Shenandoah, April 16

Saturday, April 16, 8 p.m.

Rhythm City Casino Resort Event Center, 7077 Elmore Avenue, Davenport IA

A beloved, Grammy-winning country ensemble fueled by Marty Raybon's distinctive vocals and the band's skilled musicianship, the country stars of Shenandoah play an April 16 concert at Davenport's Rhythm City Casino Resort Event Center, with the group's collection of chart-topping singles including such fan favorites as "Sunday in the South," "Next to You, Next to Me," and "If Bubba Can Dance (I Can, Too)."

Lead guitarist Jim Seales and drummer Mike McGuire formed Shenandoah in 1984 as a house band in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, performing alongside bass guitarist Ralph Ezell, keyboardist Stan Thorn, and lead singer Raybon, who had been in his father's bluegrass band since childhood. McGuire invited songwriting friend Robert Byrne to one of the session band's shows, and in turn, Byrne invited the group into his recording studio to record a demo, which he then pitched to Columbia Records' CBS Records. After the musicians named their outfit Shenandoah, the outfit released its self-titled debut studio album in 1987, and the recording accounted for the band's first two charting singles in "They Don't Make Love Like We Used To" and "Stop the Rain," the latter of which became Shenandoah's first top-40 country hit.

Released in 1988, the ensemble's second album The Road Not Taken brought Shenandoah to the Billboard Top 10, with three consecutive number-one hits in "The Church on Cumberland Road," "Sunday in the South," and "Two Dozen Roses" With its two-week run at the top of the charts, "The Church on Cumberland Road" marked the first time in country-music history that a band's first number-one single spent more than one week at the top, and the last single from The Road Not Taken, "See If I Care," reached number six on Billboard's chart. With their rave reviews beginning to pour in, Tom Roland of Allmusic gave The Road Not Taken four-and-a-half stars, with his review saying, "The songs mix the day-to-day struggles of everyday-Joe with a steady respect for love, personal roots, and family."

To date, Shenandoah has released nine studio albums, of which two have been certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America. The band has also charted 26 singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, including the number-one hits "Next to You, Next to Me" from 1990 and "If Bubba Can Dance (I Can Too)" from 1994. Their single "Somewhere in the Vicinity of the Heart," which featured guest vocals from Alison Krauss, won both artists a Grammy Award for Best Country Collaboration with Vocals, and the Shenandoah musicians have also received accolades as Vocal Group of the Year at the Academy of Country Music Awards and Vocal Event of the Year with the Country Music Association.

Shenandoah plays the Rhythm City Casino Resort Event Center on April 16, admission to the 8 p.m. concert is $15-35, and more information and tickets are available by calling (563)328-8000 and visiting RhythmCityCasino.com.