The Christian band Righteous Revival — a band made up of native Harlan County musicians — is performing at the Kentucky State Fair, taking part in the Kentucky Farm Bureau Gospel Music Showcase competition on Aug.23.

The band consists of six members, all of whom hail from Harlan County: Alan Wagers, guitar; Ross Bailey, bass; Millard Caldwell, Jr., guitar; Tim Cooper, keyboard; Rick Jones, drums; and Randy Adams, vocals.

Wagers pointed out the members of the group have a long history together.

“Four of us in the group began playing rock and roll together as teenagers back in 1970,” Wagers said. “Forty-eight years later, we’re still performing together, albeit in an entirely different genre of music.”

Wagers pointed out the musicians have all led lives away from music, with the band’s roster including an electrician, a former deputy sheriff, a health care professional, two ordained ministers and an attorney.

“We played together for several years and then moved on to other things,” Wagers said. “Three of the guys in the band still live in Harlan County.”

Bailey, Jones and Adams currently reside in Harlan County.

“I was the county attorney in Harlan for 13 years, from 1986 to 1998,” Wagers said. “I moved from Harlan in 1998, and now live in Frankfort. The other guitar player, Millard Caldwell, lives in Knoxville (Tennessee). Tim Cooper lives in Big Stone Gap, Virginia.”

Wagers said they rehearse in Lynch, with the members who live outside of the county driving in for the sessions.

“We’ll take a weekend and practice all day on a Saturday,” Wagers said. “We’ve been pretty busy the last couple of weeks, because we’re getting ready to perform. We’ve only got two songs were going to play, but we want to make sure they’re as perfect as they can be.”

Wagers explained the group’s sound is derived from the music the band members grew up playing and hearing.

“We grew up in the 1970s,” Wagers said. “At that time, it was rock and roll and blues, so that’s what we grew up knowing. The original music we write is an offshoot of what we grew up with.”

Wagers noted that while the music is based in rock and blues, the lyrics contain a positive message.

“We do try to convey a spiritual message through what we do,” Wagers said. “This is really a bunch of old guys getting together and playing music that we hope will send out a message and we have fun doing it.”

Righteous Revival will be performing during the competition, but at exactly what point during the competition is not yet known.

“The officials will decide the order,” Wagers said.

The competition will take place at the Kentucky Exposition Center in south wing C.

The group may be the first band of Harlan County natives to perform at the festival.

“To my knowledge, I don’t believe there has been another musical group from Harlan County that’s ever performed at the state fair,” Wagers said. “It’s certainly a positive reflection on Harlan County. There’s a lot of musical talent in Harlan County right now and a lot of people…are playing really good music.”

The competition is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. and wrap up at approximately noon.

More information on Righteous Revival is available on the band’s Facebook page.