Big & Rich at the 2013 CMT Music Awards - Wonderwall Portrait Studio
Photo by Christopher Polk/Getty Images for Wonderwall
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Today's catch of the day comes from the dynamic duo of country music. A pair of Nashville "outsiders" who continue to do things their own way. The Big & Rich Way.

John Rich and "Big" Kenny Alpin first came together in 2001, forming a consortium of songwriter/performers called the MuzikMafia (Musically Artistic Friends in Alliance), consisting of them, Cowboy Troy, James Otto, Gretchen Wilson and Shannon Lawson. One of their first writing sessions together produced the song "Amarillo Sky", first recorded by McBride & The Ride in 2002 and then made into a monster hit by Jason Aldean in 2007. Big & Rich would also sing backing vocals on Martina McBride's song "She's A Butterfly" from her album Martina.

After McBride cut this song, manager Marc Oswald suggested that Rich and Big Kenny begin recording as a duo. Rich was apprehensive at first, as he had been told by BNA staff that he was "too rock for country" and was unsure of what major labels would think of Big Kenny's rock influences. The two began recording songs together at a songwriting seminar. After they recorded a demo of "Holy Water", Rich was convinced that the duo would be successful. They then met with Paul Worley, a record producer who was then the head of creative affairs at Warner Bros. Records Nashville, and Worley helped sign Big & Rich to a recording contract in late 2003.

Big & Rich performs at Country Thunder USA In Florence, Arizona
photo by Rick Diamond/Getty Images Entertainment
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Their debut album, 2004's Horse of a Different Color started slowly as their debut single "Wild West Show" failed to crack the Billboard top-20. But the second single, "Save A Horse, Ride A Cowboy" became a smash, almost over night, selling over two-million copies world wide.

The duo has since released four studio albums, though none have met with the success of Horse.., which has sold more than 3 million copies. The pair took a hiatus in 2008 to work on solo projects. Rich released his second solo album, Son of a Preacher Man, containing "Shuttin' Detroit Down". Alpin also released a solo album, Big Kenny's Love Everybody Traveling Musical Medicine Show Mix Tape, Vol. 1.

Big & Rich attends the 2015 iHeartRadio Country Festival
photo by Christopher Polk/Getty Images Entertainment
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The pair reunited in 2011 to record the track "Fake I.D." for the Footloose soundtrack. The song featured Gretchen Wilson on guest vocals, and led to a tour of the three MuzikMafia founders. Big & Rich then headed into the studio to record their first album in over 5 years, Hillbilly Jedi. The album featured the single "That's Why I Pray", which debuted at #24 on the Billboard Country chart, becoming the highest debuting single by a duo since 1990, but the song could not capitalize on that moment and stalled at #16.

In 2014, the group released their fifth studio album Gravity, which produced their first top-10 hit in seven years, "When I Look At You". The album's second single is in our spotlight today. Today we feature Big & Rich and "Run Away With You" as the Catch of the Day; new music you haven't heard, but you'll want to hear it again.

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