For many, John Rich is known for two things: his outspoken political views and, most notably, being the other half of the Grammy-nominated duo, Big & Rich. What many people don’t know (or remember) is his tenure with the legendary ’90s band, Lonestar.
Before forming Big & Rich in 2002 along with William Kenneth Alphin (better known as Big Kenny), Rich served as the bassist and co-lead vocalist for Lonestar in their early days from 1992-1998. Co-writing two singles, “Come Cryin’ To Me” and “Say When,” Rich was nothing short of an integral part of the band.
Though it was initially reported that the 51-year-old singer/songwriter left the band given that advisors felt it would be “confusing to fans” to have two lead vocalists, Rich recently revealed that this was simply not the case. In reality, he was fired over a growing disagreement over the band’s direction and overall sound.
Yesterday, Rich appeared on the Try That In a Small Town Podcast, hosted by the co-writers of Jason Aldean’s highly controversial 2023 #1 hit of the same name, Kelley Lovelace and Neil Thrasher, as well as Aldean’s band members, Tully Kennedy and Kurt Allison – who are also co-writers on the track. During the episode, the singer/songwriter opened up about everything from his relationship with President Trump, dating back to his win on Celebrity Apprentice, to his ever-evolving presence in the music industry.
When asked about why he was fired from Lonestar, Rich said, “Because I deserved to be fired… How I am at 51, I’m rather an intense individual. You can imagine me in my early and mid-twenties. I’m wanting to record songs like ‘Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy).’ They’re wanting to record ‘Mr. Mom.’ Completely opposite views.”
The tension between Rich and the rest of the band seemingly rose for years, “The more aggravated I got, the more aggravated they got. They’re like, ‘Okay, sit down. You’re the junior member.”
This led to Rich being fired after Lonestar’s 1997 New Year’s Eve show, just over five years after his first gig with the band.
Overall, it seems as if it was a best-case scenario for both Lonestar and Rich. In the years following his firing, Rich would, obviously, form Big & Rich and score massive hits such as the aforementioned, “Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy).” As for Lonestar, they too would sustain their success with career staples like “I’m Already There,” “Amazed” and “My Front Porch Looking In.”
Watch the clip and full podcast here: