By Konnie McCollum
Staff Writer

(June 2010) – From high-energy, pulsating tunes to thoughtful and more introspective lyrics, country music group Sawyer Brown has done it all. With certified gold albums and a shelf load of country music awards, the superstar group has charmed audiences across the globe.

Photo provided Award-winning group Sawyer Brown will perform prior to the NASCAR Nationwide Series’ 'Meijer 300 Presented by Ritz.'

Sawyer Brown will perform on the concourse stage at the Kentucky Speedway on June 12, just prior to the NASCAR Nationwide Series’ “Meijer 300 Presented by Ritz.”
The group hit the national spotlight in 1983 when it won a $100,000 grand prize and a Capitol Records-Curb Records recording contract in the popular “Star Search” TV talent show.
The original members of the band are vocalist Mark Miller, keyboardist Gregg Hubbard, drummer Joe Smyth, bassist Jim Scholten and guitarist Bobby Randall. Randall is the only original member to leave the band. He was replaced by Duncan Cameron. The group took its name from a street near which they used to practice in Apopka, Fla.
Their first No. 1 single, “Step That Step,” came off of that album, titled “Sawyer Brown.” The band continued to make the charts throughout the 1980s and even won the Country Music Association’s Horizon Award in 1985.
Originally, Sawyer Brown was known for a primarily country pop sound dominated by novelty tunes, but by the mid-1990s the group had begun to show a more serious side to its music. Its 1991 hit “The Walk,” a song about a father-son relationship and the relentless march of aging, appeared to be the turning point in their music from the high-energy tunes to more ballads.
The band toured and recorded through much of the 1990s and was named the Academy of Country Music’s top vocal group for the year in 1996. The band also won six consecutive TNN Music City New Awards top vocal band prizes from 1993-1998.
The band was one of the first country acts to use music videos built around concepts, instead of just performances. Their videos often involved famous guests, including comedian Gallagher and NBC weatherman Willard Scott. Four of Sawyer Brown’s videos, including “Some Girls Do” and “Six Days on he Road,” earned Country Music Television’s Video of the Year awards.
The group has released more than 17 albums, of which were certified gold in the United States for sales of 500,000 copies. More than 50 of their singles hit the U.S. “Billboard Hot Country Songs,” charts, including three No. 1s.
The group left Curb Records in 2003 and signed with Lyric Street Records. They returned to Curb after doing just one single for Lyric Street.