Confederate Railroad

Confederate Railroad
Confederate Railroad in 2007.
Background information
Origin	Atlanta, Georgia, United States
Genres	Country, Southern rock, Outlaw country, Country rock
Years active	1987–present
Labels	Atlantic, Audium, Shanachie, E1 Music, Sony
Associated acts	David Allan Coe, Johnny Paycheck, George Jones, Charlie Daniels, Roger Alan Wade, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Sammy Kershaw, Sawyer Brown, Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show
Website	http://www.confederaterailroad.net
Members	Danny Shirley Rusty Hendrix Wayne Secrest Mark DuFresne Mo Thaxton Joey Recker
Past members	Jimmy Dormire Chris McDaniel Michael Lamb Warren "Gates" Nichols Cody McCarver Bobby Randall

Confederate Railroad is an American country rock–Southern rock band founded in 1987 in Marietta, Georgia, by Danny Shirley (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Michael Lamb (lead guitar), Mark Dufresne (drums), Chris McDaniel (keyboards), Warren "Gates" Nichols (steel guitar) and Wayne Secrest (bass guitar). After serving as a backing band for outlaw country acts David Allan Coe and Johnny Paycheck, the band signed to a recording contract with Atlantic Records, releasing their self-titled debut album that year. In the 1990s, they released four more albums for Atlantic.

Confederate Railroad has released six studio albums. In addition, more than twenty 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. In addition to his work with Confederate Railroad, McCarver has released one solo album and two singles. Dormire was replaced in 2008 by Rusty Hendrix.

The band's most recent studio album, Lucky to Be Alive, was issued on the D&B Masterworks label on July 15, 2016. The band released their first live album, Confederate Railroad Live: Back to the Barrooms, on the E1 Music label on June 15, 2010.

Confederate Railroad was founded in 1987 by Danny Shirley, Michael Lamb, Gates Nichols, Chris McDaniel, Wayne Secrest, and Mark Dufresne. The six members began playing at bars in and around Atlanta, Georgia. Over time, they also worked as a road band for David Allan Coe and Johnny Paycheck. Shirley had previously been signed to the Amor record label as a solo singer, charting five times on the country charts between 1984 and 1988.