MuzikMafia

by Pruett, David B.

• ISBN13: 9781604734386
• ISBN10: 1604734388
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2010-04-12
• Publisher: Univ Pr of Mississippi

Summary

In October 2001, an unlikely gathering of musicians calling itself the MuzikMafia took place at the Pub of Love in Nashville, Tennessee. "We had all been beat up pretty good by the 'industry' and we told ourselves, if nothing else, we might as well be playing muzik," explains Big Kenny of Big and Rich. For the next year and a half, the MuzikMafia performed each week and garnered an ever-growing, dedicated fan base.Five years, several national tours, six Grammy nominations, and eleven million sold albums later, the 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 (Mista D), Two-Foot Fred, Rachel Kice, and several more in development.This book explores how a set of shared beliefs created a bond that transformed the MuzikMafia into a popular music phenomenon. David B. Pruett examines the artists' coalition from the inside perspective he gained in five years of working with them. Looking at all aspects of the collective,MuzikMafiadocuments the problems encountered along the ascent, including business difficulties, tensions among members, disagreements with record labels, and miscalculations artists inevitably made before the MuzikMafia unofficially dissolved in 2008. A final section examines hope for the future: the birth of Mafia Nation in 2009.

Author Biography

David B. Pruett is an assistant professor of music at the University of Massachusetts at Boston. A native of North Carolina, he has been published in the Encyclopedia of Appalachia, Encyclopedia of Popular Music of the World, Journal of Historical Research in Music Education, and the Country Music Annual.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	p. ix
Introduction	p. 3
The Nashville Scene	p. 11
The Birth of the MuzikMafia	p. 29
August 2002 to March 2004: Growing Popularity in Nashville and Beyond	p. 61
April through December 2004: The MuzikMafia Takes the National Stage	p. 75
Interlude: Meet the MuzikMafia of 2004	p. 99
2005: The Second Wave	p. 129
The Beginning of the End	p. 159
Bibliography	p. 195
Videography	p. 199
Discography	p. 201
Index	p. 203
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