The Eli Young Band, performing on Jan. 25, had one of 2010's biggest country hits with 'Crazy Girl'.

The South Florida Fair talent bookers seem to have a sixth sense about who is on the verge of being next year’s big star. In years past, Luke Bryan, Lady Antebellum and Blake Shelton have performed at the South Florida Fair.

For country performers, earning a spot on the festivals and fair circuit is the first step in the career-building process. But fairs also bring out veteran performers whose careers exist along the periphery of country music, and this year is no different.

Here’s a primer on this year’s acts:

John Anderson, 7:30 p.m. Friday

Native Floridian John Anderson’s most enduring composition may be “Seminole Wind”, the song he wrote about his beloved state, even if his signature song is “Swinging” — the lighthearted smash single that won a CMA award, and catapulted Anderson to the CMA Horizon Award winner.

Aaron Lewis, 7:30 p.m. Tuesday

OK, so he’s really a rocker. The front man and lead singer of the band Staind offered up a solo country crossover single, “Country Boy”, a year ago. The political tune featured George Jones, Charlie Daniels and Chris Young. It got played on country radio, and the video made its mark, too.

John Michael Montgomery, 7:30 p.m. Jan. 19.

The younger brother of Eddie Montgomery (Montgomery Gentry) was a mainstay on country radio in the ’90s, with two dozen Billboard singles under his belt. It all started with the classic “Life’s a Dance” in 1992. He cut one of the most popular wedding songs ever (“I Swear”) and the tongue twisting “Sold (The Grundy County Auction Incident)”. Other memorable contributions include “Be My Baby Tonight”, “I Love the Way You Love Me” and “The Little Girl”. He released his 10th studio album Time Flies in late 2008.

Colt Ford, 7:30 p.m. Jan. 24

You can call him Jason Farris Brown or Mr. Dirt Road Anthem. The former professional golfer performs under the stage name Colt Ford. He’s a country spoken-word artist whose appeal seduces bonafide artists including Tim McGraw and Luke Bryan into singing on his tracks. But his biggest contribution to country music comes as the co-writer on the Jason Aldean super-song, “Dirt Road Anthem”. Ford’s highest charting song to date is 2010’s “Cold Beer”, a duet with Jamey Johnson.

Eli Young Band, 7:30 p.m. Jan. 25

First of all, there’s no one named Eli Young in the band. Founders Mike Eli and James Young celebrated big with bandmembers Chris Thompson and Jon Jones when Billboard named their first No. 1 single “Crazy Girl” Country Song of the Year for 2011. It was the first single off their fourth album, Life at Best, and the second single, “Even If It Breaks Your Heart”, is climbing the charts now. It’s an autobiographical tune about not giving up on your dreams.