Casey Donahew Band and Julianna Rankin

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.