"Big" Kenny Alphin arrives in Sudan with medical supplies
Monday, October 22, 2007 – Kenny Alphin, also known as the Big in Big & Rich, arrived safely in The Sudan, bringing medical supplies to the needy.
Alphin has made conditions in Darfur his cause. He is working in Akon, The Sudan.
Alphin said in an email he sent Sunday, "The past 24 hours in the village of Akon have been the most incredible of my life. We were greeted on the runway by over 500 singing children and community members and leaders. David (physician and friend David Marks is coordinating medical supply aid with Dr. Luka Deng on the ground in Sudan) met with over 75 patients today, and the line will be longer tomorrow as word spreads. From the school under trees, the clinic with not more than a roof and a table, to a public meeting where they all sang and expressed there appreciation of our visit and urgent needs, this trip has already surpassed my expectations."
"Some thirty of the patients seen today had malaria. Most of them had to wade across rivers to come to school. Some walk three hours each way to get here. I've never in my life seen a more impoverished situation nor have I ever met more genuinely happy and appreciative people. They have fought for over 20 years for their basic freedoms, now they have to fight for their lives, the basic necessities of food, water, education and healthcare. Their main concern is to save their children. The aid we were able to bring will no doubt save lives."
"We were able to arrive with all 20 crates of aid we brought from the U.S. in addition to picking up a couple hundred survival kits from CSI for returning refugees. The trip has no doubt encouraged us all to take responsibility to help and improve humankind. A world with out prejudice!!"
Alphin will return to the U.S. Thursday.
More news for Big & Rich
CD reviews for Big & Rich
Greatest Hits
Thoroughly unafraid to lead the freak parade for the better part of this decade, Big Kenny and John Rich have repeatedly demonstrated their range in each of their three studio albums, giving voice to tender ballads alongside their over-the-top party hits. That range is well-showcased here.
As is often the case with hits collections, the way you feel about this album will be directly related to how you feel about Big and Rich, a duo that has served to divide the country community between those »»» |
Between Raising Hell and Amazing Grace
Big & Rich return with their third album of country music without prejudice, and the album feels stuck between good and bad. The album is divided into two parts, a call back to the Side A/Side B days of yore. The first half starts with a short clip and launches in the B&R's bid for the 2007 wedding market, the single "Lost in This Moment." Then things take a semi-spiritual side with the title track, "Faster Than Angels Fly," "Eternity" (featuring R&B artist John »»» |
Comin' To Your City
Big & Rich opens its second full-length CD with the sing-along line, "Somebody's got to be unafraid to lead the freak parade." It next offers up "a little bang in your yin yang," presumably to support its position as this oddball parade's grand marshal. Later in this title track, it brags of scaring the hell out of Marilyn Manson, which is hardly a believable statement: Big$Rich may be a little extreme when lined up next to the rest of conservative mainstream country »»» |
Editorial: American Idol's Carrie Underwood can sing –
If anyone saw the Super Bowl – what a great great game that was – they would have heard American Idol winner and country superstar Carrie Underwood sing the National Anthem. Underwood did with her voice what Kelly Clarkson did last week with her written words – give it to Scott Borchetta, the head of Big Machine Records,, who tried defending Taylor Swift by knocking American Idol performers. »»»
Concert Review: McBride, Adkins shine sometimes –
As Martina McBride pointed out, the pairing of the country singer with Trace Adkins on their current jaunt was surprising. After all, she's of diva-quality voice, petite, non-controversial unless you call singing songs that empower women controversial. Adkins, on the other hand, has not been afraid to speak his mind with a kick butt attitude.... »»»
Concert Review: Eilen Jewell wears her musical hats well –
Eilen Jewell wears a lot of musical hats. The Idaho native, who now lives in Boston, fronts the Eilen (ee-lin) Jewell Band, a pretty much traditional country band. She's a member the Sacred Shakers, an octet doing gospel country with a country beat. And she has yet another project, Butcher Holler, covering Loretta Lynn songs.... »»»
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