Little Big Town is living the dream

Most bands have a designated lead singer whose distinctive vocals stand out in the group. But the country quartet Little Big Town defies this standard, using their voices together to meld perfect harmony that resonates as a lead sound.

"We wanted the harmony to be the most identifiable aspect of our band," said band member Kimberly Schlapman. "Someone sings the melody and lead of the song, but we hope that when we sing together on the chorus or whenever the harmonies come in, it is an obvious Little Big Town song."

The band will be playing Friday at the Show Me Center with Sugarland.

Little Big Town's Karen Fairchild, Jimi Westbrook, Phillip Sweet and Kimberly Schlapman had similar upbringings with big Southern families who loved to sing. "All of us dreamed since we were children to be country music musicians. Since we all grew up doing that, we knew that's what we wanted to do," Schlapman said.

The band writes about real-life experiences they have either been through personally or seen through other people. Schlapman said all four band members have been through a lot of personal tragedy during their 10 years together. Those times have motivated them and influenced their music. "We want our music to be real and want it to give hope to people through our songs."

Another inspiration is that they get to make a living, living their dream. "We are able to do what we love to do, which a lot of people want to do but can't," Schlapman said.

She said they know that could change at any minute, but they "take in every moment and enjoy it while it's here."

Little Big Town has enjoyed several successes. They won New Group of the Year at the 2007 Academy of Country Music Awards and earned Billboard's No. 1 artist and No. 1 album of the year for 2006. And their songs "Bring It on Home" and "Boondocks" reached No. 4 and No. 9 on the Billboard Top 40.

For more information about the band, visit www.littlebigtown.com.