The Swon Brothers
The Swon Brothers are an American country music duo from Muskogee, Oklahoma, consisting of Zach Swon (born February 21, 1985) and Colton Swon (born August 17, 1988).[1][2] In 2013, they finished in third place on the fourth season of NBC's The Voice.[3] They were the first duo to make it from the Top 12 live shows to the season finale.[4]
The Swon Brothers
On November 1, 2013, the Swon Brothers signed a record deal with Arista Nashville which is part of the Sony Music group.[5] They released their first official single, "Later On", the following month. On October 14, 2014, the Swon Brothers released their self-titled debut album,[6] before parting ways with Arista the following year.
Early life[edit]
The Swon Brothers, Zach and Colton, were born in Muskogee, Oklahoma, to Kelly and Tammy Swon.[7][8] Colton Swon was born on August 17, 1988, while Zach was born on February 21, 1985.[1][2] Colton attended elementary school in Hilldale, Muskogee, and later attended school with his brother Zach in Oktaha, where he left after eighth grade to go to Hilldale High School.[9] Zach Swon studied at the Northeastern State University and worked at the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame in Muskogee.[10]
The brothers started performing when they were children, touring with their parents' Southern gospel group Exodus, and performing in various local events and stages.[11][12] By the time Zach Swon was 9 or 10, he was playing drums for his parents’ band.[13] In 1995, the Swon Brothers’ parents formed a family-style variety show in Wagoner called Westwood Music Show, where the Brothers performed songs ranging from Elvis to Frank Sinatra, as well as starting to perform in the country music genre.[12][13][14] In 2000, when they were 12 and 15, the brothers started calling themselves The Swon Brothers, and appeared in various venues.[15][16]
In 2007, Colton Swon auditioned for the seventh season of American Idol (aired 2008) and reached the Top 48.[17] Both Zach and Colton also appeared as contestants in 2007 on a local TV show Gimme the Mike.[18] The Swon Brothers have released a couple of independent albums with songs including "Oklahoma Lovin’" and "This Close to Gone".[13] Their first professionally recorded album Another Day, which they described as modern country, was released on January 16, 2009.[19][20] They cited The Eagles as their musical influence.[11]
Post-The Voice career[edit]
The Swon Brothers signed a recording contract with Arista Nashville after appearing in The Voice.[23] They released a single "Later On" on December 10, 2013, the first single from their self-titled album released on October 14, 2014.[24] They debuted the single on The Voice the same day. It sold 23,000 copies in its debut week.[25] In October 2015, the duo parted ways with Arista due to creative differences. On January 29, 2016, they released the EP Timeless.[26] They also opened for Carrie Underwood's Storyteller Tour in 2016.[26]