Casey Donahew, Josh Abbott Band, et Casey Donahew Band

The band was formed by lead singer Josh Abbott when he was attending Texas Tech University. Josh Abbott was inspired to form a band after he saw one of his favorite bands, the Randy Rogers Band, perform at a local venue. Josh Abbott recruited a few of his fraternity brothers from school to be in the band and by 2007 the band recorded a demo called “Taste”. After a few lineup changes the band consisted of the members: vocalist/guitarist Josh Abbott, banjo player Austin Davis, guitarist/fiddle player Preston Wait, drummer Edward Villanueva, bassist James Hertless, and guitarist Caleb Keeter.

By 2008 the band was already touring regularly and drawing in much bigger crowds than expected. Josh Abbott’s strong work ethic and personable characteristics was a big factor to their success. At one of the band’s first shows in Oklahoma City Josh Abbott invited every fan in the venue to come back to the merch table so he could thank them personally for coming and to give them a free CD. Gestures like this have proven successful for the band and have conveyed a sense of sincerity to their fans.

In 2008 Josh Abbott Band released their debut album called “Scapegoat”. The album followed the genre of country rock and produced the songs “Buried Me” and “Good Night For Dancing”. In 2010 the Josh Abbott Band released their second studio album “She’s Like Texas”. The album did significantly well on the charts for an independent release, reaching the No. 28 spot on the US Country chart and No. 5 on the US Heatseekers chart. The album also was well received by critics and garnered comparison to Steve Earle’s music. The album contained the singles “She’s Like Texas”, “Road Trippin’”, and “Oh, Night”, which was a collaboration with Kacey Musgraves. The success of the album drew in a larger fan base for the band and in 2010 they played their first sold out concert.

In 2012 the band released their third album “Small Town Family Dream”. The album’s style contained the band’s signature country rock sound and produced the singles “Touch”, I’ll Sing About Mine”, and “She Will Be Free”. The album also shows the band covering two songs by one of their favorite musicians, Terry Allen. The songs they covered were “FFA” and “Flatland Farmer”. The album also shows the band collaborating with another one of Abbott’s heroes, Pat Green. The album did well on the charts reaching the No. 5 position on the US Country chart and the No. 2 position on the US Indie chart.

The band released their EP “Tuesday Night” in 2014 through Atlantic Records. The EP achieved success on the charts, reaching the No. 12 position on the US Country charts. The EP also produced the hit single “Hangin’ Around”. The Josh Abbott Band is inspired by the impact they make on their fans and this inspiration causes them to consistently tour in order to make that strong connection with their fans.

Band leader Danahew first began writing songs during high school, however didn’t learn to play the the guitar until studying at Texas Agriculture and Mechanical University. Donahew and his band later showed their worth from 2002 with high energy performances in local bars and clubs, earning a dedicated fan base for their extra long and impressive live sets. Subsequently, Pam Minick of the famed Texas club Billy Bob’s was made aware of the group and hired the band to play the headlining slot to the college-age crowd.

Formed of Donahew, John Newsome, Donte Gates, Steve Stone, Josh Moore and Aaron Copeland, the Casey Donahew Band released their debut album “Lost Days” in 2006. The album and its follow-up, the self-titled “Casey Donahew Band” were popular locally, however it wasn’t until their third album “Moving On” that their music was taken to a national level. “Moving On”, released in 2009 reached No. 28 on the U.S. Country Chart, No. 3 on the Heatseekers Chart, and No. 126 on the U.S. Billboard 200.

The band also became known for their selection of cross-genre covers including “Ice Ice Baby” and 50 Cent’s “In Da Club” that drew in young Texas crowds. Despite the national audience, Casey Donahew Band remains a Texas bar band at heart with low level marketing. The band’s fourth studio album “Double-Wide Dream” was released in October 2011 and surpassed the success of its predecessor, reaching No. 10 in the Country Charts, and No. 32 in the U.S. Billboard 200. Subsequently, Casey Donahew Band released “StandOff” in 2013, which became their highest charting album peaking at No. 7 on the U.S. Country music chart.