John Rich photo by Frank Ockenfels, courtesy of Warner Bros. Nashville.
March 20, 2009 — John Rich’s Son Of A Preacher Man album comes out on Tuesday, and he led up to the big day by shooting a video this week for the CD’s gang-buster single "Shuttin’ Detroit Down."
John devoted two days to the shoot, enlisting Country Music Hall of Famer Kris Kristofferson and Oscar-nominated actor Mickey Rourke to take part in the clip, which puts visual backing to a song about the little man on the economic food chain getting run over by the big guys at the top.
"I cannot think of two guys who have pulled themselves up by the boot straps time and time again, blue collar-level superstars, than Mickey Rourke and Kris Kristofferson," John says. "Two of the all-time great American artists in what they do, and the faces that these guys have, they have faces that tell a story. It is a humbling experience working with these guys. I am way out of my league."
The two went way out of their way to take part in John’s video. Mickey, who John met several years ago in a New York bar, flew in from Moscow while Kris came in from Los Angeles. Robert Deaton and George Flanigen IV, who’ve won awards for their work on Martina McBride’s "Independence Day" and Brooks & Dunn’s "Believe," directed the shoot.
In the meantime, look for John all over TV next week. He’s set for ABC’s "Good Morning America" and Fox News’ "Hannity’s America" Tuesday, Fox News’ "Glenn Beck" Wednesday, NBC’s "Today Show" and "Late Night With Jimmy Fallon" Thursday and Fox News’ "America’s Newsroom" Friday.
Down the road, John’s set to appear during the 2009 CMA Music Festival in Nashville June 11-14. He’s just been announced as a performer at the event’s nightly stadium shows along with Montgomery Gentry, Dierks Bentley, Brooks & Dunn and Brad Paisley. Previously announced performers for the Festival include Trace Adkins, Julianne Hough, Lady Antebellum, Miranda Lambert, Martina McBride and Reba McEntire.