The Honky Tonk Twins will perform music well beyond the duo’s years during its West End Fair debut Aug. 24 in Gilbert.

Hailing from Frederick, Maryland, the Twins’ Jessica Snyder and Willie Barry are set to play classic country at 2, 3:30 and 5 p.m. on the Main Stage. Snyder turns 29 in September, with Barry having done so in July.

“I’ve always been an old soul,” said Snyder, a singer since she could talk. “While I can sing along with nearly anything country and plenty of other genres, I have always preferred the country-western classics.”

Growing up, Snyder’s influences included the likes of Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton, Connie Smith and Lane Brody. Snyder, who also loves various southern gospel groups, spent time with “Aunt Connie” and “Auntie Lane” as a child at carnivals, fairs and other events.

“I always loved that Connie would pull me up to sit on her lap as she signed autographs,” Snyder said. Brody and her husband, she added, once brought Snyder and family backstage at the Grand Ole Opry to watch from the on-stage pews.

Snyder’s family was also close with Kelly Lang. Snyder “grew up singing to her CDs and trying to practice the runs and vocalizations she did in order to grow my own voice.”

Other influences include local artists Snyder grew up around, including Anita Stapleton and Nancy Wiles, the latter “who has always been my biggest mentor.”

Snyder, also an actress, realized she wanted to pursue her passion as a career when singing at churches and in her first gospel concert at age 12. She started recording her first album, 2010’s “Simply Singin’ Praise,” at 14.

After Dave Powers, Snyder’s duet partner in Cross-N-Country, passed away in 2022, Barry agreed to form a new act with Snyder. Barry, who had filled in for Powers when he suffered a stroke, named the new duo.

Given their ages, taste in older/classic music, same hometown, tight harmonies and playful stage presence, “we thought the term ‘Twins’ fit us pretty well,” Snyder said.

The Twins, Snyder said, will perform some solo songs at the fair, and perhaps some rockabilly or oldies. However, “we make sure to mix in great duets from Dolly and Porter, Loretta and Conway, Tammy and George, and more.”

With two solo albums to her credit, Snyder hopes to record Christmas, country and gospel records. Furthermore, she and Barry may record an album at some point.

Snyder, who considers every booking a career highlight, also regards making her first album as a high point. Other highlights include: starting her entertainment business Fawned Of Music LLC; winning, with one of her original songs, the local-level Country Showdown in her early 20s; and starting to play carnivals and fairs in 2022.

As for what Snyder wants to accomplish, “I’m not looking for huge fame and glory. I have always hoped that one day I would have the opportunity to sing on the Grand Ole Opry.”

Whether or not her Opry dream comes to fruition, Snyder wants “to be happy and make a decent living off of what I love doing. Singing, entertaining, spreading joy and bringing back memories to my audiences. That’s what it’s all about.”