Last week John Rich, half of the country group Big & Rich, appeared for the first (but apparently not the last) time on Steve Gill’s radio show. As soon as I heard I remembered that the other half of the duo, Big Kenny Alphin, might not agree with his partner’s conservative politics because he had donated to the Harold Ford, Jr. for Senate campaign in ‘06.

Today’s Tennessean confirms that the two don’t agree politically. The paper’s above the fold cover story reports that Big Kenny also “gave $2,300 to Democrat Barack Obama this summer.” And in a companion piece in their online edition, Jennifer Brooks notes that:

Big Kenny Alphin waded into politics when he took an interest in the humanitarian crisis in Darfur — an interest he shares with Barack Obama. Alphin and his wife just returned from a trip to Sudan last week, delivering school and medical supplies and musical instruments to a school for girls orphaned in the conflict.

Hey Big Kenny, give us a call or shoot us an email. You have an open invitation to appear on Liberadio(!) just in case, you know, you want to get anything off your chest. And we’d love to hear about your trip to the Sudan and the other humanitarian work you and your wife are taking part in.

It would also be interesting to hear how these two partner together in all things business and creative while holding opposing political views. Touring in a band is not like any other job where you work 8 hours a day and go home to your family and the friends you choose to hang with. When you’re on tour you’re basically with the people you work with 24/7. Oh how the fur can fly!

PS: One more thing, as an Italian-American I can tell you, just so you know, there’s no such thing as the “Mafia.” Ciao, Ciao!

UPDATE: Apparently, Mr. Rich is also a big hypocrite. The “strong beliefs and core values” he has apply only to other people’s lifestyles and not his own. This man is not “conservative.” He’s a bigot. Which raises yet another question for Mr. Alphin to answer - just how much of your partner’s beliefs do you agree with?

UPDATE II: It’s too late to take back now. But he’s trying! John Rich of Big & Rich released a statement after Thursday’s column item stating his position against gay marriage: “My earlier comments on same-sex marriage don’t reflect my full views on the broader issues regarding tolerance and the treatment of gays and lesbians in our society. I apologize for that and wish to state clearly my views. I oppose same-sex marriage because my father and minister brought me up to believe that marriage is an institution for the union of a man and a woman. However, I also believe that intolerance, bigotry and hatred are wrong. People should be judged based on their merits, not on their sexual orientation. We are all children of God and should be valued and respected.”

This post was written by Mary Mancini