The six men who comprise the group Confederate Railroad, are known for their country rock music and are often compared to Charlie Daniels and Hank Williams, Jr. In the early 1980's, Danny Shirley (guitar and vocals), Michael Lamb (lead guitar), Gates Nichols (steel guitar) Chris McDaniel (keyboard), Wayne Secrest (bass) and Mark Dufresne (drummer), started playing in bars around Alabama. They got a steady gig performing in Georgia at Miss Kitty's and backed artists Johnny Paycheck and David Allan Coe on road tours.

In 1992, they released their debut album, Confederate Railroad, with two hits that made it into the Top 5 of the country charts: "Jesus and Mama" and "Queen of Memphis". "Trashy Women" of the same album broke into the Top 10 and became a fan favorite. The album was certified double platinum, and Confederate Railroad was named Top New Vocal Group in 1992 by the Academy of Country Music.

The band became well known for their next Top Ten single "Daddy Never Was the Cadillac Kind", which brought their 1994 album, Notorious, much success. Their next album, however, didn't carry the same success and Michael Lamb left the group and the lead guitar role was replaced by Jimmy Dormire. Another unsuccessful attempt at a comeback brought the departure of Chris McDaniel, who was replaced by Cody McCarver on the keyboard.