Big & Rich Reunite to ‘Escape Reality’

Big & Rich are back together for a summer concert tour, and while the show will feature plenty of the duo's best known hits, the pair also plan to bust out a few of their respective solo tunes.

John Rich tells CMT that making his new solo album, 'Son of a Preacher Man,' was a complete turnaround from the records he's made with Kenny.

"Big Kenny is such an entity and such a racehorse unto himself," says John. "Honestly, it's a 180 for me on a lot of different levels. When we come together, it's a very interesting sweet spot we find when we make those really great Big & Rich songs."

He adds that making a solo album allowed him to "dig down as deep as I wanted," giving him the chance to speak his mind, musically, without having to worry about what Big Kenny might think. He even alludes to the personal battles that have kept him in the news recently.

"Everybody knows Kenny's 'Love Everybody' [slogan]. Everybody knows that's not necessarily my mantra all the time. I think some people deserve one of these (clenches fist) including me sometimes," John admits. "The world is a crazy place, and there's some crazy people in it."

Big Kenny says his own solo project, from which he released the single and video 'Long After I'm Gone' in June, has been a dream come true.

"I think I'm Peter Pan sometimes when I walk into my studio," Kenny says. "My friends are over here working. It's got that vibe again. I'm able to focus again on the music. Greatness of any kind and quality takes time. And we've been able to put together some great stuff. I'm super excited about it."

Big & Rich 'freak parade' fans, take note: their longtime compatriots Cowboy Troy and Two Foot Fred will be along on the tour, which John says should help fans "escape reality for a minute."