Warren Brothers biography

THE WARREN BROTHERS

Being barely famous has been fairly successful for the Warren Brothers.

Brett and Brad Warren have played arena tours with superstars, had their songs recorded by some of the biggest acts in country and rock and starred in their own TV series. But they've never had a Top 10 single, sold anything approaching a platinum album or won a major award.

"We always joke about it, but surely being 'barely famous' is not a bad spot to be in," says Brett, the shorter-haired lead singer of the duo. "I guess being famous started off being important," says brother Brad. "But over time we’ve found that fame isn't nearly as much of a focus as doing something significant with our music or our songwriting. Not that we're significant yet, but at least we're getting there."

Perhaps not surprisingly, the brothers have turned the concept of being modestly famous into their own brand name. "Barely Famous" was included in the title of their hit reality show last year on CMT--and Barely Famous: The Warren Brothers will again be the title when the show returns for a second season this summer. Co-created by Brett and Brad and Melanie Moreau of CMT, Barely Famous: The Warren Brothers (produced by John Irwin) mixes the Warren’s unconventional comedy style with their behind-the-scenes life of being not so famous artists in the music business.

“Last summer we came off the road one morning after 4 nights of opening these huge shows for Tim McGraw. I got off the plane – a private jet with Tim McGraw - and my car wouldn’t start. One minute 15,000 people are clapping and I’m on a private jet, the next minute I’m trying to get a hold of someone to bring me jumper cables.” say Brett. Brad continues, “Everyone in the music business wants to make you think they’re more than they are – we find a lot of humor in the reality of who we’re not.”

Their new album on BNA Records, BARELY FAMOUS HITS, also plays off the catchphrase. Due in stores August 2nd, HITS showcases the duo's musical and songwriting chops on 12 of their previously released tunes that at one time or another eased into the Top 40 or even the Top 20. Several of the songs were re-played, re-recorded and re-mixed, including "Guilty," their first single from 1998, "Greyhound Bus," "What We Can't Have" and "Change," the catchy theme to their CMT series that is also the project's first single.

Three other tunes on the album, "Hey Mr. President", "Sell A Lot Of Beer” and “Come Back”, originally produced by Tim McGraw and Byron Gallimore, were released as demos on their independent record, WELL DESERVED OBSCURITY (429 Records). Last year’s single, “Sell A Lot of Beer” –was accompanied by a Top Ten CMT video that depicted – among other things -- Brett as Kenny Chesney, Garth Brooks and Michael Jackson.

Beyond being an amazing collection of music, it is also an unprecedented one given that it marks the third time the Warrens have been signed by BNA Records. "We've had the most hilarious career," says Brett. "Never in pop, rock or country history has anyone been signed to BNA Records three times. Signed, dropped, signed, dropped, re-signed. It is so funny to us--how life works itself out."

Life started working itself out, career-wise, not long after Brett and Brad arrived in Nashville in 1995 from their hometown of Tampa, Florida. As it has been since they were kids playing music together in local Tampa bands, Brad, two years the elder, holds down the band’s rocking side with his distinct lead guitar style and background vocals while Brett delivers each song with his country-blues infused voice, harmonica and rhythm guitar. Their rollicking, rocking and often rambunctious performances as a local bar band, packing in the crowds just south of downtown, got them their initial contract with BNA Records in 1997.

Even though their road as recording artists turned out to be a somewhat bumpy one, the Warrens struck gold on several alternate routes. Their progressive sound piqued the interest of Faith Hill in 1999 leading to Hill and McGraw picking the Warrens for the coveted opening slot on their Soul2Soul tour in 2000. This success on stage before this ‘other’ duo cemented a spot on Tim’s 04 OUT LOUD TOUR, this time with a full band. On the television front, their quick wit, sharp tongues and wild-card unpredictability made them a hit as judges on the USA Network TV series "Nashville Star," which led to their interest in pursuing more television with CMT. In each spare moment and trip home, Brett and Brad continued to hone their skills as songwriters, writing with the likes of Harlan Howard, Guy Clark, Jeffrey Steele and other Nashville hitmakers. Not surprisingly, their songwriting earned a buzz of its own in 2003 with a string of cuts starting with McGraw’s “Who Are They” off the multi-platinum Dancehall Doctors album and quickly followed with legendary Southern Rock band Lynyrd Skynrd (“Red, White & Blue”), more McGraw (“Blank Sheet Of Paper” from Live Like You Were Dying), Van Zant (“I Can’t Help Myself”) and most recently they made the ‘cut’ on Faith’s anticipated Fireflies 2005 release with “The Lucky One”.

Next up for the brothers is a slot on the summer’s biggest tour package, the Brooks & Dunn “Deuces Wild” romp with Big & Rich through 35 cities between August and October. They’re unfazed by the fact that Brooks & Dunn are widely known for playing notorious practical jokes on tourmates.

“You can’t shake us,” says Brad. “You can throw a bucket of s--t on us while we’re trying to sing, and we’ll just laugh and throw it back at you. But if you’re gonna mess with us....” He turns mock-ominous, with a message for any touring partners who might be prone to pranking. “You’d better be ready--because you probably care a lot more about your stage show than we do ours. The repercussions might be large.”

As TV stars, songwriters, live entertainers and -- once again -- recording artists, the Warrens’ own repercussions are getting larger all the time. And what will happen if their ‘barely’ turns into just plain famous? “I know if sounds generic, coming from two smartasses, but we are really happy and humbled that we’ve had this much success. By not taking ourselves too seriously, our success and fame and popularity -- -- just keep going up.”

And being barely famous, they must admit, has been pretty good.

“On our tombstones, I’d rather it say ‘Those guys were great songwriters’ or ‘Those guys put on a really good show,’ not ‘They were really famous.’”

-- by Neil Pond

Thanks to itsmy6@gmail.com for submitting the biography.

Warren Brothers pictures