Grange Fair band profile: The Swon Brothers

Zach and Colton Swon, otherwise known as the Swon Brothers, are an American country music duo from Muskogee, Okla., but they will travel to the Grange Fair on Aug. 25 to present their talents to local fans.

The brothers started their music career early, attempting their first record deal at ages 9 (Colton) and 11 (Zach) when they asked their parents to stop at Virgin Records in Nashville to audition on their way to a family vacation in Florida.

“Our parents drove us around to every label in town that day,” Zach Swon said. “They knew it wasn’t gonna happen, but they filmed it and watched us walk in and walk right back out, and they’re actually laughing at us on camera. You can see the camera start shaking ’cause they’re laughing so hard at us walking out with our guitars, you know. And we’re seriously disappointed because we thought that’s how you do it; you just walk in, sing good and get a record deal.”

It may seem like a young start to some, but for the Swon brothers, it was nothing out of the ordinary.

The two grew up riding their parents’ tour bus and performing as part of their family’s gospel group.

Unfortunately, the brothers did not secure a record deal on that day, but the brave youngsters did impress the president of the label and they have maintained a close friendship.

The Swon boys grew up in Oklahoma down the street from “American Idol” star Carrie Underwood, and the neighbors performed many times together as they grew up.

The pair earned their popularity when they finished in third place on NBC’s “The Voice” in 2013.

“We traveled with our parents every weekend playing churches. Our parents were offered record deals here and there,” Zach Swon said, according to their website. “But the most important thing to them was keeping the family and the band together.

“So ever since we were babies we’ve been on the bus, hearing music and watching live musicians. It’s definitely what got us turned on to music. I played instruments earlier on than Colton; he was more the singer and stage performer. I started out on drums at age 3, and by the time I was 9 or 10 I was playing drums for my parents’ band.”

Before performing publicly on “The Voice,” the brothers stuck close to home, releasing CDs on their own label.

Hit songs such as “Oklahoma Lovin’ ” and “This Close to Gone” display their musical and lyrical strengths.

The Swon Brothers recently were honored with the Rising Star award by the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame and are writing and securing songs for their major-label debut album, coming this year.

This story was originally published August 10, 2014 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Grange Fair band profile: The Swon Brothers."