About Sawyer Brown
Sawyer Brown is an American country music band. It was founded in 1981 in Apopka, Florida, by Mark Miller , Gregg "Hobie" Hubbard , Bobby Randall , Joe "Curly" Smyth , and Jim Scholten . The five musicians were originally members of country singer Don King's road band, but chose to stay together after King retired in 1981. After competing on the television competition series Star Search and winning that show's grand prize, they signed to Capitol Records in 1984. The band recorded for Capitol between then and 1991, and for Curb Records between 1991 and 2005, except for a short time in 2003 when they were signed to Lyric Street Records. Duncan Cameron, formerly of the Amazing Rhythm Aces, replaced Randall in 1991, and Shayne Hill replaced him in 2004.
Sawyer Brown has released 18 studio albums and has charted over 50 times on the Hot Country Songs charts, including three No. 1 singles: "Step That Step" , "Some Girls Do" , and "Thank God for You" . The band's sound is largely defined by country pop and rock music influences, with cover versions of songs by George Jones, Michael Johnson, and Dave Dudley also among their hit singles. Artists with whom they have collaborated include Randy Scruggs, Joe Bonsall, and Mac McAnally.
The group's members were originally part of country pop singer Don King's road band. When King stopped touring in 1981, the group decided to stay together. The band played up to five sets a night, six days a week , until they auditioned for the TV show Star Search in 1983. They won the grand prize of $100,000 and a recording contract.
The band originally chose the name Savanna. When another band with a similar name emerged, the group decided to change its own moniker. They met at their manager's office in Nashville and began looking through area telephone books for inspiration. They blindly landed on the name of a nearby thoroughfare, Sawyer Brown Road, and derived the new band name "Sawyer Brown".
The band signed with Capitol Records and scored a Top 20 hit with their first single, "Leona", in 1984. That success was quickly followed by their first No. 1 hit, "Step That Step". The band had their ups and downs on the charts throughout the 1980s, landing only sporadic Top 10 hits. However, by 1990 they had accumulated enough hits for a Greatest Hits package, and were successful on the touring circuit.
Originally, Sawyer Brown was known for a primarily country pop sound dominated largely by novelty tunes; by 1991, however, the band began to express a more serious side to its music by adding ballads to its repertoire. That year, the band also dropped its affiliation with Capitol, and Curb Records assumed promotion and distribution of all subsequent albums and singles . Bobby Randall also left the band in 1991, and was replaced by Duncan Cameron. Cameron subsequently departed in 2004, with Shayne Hill assuming the role of lead guitarist.
In 1991, after the release of their album Buick, guitarist Bobby Randall left the group to remain close to his family and host a short-lived TV talent show, Be a Star. Bobby Randall joined to band called "Dallas County Line" formed in Birmingham, Alabama, in late 1991 & early 2003 are disbanded. Duncan Cameron, formerly of The Amazing Rhythm Aces, was chosen as his replacement just as Sawyer Brown was about to become country music's "it" band. The band then switched labels, moving to Curb Records and releasing the albums The Dirt Road, Café on the Corner, and Outskirts of Town, which saw hit after hit for the band in the early to mid-1990s.
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