Summer 2012 will surely go down in the annals of country music history as the summer of motorboatin’, thanks to Little Big Town’s infectiously groovy smash “Pontoon.” The foursome of Karen Fairchild, Kimberly Schlapman, Phillip Sweet and Jimi Westbrook celebrated a banner year on the massive wake created by the tune, their biggest hit to date.

A game-changing performance of “Pontoon” on the CMT Music Awards (on an actual boat!) sent sales of the single skyward, well before the group’s new Jay Joyce-produced album, Tornado, even hit stores. Tornado’s first-week sales topped 113,000 units, beating out no less an icon than Bob Dylan in the process.

In November, Little Big Town’s music industry peers rewarded the group’s creative efforts with Country Music Association awards for Single of the Year (for “Pontoon,” natch) and Vocal Group of the Year. Additionally, Little Big Town earned high-profile performance slots during 2012 on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon, Live! With Michael and Kelly, Good Morning America and more.

LBT also welcomed some good karma by joining ConAgra Foods to raise awareness for the Child Hunger Ends Here campaign, releasing an exclusive video performance of the Hunter Hayes song “Here’s Hope.”

Yet somehow in between all the appointments, concert dates and awards shows, Kimberly managed to launch her own cooking show on GAC called Kimberly’s Simply Southern. The group’s new single, “Tornado,” is currently twisting its way up the charts.