Big & Rich Bid Farewell To ESPN College GameDay
The duo’s “Comin’ To Your City” has served as the theme song to College GameDay for 16 years.
Photo Courtesy Big & Rich
After 16 remarkable years, Big & Rich, the dynamic duo composed of John Rich and Big Kenny, have announced that their song “Comin’ To Your City” will no longer be the College GameDay theme song.
The duo took to social media on Thursday (Aug. 24) to share the news with fans and expressed that it has been an honor serving as the voices behind the iconic College GameDay opener.
“College GameDay, it’s been an honor. Time to officially pass the torch after 16 incredible years!” Big & Rich captioned the clip.
In the video, John and Kenny are seated in director chairs revealing that after nearly two decades they are ready to hand over the reins to someone else.
“It’s been a great 16 years, being the voices of the College GameDay open,” Big Kenny said before John Rich adds, “And now we’re excited to officially pass the torch to these extremely talented artists.”
While they kept their artists taking their place under wraps, Big & Rich invited fans to tune into ESPN on September 2nd at 9 AM for the big reveal.
“We can’t say who just yet, but tune in to ESPN on Saturday, September 2nd at 9 AM to find out,” the duo concluded.
College GameDay Built by The Home Depot will return for its 37th season and 30th season on the road on September 2 at Romare Bearden Park in Charlotte, North Carolina. The game will feature the North Carolina Tar Heels facing off against the South Carolina Gamecocks for the Battle of the Carolinas.
“Comin’ to Your City” is the title track of Big & Rich’s second studio album. The song was released to country radio in September of 2005 and climbed to No.21 on the U.S. radio charts. The version that appeared on ESPN’s College GameDay includes shoutouts to several college football teams, which does not appear in the original recording of the song.
Big & Rich burst onto the country music scene with the release of their first studio album, Horse of a Different Color. The project produced four consecutive Top 40 country hits. Among those were “Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy),” which reached No. 11 on the U.S. Billboard Country chart. The song was written by Big Kenny and John Rich and was featured on ESPN in the ad spots for the 2004 World Series of Poker. The track was also included in the show Boston Legal during an episode dubbed “Death Be Not Proud.”
The duo’s debut album also includes the tracks “Holy Water,” “Wild West Show,” “and “Big Time.” Gretchen Wilson, Cowboy Troy, and Martina McBride appear as special guests on the project.
Big & Rich’s latest studio album, Did It for the Party, arrived in 2017.
The duo currently has two shows on the books, including a stop in Gethsemane, Kentucky on September 15 and Effingham, Illinois on October 13.
John Rich recently released a brand-new studio album, The Country Truth, which arrived on August 18. The project features 10 tracks, including his most recent single “I’m Offended” as well as songs such as “Shut Up About Politics,” “Earth To God,” “Somethin’ For Nothin’,” and more.
Meanwhile, Big Kenny recently presented the ACM Lifting Lives Award to Country Thunder’s Troy Vollhoffer at the 16th Annual Academy of Country Music Honors, which took place on Wednesday, August 23 at The Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee.
Hosted by Carly Pearce, the 2023 ACM Honors will premiere on September 18 at 8/7c on FOX.
Written by
Lauren Jo Black
Lauren Jo Black, a University of Central Florida graduate, has immersed herself in the world of country music for over 15 years. In 2008, she co-founded CountryMusicIsLove, eventually selling it to a major record label in 2015. Following the rebranding of the website to Sounds Like Nashville, Black served as Editor-in-Chief for two and a half years. Currently, she assumes the role of Editor-in-Chief at Country Now and oversees Country Now’s content and digital footprint. Her extensive experience also encompasses her previous role as a Country Music Expert Writer for Answers.com and her work being featured on Forbes.com. She’s been spotlighted among Country Aircheck’s Women of Influence and received the 2012 Rising Star Award from the University of Central Florida. Black also spent time in front of the camera as host of Country Now Live, which brought live music directly to fans in 2021 when the majority of concerts were halted due to the pandemic. During this time, she hosted 24 weeks of live concerts via Country Now Live on Twitch with special guests such as Lady A, Dierks Bentley, Jordan Davis, Brett Young, and Jon Pardi. Over the course of her career, she has had the privilege of conducting interviews with some of the industry’s most prominent stars, including Reba McEntire, Blake Shelton, Luke Combs, Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert, Lainey Wilson, and many others. Lauren Jo Black is a longtime member of the Country Music Association and the Academy of Country Music.