JOHN DAY — After the big success of Josh Turner’s concert earlier this year, popular country group Sawyer Brown has signed to headline the Grant County Fair and Rodeo concert in 2024.

The Cadillac Three has been signed as the warmup act for the concert.

The concert will be held on Aug. 9, with The Cadillac Three opening at 7 p.m. and Sawyer Brown headlining at 8:30 p.m.

“We put out our wish list,” said fair manager Mindy Winegar. “We have put in an offer for Sawyer Brown in the past and we haven’t been able to book them until this year.”

Tickets priced at $45 general admission and $15, for kids aged 12 and under, are available online at grantcountyoregon.net. The tickets are available at the fair office with an additional $5 office fee.

“So far it’s been great feedback,” Winegar said. “People are really excited about it. The younger crowd is excited about the Cadillac Three.”

In 1983 Sawyer Brown won the top prize on “Star Search,” the popular televised talent show hosted by Ed McMahon, and signed with Capitol Records a year later. On the band’s website, the group’s music page features 22 Sawyer Brown albums. The band originates from Apopka, Florida, and was formed in 1981 by members of country star Don King’s road band.

The group has charted multiple times on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart. Sawyer Brown had three No. 1 singles with “Step That Step” from 1985, “Some Girls Do” from 1992 and “Thank God for You” from 1993.

The Cadillac Three, a band known for country and Southern rock tunes, has put out six studio albums and was nominated for the Academy of Country Music Awards in 2015 for vocal event of the year, with the song “The South.”

“Sawyer Brown is, I think, a household name by now,” Winegar said. “They’ve been around for a long time, and everybody knows their music. The Cadillac Three are for those people that want a little more rock ‘n’ roll. We’re trying to get all genres and get something for everybody.”

The Grant County Chamber of Commerce, Prairie Wood Products, Chester’s Market and Iron Triangle are sponsoring the concert.

The 2024 Grant County Fair will begin on Aug. 7 and end on Aug. 10. The ICA Rodeo will be held on Aug. 2 and 3, and the Junior Rodeo will be held on Aug. 4.

The contract amount for Sawyer Brown is $40,000 and $25,000 for the Cadillac Three, Winegar said. Winegar said she hopes the popularity of Sawyer Brown and the Cadillac Three will draw concert-goers from not just Grant County and Eastern Oregon, but from outside the region as well, in the same way Josh Turner did earlier this year.

“Because this dollar amount is not a small dollar amount, for us to continue concerts, we need people to come,” Winegar said. “We’re lucky to have wonderful sponsors. We appreciate every one of them. We also need people to come and support this and the fair.”

For the Josh Turner concert, fans came to the fair from throughout Oregon and even as far away as Salt Lake City, Winegar said.

“We try to be a big economic driver for our community, and I’m bringing those people into our county,” she said.