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MuzikMafia is a group of friends whose passion in life is to make great music. Founded by Warner Brothers recording artists John Rich, Kenny Alphin (Big Kenny), Jon Nicholson and music publisher and industry exec, Cory Gierman (affectionately referred to as The Godfathers), the Mafia started with the simple, yet powerful idea of bringing a group of artists together, regardless of race, religion, background or musical genre, to make music. Its about putting a blue grass guy up there with a Rock n Roll guy and seeing what happens says Big Kenny. Its about getting people to open their minds to all types of music, explains Jon Nicholson. Its about music without prejudice, says Cory Gierman.
The idea came to life in October 2001, when the MuzikMafia played its first official show at the Pub of Luv in Nashville, TN. We had all been beat up pretty good by the industry and we told ourselves, if nothing else, we might as well be playing music, explains Big Kenny. So, with a few die hard fans, a mission of sharing the love of music and enough insanity to think people would listen, MuzikMafia was born. And for the next 76 straight Tuesdays in a row, the artists in the MuzikMafia played to ever-growing crowds of fans with their simple passion of sharing their love of music.
Five years, several tours, 6 Grammy nominations and 11 million records sold later, MuzikMafia now includes a family of artists including founding members Big and Rich, Jon Nicholson and Cory Gierman along with Gretchen Wilson, Cowboy Troy, James Otto, Shannon Lawson, Damien Horne, Two-Foot Fred, Rachel Kice, Shanna Crooks, and several more in development, all potential breakthroughs.
Some have compared the Mafia to the 1970s outlaw movement in country music, which saw the emergence of out of the mold artists like Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings whatever it is, it is still about making great music, and sharing it with all who care to join in.
We are together, what none of us could be alone - Gretchen Wilson This is friends getting together to share their love of music, thats it - Big Kenny
And thats the Mafia.