Big Kenny of the hit country duo Big & Rich and Charlie Pennachio chatted with Digital Journal’s Markos Papadatos about the TV series “Big Kenny’s Crank It Up Garage,” which premieres on Thursday, July 8 on Circle All Access.
This primetime series stars Big Kenny alongside wingman and producer Charlie Pennachio who set off to discover the greatest and most unique custom builds in America. It is comprised of 10 episodes that will deliver 30 minutes of outrageous, and distinct custom creations in America.
“We were shooting another special for Circle Network last year in April, and they wanted to do a shoot in my shop,” Big Kenny said. “We thought this would be a cool concept for a show and then I said ‘now it’s time to crank it up’ and that kind of stuck as a title. We decided it would be a great title for a show.”
It all starts in Big Kenny’s custom garage, where Charlie brings the ideas and introduces Kenny to these unique people. The show will offer a range of entertainment where Big Kenny meets with inspirational people in unique places to highlight their personal stories of how these incredible custom builds came to life.
“Right after the first of the year, in January of 2021, Circle gave us the green light to do the show, and from that point, we went into a full-on production,” Big Kenny said.
“We were able to cover a lot of builds, where we filmed for 10 days and we knocked out the entire show,” Pennachio said. “We routed it as a tour, and we were able to cover a lot of ground and get all of the filming done. It really turned out to be an amazing experience for me and Kenny.”
Big Kenny added, “We have everything from crazy, to outrageous to stunning to magnificent in these 10 shows. The originality is super cool.”
On the title of the current chapter of his life, Pennachio said, “New Beginnings.” “The title of my chapter is ‘Crank It Up’,” Big Kenny remarked. “The world is cranking up in so many ways right now and our industry is cranking up. We are back out on the road.”
Regarding his definition of success, Big Kenny stated, “Success to me is when I wake up breathing every morning since each day is a new opportunity. I have a family that loves me, and a career where I get to do things that I love to do and hang out with people that I respect and enjoy. It doesn’t get any better than that.”
This series is produced by Oswald Entertainment Group, in association with Powwow Pictures, bigkenny.tv, and Jett Entertainment. The series is created by executive producers Big Kenny and Marc Oswald, executive producer and director David “Doc” Abbott; and executive producer and co-host Charlie Pennachio.
Big Kenny
Big Kenny Alphin is a multi-platinum recording artist, a showman, philanthropist, and hit songwriter. He is a lifestyle entrepreneur and he launched his “Peace, Love & Happy Hour” retail brand in support of his “Love Everybody Foundation.”
U.S. veterans and first responders remain especially close to Big Kenny’s heart. Kenny is the second U.S. recipient of the African Children’s Choir Malaika Award, a commemoration that he shares with President George W. Bush. Along with John Rich, Kenny was the recipient of the Country Radio Seminar 2013 “Artist Humanitarian” Award.
Charlie Pennachio
Pennachio hails from Queens, New York. He is a platinum recording artist, producer, and songwriter who started his career by launching his own record label Futura International Records at the age of 20.
In addition, Pennachio is a founding member and the lead singer of the band Linear. Charlie is now the new Senior Vice President at Oswald Entertainment Group and part of the management team for multi-platinum hit duo Big & Rich and their self-operated record label B&R Records. Charlie, a custom-build junkie, also loves and excels in artist development and is dedicated to helping both known and unknown artists find the next rung in their ladders of success.
To learn more about “Big Kenny’s Crank It Up Garage,” follow the show on Instagram, and Facebook.
