Confederate Railroad will play a free concert beginning at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, March 28, on the north side of the square in downtown Gilmer.

Gilmer Main Street program will sponsor the event.

With a high-energy combination of honky-tonk rockers, sensitive ballads and offbeat humor, Confederate Railroad has achieved chart success, multi-platinum sales, and popularity as a road band in their 21-year history.

Confederate Railroad is an American country music band founded in 1987 in Marietta, Ga. by Danny Shirley (lead vocals), Michael Lamb (lead guitar), Mark Dufresne (drums), Chris McDaniel (keyboards), Gates Nichols (steel guitar, Dobro), and Wayne Secrest (bass guitar).

After serving as a backing band for outlaw country act David Allan Coe, the band signed to a recording contract with Atlantic Records, releasing their self-titled debut album that year. Throughout the 1990s, they released four more albums for Atlantic.

Confederate Railroad has released ten studio albums. In addition, more than 20 of their singles have entered the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts. Only two changes in membership have occurred, both in the late 1990s-early 2000s: Michael Lamb was replaced by Jimmy Dormire on lead guitar, and Cody McCarver took over for Chris McDaniel, the band’s original keyboardist. Dormire was replaced in 2008 by Rusty Hendrix.

“Bring your lawn chairs and join in the fun,” invited Bridget Fowler, Main Street manager.