Sawyer Brown
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Sawyer Brown | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Years active | 1981— |
| Genres | Country |
| Labels | Capitol Records, Curb Records |
| Members | Mark Miller - lead vocals Gregg "Hobie" Hubbard - keyboards, background vocals Shayne Hill - guitar, background vocals Jim Scholten - bass guitar, percussion Joe Smyth - drums, percussion |
| Past members | Bobby Randall - lead guitar, background vocals (1981-1991) Duncan Cameron - lead guitar, background vocals(1991-2004) |
Sawyer Brown is an American country music band that gained fame by winning the grand prize on the talent show Star Search in 1983.
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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, taking the name "Sawyer Brown" after Sawyer Brown Road, the street where they rehearsed. 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 auditioned just to get the videotape to promote the band, yet ended up winning the $100,000 grand prize and record contract.
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 #1 hit, "Step That Step". The band had their ups and downs on the charts throughout the 1980s, landing only sporadic Top 10 hits; nonetheless, they were very successful on the touring circuit.
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, You Can Be A Star. 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-'90s.
Part of the band's new-found success was due to singer-songwriter Mac McAnally, who had written several songs for the group. The McAnally-penned songs - mostly ballads - helped to re-define Sawyer Brown, who up until this point had been reviled by many critics for being a flamboyant "bubble gum" pop act that emphasized style over substance. "The Walk", the final single off the Buick album, is said to be the turning point for the group.
The band enjoyed several hits throughout the 1990s, finally landing its second Billboard #1 with 1993's "Thank God For You", which McAnally co-wrote with Mark Miller. Throughout the 1990s, the group enjoyed several more hits - so many, in fact, that a second Greatest Hits compilation was released after only four years on Curb.
In the latter half of the 1990s, the group seemed to gradually fall out of favor with country radio, despite a crossover hit in 1999 with "Drive Me Wild". They parted ways with Curb in 2003 and signed with Lyric Street Records. One single was released on Lyric Street before Sawyer Brown left that label as well. 2004 saw the group returning to Curb Records, just as Duncan Cameron decided to leave the group to pursue a life-long dream of flying for Southwest Airlines. Guitarist Shayne Hill replaced Duncan's post as guitarist, although both Cameron and Hill are in the creits on Mission Temple Fireworks Stand. The album's title track, featuring Robert Randolph, peaked at #55. The second single off that album, "They Don't Understand", barely reached the Top 40 on the Country Tracks chart, but was a Top 20 hit on the Christian charts.
[edit] Albums
| Album | Title | Year | Label | Country Album Chart |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sawyer Brown | 1985 | Curb / Capitol | #2 |
| 2 | Shakin' | 1986 | Curb / Capitol | #3 |
| 3 | Out Goin' Cattin' | 1986 | Curb / Capitol | #8 |
| 4 | Somewhere In The Night | 1987 | Curb / Capitol | #16 |
| 5 | Wide Open | 1988 | Curb / Capitol | #33 |
| 6 | The Boys Are Back | 1989 | Curb / Capitol | #5 |
| 7 | Greatest Hits | 1990 | Curb / Capitol | #26 |
| 8 | Buick | 1991 | Curb / Capitol | #23 |
| 9 | The Dirt Road | 1992 | Curb / Capitol | #12 |
| 10 | Cafe On The Corner | 1992 | Curb | #23 |
| 11 | Outskirts Of Town | 1993 | Curb | #13 |
| 12 | Greatest Hits 1990-1995 | 1995 | Curb | #5 |
| 13 | This Thing Called Wantin' And Havin' It All | 1995 | Curb | #10 |
| 14 | Six Days On The Road | 1997 | Curb | #8 |
| 15 | Hallelujah, He Is Born (Holiday Album) | 1997 | Curb | #42 |
| 16 | Drive Me Wild | 1999 | Curb | #10 |
| 17 | The Hits Live | 2000 | Curb | #35 |
| 18 | Can You Hear Me Now | 2002 | Curb | #39 |
| 19 | True Believer | 2003 | Curb | # |
| 20 | Mission Temple Fireworks Stand | 2005 | Curb | #47 |
[edit] Singles
| Year | Title | Chart Positions | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | |||
| 1984 | "Leona" | #16 | Sawyer Brown |
| 1985 | "Step That Step" | #1 | Sawyer Brown |
| 1985 | "Used To Blue" | #3 | Sawyer Brown |
| 1986 | "Betty's Bein' Bad" | #5 | Shakin' |
| 1986 | "Heart Don't Fall Now" | #14 | Shakin' |
| 1986 | "Shakin'" | #15 | Shakin' |
| 1986 | "Gypsies On Parade" | #25 | Out Goin' Cattin'' |
| 1986 | "Out Goin' Cattin'" (w/ Joe Bonsall of The Oak Ridge Boys) | #11 | Out Goin' Cattin'' |
| 1987 | "Savin' The Honey For The Honeymoon" | #58 | Out Goin' Cattin'' |
| 1987 | "Somewhere In The Night" | #29 | Somewhere In The Night |
| 1987 | "This Missing You Heart Of Mine" | #2 | Somewhere In The Night |
| 1988 | "Old Photographs" | #27 | Somewhere In The Night |
| 1988 | "My Baby's Gone" | #11 | Wide Open |
| 1988 | "It Wasn't His Child" | #51 | Wide Open |
| 1989 | "Old Pair Of Shoes" | #50 | Wide Open |
| 1989 | "The Race Is On" | #5 | The Boys Are Back |
| 1989 | "Did It For Love" | #33 | The Boys Are Back |
| 1989 | "Puttin' The Dark Back Into The Night" | #33 | The Boys Are Back |
| 1990 | "When Love Comes Callin'" | #40 | Greatest Hits |
| 1991 | "One Less Pony" | #70 | Buick |
| 1991 | "Mama's Little Baby Loves Me" | #68 | Buick |
| 1991 | "The Walk" | #2 | Buick |
| 1992 | "The Dirt Road"A | #3 | The Dirt Road |
| 1992 | "Some Girls Do" | #1 | The Dirt Road |
| 1992 | "Café On The Corner" | #5 | Café On The Corner |
| 1992 | "All These Years"A | #3 | Café On The Corner |
| 1993 | "Trouble On The Line" | #5 | Café On The Corner |
| 1993 | "Thank God For You" | #1 | Outskirts Of Town |
| 1994 | "The Boys And Me" | #4 | Outskirts Of Town |
| 1994 | "Outskirts Of Town" | #40 | Outskirts Of Town |
| 1994 | "Hard To Say" | #5 | Outskirts Of Town |
| 1995 | "This Time" | #2 | Greatest Hits 1990-1995 |
| 1995 | "I Don't Believe In Goodbye" | #4 | Greatest Hits 1990-1995 |
| 1995 | "(This Thing Called) Wantin' And Havin' It All" | #11 | This Thing Called Wantin' And Havin' It All |
| 1996 | "'Round Here" | #19 | This Thing Called Wantin' And Havin' It All |
| 1996 | "Treat Her Right"A | #3 | This Thing Called Wantin' And Havin' It All |
| 1996 | "She's Gettin' There" | #46 | This Thing Called Wantin' And Havin' It All |
| 1997 | "Six Days On The Road" | #13 | Six Days On The Road |
| 1997 | "This Night Won't Last Forever" | #6 | Six Days On The Road |
| 1998 | "Another Side" | #55 | Six Days On The Road |
| 1998 | "Small Talk" | #60 | Six Days On The Road |
| 1999 | "Drive Me Wild"D | #6 | Drive Me Wild |
| 1999 | "I'm In Love With Her" | #47 | Drive Me Wild |
| 2000 | "800 Pound Jesus" | #40 | Drive Me Wild |
| 2000 | "Perfect World" | #50 | The Hits Live |
| 2000 | "Lookin' For Love" | #44 | The Hits Live |
| 2002 | "Circles" | #45 | Can You Hear Me Now |
| 2002 | "Can You Hear Me Now?" | #57 | Can You Hear Me Now |
| 2002 | "I Need A Girlfriend"D | - | Can You Hear Me Now |
| 2003 | "I'll Be Around"E | #55 | |
| 2004 | "Mission Temple Fireworks Stand" (w/ Robert Randolph) | #55 | Mission Temple Fireworks Stand |
| 2005 | "They Don't Understand" | #37 | Mission Temple Fireworks Stand |
| 2006 | "Keep Your Hands To Yourself"D | - | Mission Temple Fireworks Stand |
AReached #1 on Radio & Records.
B"All These Years" peaked at #42 on Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks.
C"Drive Me Wild" peaked at #44 on the Hot 100.
DReleased but failed to chart.
ESingle only; was released on Lyric Street Records.
[edit] Awards
Country Music Association Awards
- 1985 CMA Horizon Award
Academy of Country Music Awards
- 1997 ACM Vocal Group Of The Year
TNN/Music City News Country Music Awards
- 1993 Vocal Band Of The Year
- 1994 Vocal Band Of The Year
- 1995 Vocal Band Of The Year
- 1996 Vocal Band Of The Year
- 1997 Vocal Band Of The Year
- 1998 Vocal Band Of The Year
CMT Country Music Awards
- 1993 Video Group Of The Year
- 1994 Video Group Of The Year
- 1995 Video Group Of The Year
