She grew up calling Habersham home and soon Kimberly Bramlett Schlapman can call the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville home. Schlapman’s band, Little Big Town, will be inducted into the Grand Ole Opry by country music legend Vince Gill on Oct. 17. They were invited to join by another country music legend, Reba McEntire, during a recent appearance at the Grand Ole Opry.
Schlapman, formerly of Cornelia, is a founding member of Little Big Town along with her college friend, Karen Fairchild. The group started in 1998 and has had the same four members – Schlapman, Fairchild, Jimi Westbrook and Phillip Sweet – since it began.
LBT first appeared on the Opry stage in 1999. Since then the group has won one Grammy Award for the chart topping “Pontoon” in 2012, three Country Music Association (CMA) awards, three Academy of Country Music (ACM) awards, one American Country Award (ACA) and a daytime Emmy for penning and performing the theme song for ABC’s “Good Afternoon America.”
When she’s not on stage performing, Schlapman can be found in front of the camera as host of Kimberly’s Simply Southern, a cooking show on the Great American Country TV network.
Schlapman is the daughter of Tolbert and Barbara Bramlett of Cornelia and is a frequent visitor to Habersham County. Last year she became the inaugural inductee into the Habersham County Chamber of Commerce Hall of Fame. In September Schlapman presented the Chamber with a signed platinum disc of her group’s critically acclaimed fifth album, Tornado. The disc is on display at the Chamber office in Cornelia.
Little Big Town will release its sixth album, Pain Killer, on Oct. 21.
