30-date theatre tour, starting with a performance at Carnegie Hall on January 16, 2020.
2019: "When Someone Stops Loving You" Nomination
In 2019, Little Big Town's song "When Someone Stops Loving You" received a nomination for Best Country Song at the Grammy Awards. This award recognizes songwriters, and in this instance would be awarded to Hillary Lindsey, Chase McGill, and Lori Mckenna.
January 17, 2020: Nightfall Album Release
Little Big Town's ninth studio album, Nightfall, which they self-produced, was released on January 17, 2020.
2020: "Nightfall" Album Release
Little Big Town released their album "Nightfall" in 2020.
April 11, 2022: "Hell Yeah" Release
On April 11, 2022, Little Big Town released the song "Hell Yeah".
2022: "Mr. Sun" Album Release
Little Big Town released their album "Mr. Sun" in 2022.
2023: Friends of Mine Tour and George Strait Tour
In 2023, Little Big Town embarked on their 10-date Friends of Mine tour and opened for George Strait on his 2023 tour.
2024: "The Christmas Record" Album Release
Little Big Town is slated to release their album "The Christmas Record" in 2024.
