The world of Sawyer Brown is filled with dirt roads, small towns, little thrills, tiny moments and intimate connections... but mostly, it's about recognition of how major those things really can be: every day people seeing themselves in each other, the 5 men onstage and their songs. For the Apopka, Florida-bred band, these are songs of the common man delivered without mercy, only a relentless commitment to the freedom and fun that only a night out among good friends can allow.
"We came out of the notion we were there to entertain people, to make sure everybody had a good time," concedes creative catalyst Miller, known as much for his hyperkinetic performances as for writing "Some Girls Do," "The Dirt Road," "Hard To Say," "Step That Step," "This Time," "The Boys & Me," "Thank God For You" and "The Walk." "You're looking at a bunch of blue collar people here, who were raised to put the work in, to make sure the people are satisfied and who really love being on that stage and seeing the people letting it all go. Somebody once told me `If you can't have fun at a Sawyer Brown show, you can't have fun...' I don't know, but it would sure be nice if it was true."
After 23 years, 3500+ shows, gold and platinum albums, a smattering of awards and more long odds than any act you can think of, Sawyer Brown remains a band you can count on. Never ones to get above their raising, they have a deep appreciation for the heart of small towns, rural realities, lives lived in common places and truths so basic they go unnoticed.
But along the way, while all kinds of acts were racing by and then falling by the by, Mark Miller and company were amassing a string of hits that defined the worldview of regular people living between the coasts - people ignored by the media mongers and tastemakers. Along with the aforementioned Miller-penned hits, there were plenty of other big records "Betty's Being Bad," "The Café On the Corner," "All These Years," "Used To Blue," "Heart Don't Fall Now," "This Thing Called Wanting (And Having It All)," "This Night Won't Last Forever," "Leona" and "Treat Her Right" as well as fearless attacks on classics like George Jones' "The Race Is On" and Dave Dudley's truckers' rallying cry "6 Days On The Road." where they bounce up and down on the mainframe like a trampoline -- tattooing their trademark high energy, utterly committed performances onto country radio's somewhat conservative sound.
Whether the little band who auditioned for "Star Search" solely to get the videotape to send to prospective buyers, but then went on to win the whole thing - becoming the original "American Idols" in the process -- were unlikely country stars or not, they had a lot of heart and they never gave up. It's been one of the defining truths of a career that's always been about taking it to the people... and not getting caught up in the popularity contests on Music Row.
Miller decided to give up life on the University of Central Florida basketball team and strike out for Nashville. Hubbard decided to join him. Living on dreams - and the extra large portions Emma English, the cook at the Harding Mall Walgreen's would give her counter help and his buddy - the pair soon found another Florida boy in Smyth, who'd even taught at the University of Miami's prestigious School of Music. A rocker from Michigan named Jim Scholten brought the rumble to the bottom end and original guitarist Bobby Randall filled out the band, originally named Savanah - and renamed for Sawyer Brown Road.
"We figured it was easier to get work if people thought we were a person," Miller concedes with a laugh. "And we wanted to work."
Work they did. Every honky tonk, Holiday Inn, roadhouse and Elks Lodge in the southeast. Five sets a night, 6 nights a week. Turned down by every label in Nashville - the only glimmer was Lyn Shults, working at Capitol, who also spotted Garth Brooks, who advised, "You're different, but you've got something. Different is hard, but when it hits, it sticks."
And so it has. With the longest uninterrupted run as a band currently in country music, Sawyer Brown's songs are an integral thread in the fabric of radio over the past 20 years. They didn't do it on pomp and circumstances, flash and sizzle - in spite of what the singer might've been wearing - but solid music, strong support and remembering to give their fans their best.
They've survived the departure of Randall. The arrival of acclaimed guitarist Duncan Cameron, who has since departed to follow a second dream of a lifetime: flying for a living as a pilot at Southwest Airlines - and the newest guitarslinger Shayne Hill, who is quick to say "It's strange to look out at those crowds and realize I AM part of one of the truly rocking, but most fun bands making music. I've ALWAYS loved these songs, always - and it's like being the kid who wakes up in the middle of his own dream."
Every day. That's the whole point with Sawyer Brown. Doesn't matter where or when or how, they're good to go. Plug in and play, whip up a cloud of dust, leave'em dancing in the aisles.
Taking no prisoners and laying waste to the country fans who show up has given Sawyer Brown the reputation of being a band the other acts don't want to follow, but it's also built them a fan-base that shows up no matter what. "It's crazy," Miller says. "It's almost like Jimmy Buffett's fans who come not because of the new record or the new song, but because they know they're gonna have fun. We've got kids who grew up listening to their parents' records coming now - and they're totally into it. But that's what you wanna do: maintain what you've created. When it's showing people a good time, well, that's a pretty great thing to have to keep up."